Q&A - Installing Sky Dishes

QUESTION
Dear Sir
I own and live in a ground floor 3 storey high apartment block. I subscribe to Sky Plus. Unfortunately, I only have a single piped line into my apartment which precludes me from obtaining the full benefits of Sky Plus such as watching one programme while recording another. The freeholder has refused to put a second line in and also refuses permission for me to install my own Sky dish. Can they insist on this? What are the likely penalties if I disobey and install my own dish?
Name Withheld

ANSWER
The critical thing here is what your lease says, as this will determine what you can do and what permissions you have to seek from your freeholder to do what you would like to do.  I suspect that your lease will prohibit you from making any alterations to the exterior of the premises without the freeholder’s consent and he/she can withhold consent if the works proposed would detract from the appearance of the building.  So, it might well be that the freeholder is quite within his/her rights to refuse to install a second line and to permit you to install your own satellite dish.  If you install your own dish, this would be regarded as a breach of your lease and the freeholder could insist that you took down the dish and, if you refused, take down the dish him/herself and charge you for all costs incurred in so doing.
Craig Stevens, Warwick Estates