Cell Tower Lease Rates and Sales

In the world of telecommunications law, one question rises to the top of the list: What is the going rent for a cell tower lease?  This program will address that question, with industry statistics, which should be helpful for the thousands of landlords whose leases come up for renewal each year.

The program will also provide municipalities (and all property owners) with the basics of leasing land for a cell tower (or space on a building roof or other structure) for cell antennas, including why 5G has little impact.  It is presented by two attorneys with decades of experience representing municipalities and other property owners on cell leases.

In general, the program covers key business issues in cell site leases, including lease rates, who gets the revenues from additional antennas or carriers being co-located at a site, and the major rent increases possible at renewals.  It then shifts to avoiding lease terms which can prevent a landlord’s use or development of the property with the lease, and adding lease terms which help preserve these rights.

After covering some more conventional lease terms the program addresses the sale of cell leases and future leasing rights.  This includes typical sale prices (often around 19 to 20 times annual revenues); when to sell and when it is not advisable to sell; how to get the best price and terms in a sale; and again avoiding provisions that restrict the development or use of the property. On both cell leases and the sale of leases the program addresses key items that are unique to municipalities. More generally, the program covers such topics as lease term and terminations, access requirements, radio frequency interference, design and camouflage, and radio frequency emissions safety.

Speaker: John Pestle & Jonathan Kramer