A Farmer's Mast Rent Halved and £5,000 in Fees: What the BBC Story Means for Landlords

In short: BBC Wales reported this week on a Powys farmer whose mast rent was halved from £5,000 to £2,500 a year and who paid more than £5,000 in fees to finalise his latest agreement. Nothing in that story is unusual under the 2017 Electronic Communications Code, and since 7 April 2026 the same valuation reaches many older leases on renewal. What is avoidable is paying your own fees, accepting the first figure, or letting the process drift to the Tribunal. This article explains why the rent fell, why the fees were so high, and what a landowner in the same position can do.

What the BBC reported

On 15 October 2026 BBC Wales told the story of Alan Watson, 68, a sheep farmer from Llanbadarn Fynydd in Powys who has hosted a mast on his land for more than 20 years. His rent was cut from £5,000 to £2,500 a year, and he said finalising the agreement cost him more than £5,000 in fees; Nation.Cymru put that at more than two years' rent at the new rate. He described dealing with the operators as a "nightmare" and said he felt landowners were being "bullied" into worse terms.

The Farmers' Union of Wales said it was concerned the cuts would put people off hosting masts at all. Ofcom figures quoted in the report show nearly a quarter of Wales still lacks 4G coverage from every operator. The Government's position, given to the BBC by DEFRA, is that the reforms ensure landowners are "treated fairly when negotiating with mobile operators".

Why was the rent halved?

Because of how rent is valued since 28 December 2017. The Electronic Communications Code, in Schedule 3A to the Communications Act 2003, requires rent (the Code calls it consideration) to be assessed on a no-network assumption: the site is valued as if it were not needed for a mobile network, at its best alternative use, and on the assumption that the operator has other sites to choose from. For a rural field that means agricultural value plus modest allowances, which is why the Upper Tribunal's benchmark for a standard rural mast is £1,750 a year (Vache Farm, 2024) and was £750 before that.

Older leases protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 escaped that valuation on renewal until this year. Since 7 April 2026, Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 apply the same no-network basis to qualifying 1954 Act renewals. A farmer with a 20-year-old agreement renewing now is exactly the kind of landowner the April change reaches. Our phone mast rent guide sets out the Tribunal figures by site type and the extras that are paid on top.

Why were the fees £5,000, and did he have to pay them?

The report does not say what the fees were for, so we cannot comment on his case. In general, though, a landowner should not be left paying their own professional costs on a Code agreement:

• Under Paragraph 84 of the Code, compensation for the grant or renewal of Code rights includes reasonable legal and valuation expenses.
• Since 7 April 2026, Section 34B of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 gives the court or tribunal power to order the operator to pay compensation that includes reasonable legal and valuation expenses on the renewals now valued on the no-network basis.
• Operators' renewal letters usually include a fee undertaking: a capped contribution to your professional costs while the matter proceeds by negotiation. That cover commonly falls away if the matter goes to formal proceedings because the landowner did not engage, which is one way a bill grows past the rent.

The practical lesson is to engage early, in writing, and to keep the matter on a negotiated footing, so the operator's contribution stays in place. We explain how to respond to the first letter in Received a phone mast renewal letter?.

Is "no negotiation" really the position?

Not quite. The Code does let an operator apply to the Tribunal to impose terms if agreement cannot be reached, and the Tribunal will usually grant them. But the figure in the operator's letter is its advisers' opening position, not the Tribunal's figure, and the extras are often worth more than the rent in the first year: compensation for loss or damage (Paragraph 25), professional fees (Paragraph 84), electricity where the operator uses your supply, and payment for access over your retained land. Since November 2023 both sides must also consider alternative dispute resolution before applying for new terms. Where the lease allows it, a landlord with a genuine redevelopment plan also has a route to end the agreement.

What a landowner in this position can do

1. Do not sign or agree a figure in a renewal letter or Heads of Terms before it has been checked against the Tribunal benchmarks for your site type and the extras you are entitled to.
2. Acknowledge the letter in writing and say you are taking independent advice. That keeps the fee undertaking alive.
3. Identify your regime: a Code agreement, a 1954 Act lease renewing after 7 April 2026, or a renewal already under way under the old rules. The notices and deadlines differ; see our Section 26 notice guide.
4. Claim the fees and compensation you are entitled to, and keep every invoice.
5. Record every notice and its date. Deadlines under the Code and the 1954 Act are strict.

A free rent estimate or lease check tells you where your site sits before you respond. We act only for landowners, never for operators.

This article is general guidance for landowners in England and Wales and does not constitute legal advice. The figures quoted from the BBC and Nation.Cymru reports are theirs; we have no involvement in Mr Watson's case.

Related guides

• Phone mast rent: how much operators pay in 2026
• Phone mast lease: what UK landlords need to know in 2026
• Phone mast lease renewals

Call us on 01691 791543 or contact us online for a free initial review.

Sources

• BBC Wales, 15 October 2026: Farmer says hosting 4G mast is a 'nightmare' as fees cost him thousands
• Nation.Cymru, 8 October 2026: Mobile mast rent cuts threaten improvements to rural connectivity, farmers warn
• FarmingUK, 2 March 2026: Farmers and landowners warn mast reforms have slashed rents by 90%
• Vache Farm, Upper Tribunal [2024] UKUT 216 (LC)
• PSTI Act 2022, Sections 61 to 64