Is it Reasonable to Ask Tenant to Self-Install Cable Equipment?

[Wes D.]

Happy Friday! I'm buying an MTR condo (our second investment!) with a current tenant and need some advice. The cable company needs us to switch out the modem/router equipment. Is it reasonable to ask the tenant to complete the self-install of the new equipment, or should I have someone else do it?

The cable company will have the equipment delivered, of course. 

Thanks for any advice! 

[Bonnie Low]

As soon as you ask 'what could go wrong', something usually does. I hope that's not the case. Generally speaking, we don't ask our guests to do anything. Part of it is customer service. They're paying a premium for the space, we said cable or internet was provided and so it should be available to them before they move in. And while this install seems pretty straightforward, if it doesn't go as planned, your guest will have to deal with the cable company for trouble shooting. Usually that company is not going to talk to someone who is not on the account and can't provide a password. You do NOT want to give that guest your account password. It's just all messy. In the future, either make sure it's taken care of before they move in or have a trusted boots-on-the-ground team member who can take care of it for you.