When a site acquisition specialist reaches out to you regarding the possibility of a cell tower being built on your property, it doesn’t mean you are the only option.  In many cases these specialists are securing options for all neighboring property owners within the search ring they are working for the carrier.  In rural areas it can be tough to negotiate as you are up against fellow neighbors who may be desperate to receive additional revenue for 10,000 square feet that they weren’t making money on. 

Ideally, the fewer choices the site acq specialist has, the better chance at getting the site built on your property.  This will give you more bargaining power in your negotiations to get a higher monthly rental payment.  Depending on the state, zoning classifications will be paramount as if it’s more difficult to zone, that will by default help limit the choices for a cell tower.  Higher elevation comes into play where it’s more difficult to zone.  In rural areas, guyed towers that are 300’ tall can be built.  Another item that folks forget about in these negotiations is how long will the access road be?  The longer the access road the more expensive it is to build the site and to take care of it in the future.  It’s extremely important to make sure any maintenance to the road is covered by the cell tower operator.  They will bring heavy machinery that will tear up the road and you don’t want to be responsible for fixing a road you didn’t damage. 

In a new lease negotiation situation, you most certainly want a consultant on your side but also an experienced real estate attorney.  These site acquisition specialists are all over the country identifying the perfect spots for a new tower build.  I can’t stress how important it is to make sure you are protected.  The common person wouldn’t be able to decipher the language in these agreements so it’s worth the few thousand dollars to get someone to review and push back on language that may affect you in the future.