Renting a house? How to get Starlink past your landlord’s rules

What the rule covers when you rent

The FCC rule (47 CFR 1.4000) lists “lease provision” among the restrictions it limits, and protects dishes on property where the user has an ownership or leasehold interest. In 1998 the FCC extended it to tenants. Its order says:

That order was about TV dishes. In 2001 the FCC extended the same protection to antennas that receive and transmit fixed wireless signals, which is the wording a Starlink dish fits, by our reading. The drawing shows what that means on a typical rental.

The roof and outside walls are the hard part. In its 1998 analysis the FCC described a tenant’s leased area as “the apartment but not the roof or exterior walls”. That sentence is about apartment buildings, but the logic is the same for a house: unless your lease hands you the roof or walls, assume they stay the landlord’s. Shared spaces, such as a drive or yard you share with another unit, are common areas the rule doesn’t reach.

No-drill setups for renters

The dish doesn’t have to touch the house. These options keep the landlord’s building untouched:

• Kickstand in the yard. Starlink says the kit’s detachable kickstand can be used for quick setup or a permanent install. Keep it tilted on the stand, not flat: Starlink says a misaligned or flat dish can pool rain and drop service.
• Ground base. For Standard 4 and 4 X dishes, Starlink sells an X-Frame Base for a ground-level install or quick setup.
• A metal post you already have. Starlink’s Standard Pipe Adapter fits poles 31–63.5 mm (1.25–2.5 in) across; metal pipes only, not PVC or plastic; pipe not included. The V5 kit comes with its own adapter; Starlink says it fits poles 31–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) across.
• A weighted ridge mount, if your lease allows roof use: no drilling, sits on a gable ridge with ballast; metal or shingle roofs under 45°; not for clay tile; wind rating up to 50 mph.

The cable is the part most renters forget. A new hole through the wall is an alteration, so ask first. Don’t run the cable through a door or a window that closes on it. More no-drill options · Getting the cable inside.

Lease clauses, decoded

Our plain reading of the clauses tenants ask about most. Your state’s landlord-tenant law can change the answer.

• “No satellite dishes.” On your own yard or patio, a blanket ban like this is the kind of lease provision the FCC rule limits for a covered dish. On the roof or walls, it stands unless the lease gives you those.
• “No alterations without consent.” Covers holes in the building. A no-drill setup avoids it; a cable hole needs consent.
• “Tenant restores the premises.” You pay to patch and seal any holes when you leave. Starlink’s Terms say: “Should use of the Services require any construction or alteration to your property, Starlink is not obliged to reimburse any expenses or restore your property to the same physical state as prior to delivery of Services.”
• “Common areas are for shared use.” A shared drive, shared lawn or shared roof is outside the rule. Pick a spot that is yours alone.

What to do, step by step

1. 01

   Step 1: Read your lease for three things

   Look for any clause on antennas or satellite dishes, any clause on alterations or holes, and what the lease says is yours: the yard, the patio, a deck, the garage.

2. 02

   Step 2: Scan the yard and patio first

   Open the Starlink app and scan from each spot in your own outdoor space, at the height the dish would sit. Starlink says the app has a built-in tool to preview the install location and guide you to the spot with the fewest obstructions. Screenshot each result.

3. 03

   Step 3: Choose a spot that needs no holes

   A spot in your yard or on your patio, on the kickstand or a stand, keeps the landlord’s building untouched. That’s the easiest yes you’ll get.

4. 04

   Step 4: Plan the cable route

   Measure from the spot to the indoor outlet where the router will sit. The kit’s cable is 15 m (49.2 ft). Starlink says the cable is not rated to be buried or under water; keep it free of kinks, debris and door jambs, so don’t shut it in a door or window.

5. 05

   Step 5: Write to your landlord

   Say what you’re installing, where, that it needs no holes (or exactly which one hole you’d like, and who will seal it), and that you’ll remove it when you move. Attach the scan screenshots and keep a copy.

6. 06

   Step 6: Get the roof or walls in writing

   If only the roof or a wall bracket scans clear, ask for written permission first. Unless your lease gives you the roof or outside walls, they are the landlord’s to say yes or no to.

7. 07

   Step 7: Ask why, in writing, if they refuse your yard

   If the landlord refuses a no-drill dish in your own yard or patio, ask which lease clause and what safety reason they rely on. The FCC rule puts the burden of proof on them. Get legal advice before you go further.

What a landlord can and can’t do

When you move out

1. Take the dish, the mount and the cable. The kit is yours if you bought it.
2. Patch and seal any hole you made, the way your lease asks.
3. Update your Starlink service address before you use it at the new home. Starlink says Residential service is for use at the registered service address; it does not support roaming, and that changing the service address turns off service at the old address, and returning may not be possible.

If you’re the landlord

Starlink’s Terms make the customer responsible for landlord approvals, so expect tenants to ask. Our reading of the FCC rule: you can’t ban a covered dish on outdoor space a tenant rents and uses alone, but you can keep it off a roof and walls you didn’t lease, and set clearly defined safety rules. Put a short policy in writing: where dishes may go, no new holes without consent, removal at move-out.