# Can my building association refuse to fix the internet in my unit if it is preventing me from working? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 15, 2020, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615 "2020-11-15T05:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/41 "2020-11-15T23:28:08Z")
I relocated less than a month ago, and most of my savings went to the move so at the moment I cant up and leave, but I do know that when I’m financially able to, breaking the lease will be very simple if this is still an issue. I can get a hotspot or anything else that isint a wired connection, but my supervisor would have to approve it per the teleworking agreement, and this is something I only see them doing if I can give them a definitive period of time that it would be necessary. They have been VERY patient with me and my situation thus far, and have basically been paying me to not work for these past three weeks, so I’m weary to ask for something like that only to have to renege on the date I give by saying “it’s not fixed yet, but we’re getting there!” Eventually enough _will_ be enough and I cant blame them for it in the slightest, and this is why the last thing I want to do is sit on my hands hoping me, my landlord, or even the property manager if they decide to help, to try and contact the owner of the unit below. I keep saying this, but the fact that I’m simply asking for maintenance of a service that has been in the building for thirty years due to my job being on the line _seems_ like a strong stance to take in court if it ends up going that way. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/42 "2020-11-15T23:42:05Z")
Could, perhaps, the cable company run new coax on the _outside_ of the building, from the first floor to the third floor? Or how about running a new cable up the stairwell? ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/43 "2020-11-15T23:46:49Z")
The first floor is technically the parking area so I think that is what’s making the challenge of the external run so difficult. I’m going to call the foreman tomorrow and ask him if there is \*anything \* that they can do to get this ran without needing access. We’ll see what they say, but I cant really suggest any approaches because I dont know much about running the cable, and I cant tell when they’re feeding me bs just because they want to save face. I’m hoping they will be willing to try and work with me or do something more unorthodox than they usually do though. From my experiences so far the foreman has been pretty understanding so we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/44 "2020-11-16T00:02:06Z")
How about connecting your cable modem on the ground floor and then adding a repeater on the third floor? ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/45 "2020-11-16T00:35:01Z")
The ground floor is essentially a parking area so there’s nowhere to put the modem. The first floor of units is occupied by someone so they would have to authorize me hooking up my modem to their port or anything necessary along those lines, and I just don’t see that flying. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/46 "2020-11-16T00:42:18Z")
> [@Bacom15](#): > > I relocated less than a month ago, and most of my savings went to the move so at the moment I cant up and leave I doubt your can force them to upgrade your internet service, but if the lease says the place has internet, you should be able to break the lease and find another place. You might even be able to collect a new security deposit in small claims court. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/47 "2020-11-16T01:10:32Z")
Can you approach an adjoining unit resident and ask to repeat off of their service? Pay them $20 a month to plug in a repeater while you try to work something out. Or go park outside a public library that allows for free wi-fi and work from there. Try a hot spot from a cell carrier or use your phone as a hot spot. Borrow a wi-if enabled ipad or tablet and patch into something before your employer gives up and leaves you in HI, without a job, savings or internet. If pride is getting in your way, swallow it (it has to be my way, cabled through the 2 units into my unit or court). Having to find a new renter isn’t going to hurt them nearly as much as broke and jobless and 4, 000 miles from the mainland is going to cripple you. Shot, rent a room from someone with good internet for a month or two. Bend or you may get broken. ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/48 "2020-11-16T01:24:21Z")
My neighbor who is a very sweet elderly woman that I have had nothing but pleasurable experiences with does not have internet or even television. She’s a devoted author and academic, and in her own words “spends the rest of her days either reading or writing.” Again, I _can_ get a hotspot for work, but it would need to be authorized by my supervisor. The equipment we use to telework is designed to be hardwired in, but there _is_ a program that can be used to allow it to connect to a vpn via wifi, but this requires IT to activate, and would only be done at the consent of my supervisor. My supervisor _would_ approve this, but only if I would be able to tell her for how long I would need to do it for (and presumably even deny it if that duration seems unreasonably long.) Pride isn’t an issue, but I’m flattered if I’m coming off like a bravado lion of stubbornness. If I could connect to a neighbor or a hotspot indefinitely until this issue is resolved I wouldn’t be considering the prospect of taking legal action. The fact of the matter is I _am_ in a new state thousands of miles away from anyone I know, and budgeting half of my pay for the unit I’m in with a majority of the other going towards basic living expenses and everything else an adult would come to expect. If I could “bend” I absolutely would, but renting a room in Hawaii isn’t as cheap as you would think, and if it is cheap then I suppose that just speaks volumes about my budget. I know this for a fact because coming over I rented the cheapest room I could find for a month because I was still searching for a place, and it ran me a little under a third of my current rent, and I _am_ talking about the cheapest room I could find which was a 100square foot dungeon in the basement of an old ladies house. I can look again and see, but being saddled with a current rent would make my budget a lot less flexible than it was when I came here. Personally I’m not too sure what about this situation is making it come off as if I’d rather lose my job than use a hotspot or do anything else. I _don’t_ want to lose my job, and the brutal reality is that right now my options are few and their chances of success all varying degrees of questionable at best. Telling me to hustle is moot, because I can assure you it’s something that I know how to do and have done time and time again, but this isn’t a situation that can be “hustled” out of. Tenacity and “bending” wont get me far because both of those factors are limited by my location, budget, and known acquaintances. I’d like to think that’s why so far no one has made it an issue of me being unwilling to consider other avenues because I clearly am. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/49 "2020-11-16T01:34:23Z")
> [@Bacom15](#): > > Personally I’m not too sure what about this situation is making it come off as if I’d rather lose my job than use a hotspot or do anything else. Eh, don’t take it too personally. You’re new here so may not be used to the way we tend to be blunt. Also, I gather that several well-meaning participants in this thread aren’t clear on the fact that setting up a hotspot or hanging out at the library/cafe are not really options for you. Here’s a thought - you need supervisor approval for working wirelessly and for that you need a time-limited period, correct? Would it be possible to pick an arbitrary date in the future and tell your supervisor “I need to work wirelessly until [insert date here, as far in the future as you dare].” That would give you some breathing room to figure out a solution without worrying about losing your job, and if by the time the date rolled around you were still up shit’s creek perhaps you could ask for an extension because things fell through? No idea if that would work, but it’s my only thought. And PS - hi neighbor! Well, not exactly: I live on the Big Island. But I can vouch for the fact that everything is quite expensive in Hawai’i. ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/50 "2020-11-16T01:44:52Z")
I can absolutely give her a date and hope that it all works out, and thats honestly the best option to buy time so I plan on doing that. My supervisor has been very understanding thus far, and I’m sure if I I bleed my heart out I’m sure she has some extra compassion left in the tank to give me a date. And hi from Oahu! If this all works out I’ll be working over there sometimes and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the basalt over there! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/51 "2020-11-16T03:24:06Z")
> [@Bacom15](#): > > Pride isn’t an issue, but I’m flattered if I’m coming off like a bravado lion of stubbornness. I’m not pushing back on taking legal action because I think you are too aggressive, I’m pushing back because I can’t imagine you have a legal CASE to force them to break into your neighbor’s unit. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/52 "2020-11-16T03:25:15Z")
Could you pay to get the internet connected to the neighbor’s place (assuming she won’t have your problems) and connect using a long ethernet cable? Even temporarily. I still have a 30m cat6 cable in the garage from similar sorts of silliness years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/53 "2020-11-16T03:52:50Z")
It’s not so much them breaking in. The building bylaws already state that the association has the right to access any units necessary to complete repairs relevant to the property. The issue is that the board is saying they do not want to pursue this action because a faulty three decade old wire that needs maintenance is not grounds to use the bylaws to get access. I don’t _want_ to take legal action, but the case isn’t me trying to make the association do something they’ve never done. It’s me trying to tell the association that they installed a wiring in the past, now it needs maintenance, and their bylaws state in cases of maintenance to the building they can pursue a forced entry. My issue is that be it if they are saving face, don’t want to be bothered, etc., the type of issue they are claiming this situation _isn’t_ is actually in fact _is_. I’m the only tenant in the stack not receiving the service the building originally provided to all tenants in the stack, and it’s due to no fault of my own or anyone else, and is simply because these things need maintaining, and that maintenance falls on the association so a court order saying they need to fix it just doesn’t seem so far of a pipe dream. Especially if it’s the last resort I possibly have. If I were trying to strong arm them into doing a never before done internet run because I just moved in and wanted internet then absolutely, but I just want things to work the way they are supposed to just as the association intended (and committed to) when they originally got the cabling installed. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/54 "2020-11-16T03:58:01Z")
I don’t actually understand why it’s different because the unit used to have internet. I mean, they CAN break in if they choose to. Their bylaws say so. I just don’t understand why you expect to be able to force them to do that. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/55 "2020-11-16T03:58:14Z")
I apologize for being cranky. I was hurrying because I had a 3 yo angling for my attention and I took shortcuts in my tone. I’m sorry for any distress I caused. Good luck. The idea posted just above by Don\_t Ask actually has a lot of appeal. Hoping you have it on paper somewhere that it was rented to you with the representation that it had internet service. That should get you out of a lease. FWIW, I think they are being lazy poopyheads (borrowed from above mentioned 3 yo). ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/56 "2020-11-16T04:05:35Z")
I’m assuming that because the unit used to have internet and no longer does solely because the three decade old wiring requires maintenance, then this issue falls under one of maintenance. It just so happens that the building bylaws dealing with access are _specifically_ for instances requiring building maintenance, and that being the case I feel that if I can explain this to a judge they would agree the maintenance needs to be done. The idea is that the current pandemic coupled with my work demands, and their inability to be met because the board deems it negligible when it’s actually not, would result in an order in my favor. It’s a last ditch effort for sure, but I think as far as grounds go there is a decent case to be made here, but of course _I_ would say that right? ---
**Author:** ![Bacom15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Bacom15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacom15)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/57 "2020-11-16T04:07:47Z")
I’ll definitely ask her about this. She’s been very sweet so far so it may actually be a reasonable request! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/58 "2020-11-16T04:45:45Z")
Got a technical question here. I understand that some degree of hard-wired capability is going to be necessary in order for IT to set you up. Once this has been achieved, are you going to be able to work wirelessly? Or is hard-wiring going to have to extend all the way to your PC/MAC? (Leaving aside any questions about hotspots.) I seem to be thinking along the same lines as @dont\_t\_ask. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/59 "2020-11-16T04:57:17Z")
Another question: can your apartment receive satellite internet service? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615/60 "2020-11-16T05:06:35Z")
> [@Bacom15](#): > > Currently the unit directly below me is vacant so there is no way to directly schedule with the tenant to allow access, but there is a clause in the building bylaws that allows management to preform a “forced entry” in situations such as this where they simply key into the unit so necessary building repairs or maintenance can be completed You say the unit below you is vacant so there is no way to schedule with the tenant. If it’s vacant how can there be a tenant? It’s empty. How would it be a “forced entry” considering it’s vacant? Doesn’t management sometimes show vacant units to prospective buyers/renters? Is it considered a “forced entry” when they have an open house there? As for the first floor unit, is it any problem for management to arrange with the tenant to arrange a time when the ISP can make the repairs? And it doesn’t matter, IMO, whether it’s for your livelihood or just for fun. How can you not be allowed to have a basic utility while all your neighbors do? Can that even be legal to block you from that–even if the management has to go to great lengths to make it possible for you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-my-building-association-refuse-to-fix-the-internet-in-my-unit-if-it-is-preventing-me-from-working/925615.md?page=4)