Internet for tenants

[martinm]

Anyone out there providing internet for their tenants and has figured out how to avoid liability from the Copyright Amendment Bill? There is an article about this in the January NZ Property Investors Mag but it doesn't come up with a solution apart from "Don't do it"! Options I can think of are:
- Using a 3rd party or software that tracks usage and hence identifies any tenant breaching the act
- Including clauses in the tenancy agreement that the tenant will not breach the act, etc.

[drelly]

Why can't you provide a means for them to have their own accounts instead of providing the account yourself?

[martinm]

Why can't you provide a means for them to have their own accounts instead of providing the account yourself?

Internet is offered as a value add, and the target market is young professionals and students and tenancies are room by room and often less than 12 months (which is typically the minimum term for an internet contract). Not enough rooms to make something like Freedom Internet's service economic.

[Hec]

good idea really. work out the cost. triple it and provide away ...

[PC]

Can't you just write a contract stating "The tenant indemnifies the Landlord against any and all internet activities..."
or such B.S. legal drivel that all other businesses use?

[jimO]

good idea really. work out the cost. triple it and provide away ...

typical greedy landlord attitude

[DazRaz]

Can't you just write a contract stating "The tenant indemnifies the Landlord against any and all internet activities..."
or such B.S. legal drivel that all other businesses use?

The problem is not between landlord and tenant but landlord and internet service provider. The skynet law holds the account holder responsible. Even if the breach of copyright can be tracked to the tenant, the landlord is the account holder and the one getting the warnings and potential fine.

Common sense does not prevail with the stupid skynet law. The landlord would be guilty and the proof is the issued warning.

[DaveW]

Is this to do with illegal downloading of copy-righted movies etc? I am providing internet for some tenants but never considered this.

[DazRaz]

Yes, it is. Providing any internet services is not problematic. There are solutions which internet cafes use to prevent peer to peer copying but are a bit over the top for landlords and perhaps a little too restrictive for many internet users.

[Hec]

Hey Mr JimO

greedy ? really ?
and you provide your services for free / at no profit / etc ?
Do you know what overheads are by any chance ?

I allow pets in my rentals. Typically i get an averge extra $50 a week. Tenants are over the moon.
But hey that makes me greedy ......
hahahahaha to the bank i go !

Hec

[Wayne]

typical greedy landlord attitude

What margin over cost do think would be reasonable in this case jimO?

[Keys]

I would suggest the bitter chap would consider cost price would be appropriate.

[beno]

Anyone out there providing internet for their tenants and has figured out how to avoid liability from the Copyright Amendment Bill? There is an article about this in the January NZ Property Investors Mag but it doesn't come up with a solution apart from "Don't do it"! Options I can think of are:
- Using a 3rd party or software that tracks usage and hence identifies any tenant breaching the act
- Including clauses in the tenancy agreement that the tenant will not breach the act, etc.

Yes I provide Internet to tenants. The options I can think of would be:
- Change the account into someone else's name after a couple of warnings.
- Configure a VPN service to another country. This tunnels the tenants traffic through an encrypted tunnel so content cannot be seen by NZ ISPs and the traffic would then appear to be from another country. Some wireless routers have ability to do VPN.

3strikes.net.nz has some good info.