New research published in International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis on cell towers and property value found “a significant impact” on the proximity of cell phone tower base stations to the residential property sale prices. The closer to the cell tower a residential property is, the higher the impact on residential sale price. This new research is in line with the findings of numerously published articles which have long found close proximity cell towers, as well as 5G small cells, impact residential property values. Many buyers are concerned about potential cell tower radiation health effects as numerous research studies link cell tower radiation to cancer, biochemical impacts and microwave illness.
The research entitled “Impact of proximity to cell phone tower base stations on residential property prices in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa” is authored by Koech Cheruiyot, Nosipho Mavundla, Mncedisi Siteleki and Ezekiel Lengaram from the School of Construction Economics and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The authors conclude that the knowledge from their paper “will help property owners who have cell phone tower base stations on their properties, their neighbors, telecommunication companies and the public to understand the implications of having cell phone tower base stations on or near their properties.
Earlier studies on the issue include “Wireless Towers and Home Values: An Alternative Valuation Approach Using a Spatial Econometric Analysis” published in the Journal of Real Estate Finance & Economics that found properties located within 0.72 kilometers of the closest tower declined 2.46% on average, and up to 9.78% for homes within tower visibility range.
Lawyers and appraisers in the United States have long documented how cell towers and 5G small cells can impact property values. The Reply Comments of the Smart Communities Siting Coalition states “many deployments of small cells could affect property values, with significant potential effect…”
Burgoyne Appraisal Company prepared a 2017 report “Impact of Communication Towers and Equipment on Nearby Property Values” stating that “In 32 years of experience as a Real Estate Appraiser specializing in detrimental conditions, takings, adverse impacts and right-of-way, I have found that aesthetics (or rather the adverse impact on aesthetics) of externalities routinely has the largest impact on property values. As a result, proximity to towers of all types (cell, wind turbine, and electric transmission) has an impact on property values. The same is true with all sorts of surface installations such as pump stations and communication equipment boxes. This would apply to new small cell and DAS equipment, although again, one would expect that the less intrusive the facility, the less significant the impact. Small cell and DAS installations can be unsightly, bulky, inconsistent, and even noisy.”
Citation
Koech Cheruiyot, Nosipho Mavundla, Mncedisi Siteleki and Ezekiel Lengaram, (2024) Impact of proximity to cell phone tower base stations on residential property prices in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa, International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, May
Additional Resources
Realtors letters documenting property devaluation from cell tower near homes in Oakland Michigan
List of studies on cell towers, 5G small cells and property value at Environmental Health Trust
EHTs two page factsheet on 5G, Cell Towers and Property Value hyperlinked to the studies
