Cabling for landlords, property managers and developers
Cablify installs riser backbones, entrance and telecom rooms, building cameras and access control, removes abandoned cable between tenants and cables tenant fit-outs for office and mixed-use buildings.
- Abandoned cable
- Accessible portion must be removed
- Radio coverage systems
- Tested every year by the owner
- Office-to-apartment conversions
- 90,300 units in progress, 2026
- WiredScore-certified buildings
- More than 4,000 worldwide
Abandoned cable has to come out
The National Electrical Code requires the accessible portion of abandoned cable to be removed. The rule covers communications cable, Class 2 and Class 3 cable, optical fiber and fire alarm cable. Cable counts as abandoned when it is not terminated at equipment and not tagged for future use.
Cable a tenant or the building wants to keep has to carry a durable tag marking it for future use. The code does not say who pays for removal; the lease and the work letter usually decide.
At each lease turnover
- Survey the ceiling and risers for cable left by the last tenant
- Tag anything the building wants to keep for the next tenant
- Remove the rest from accessible spaces
- Hand over photos and a short report for the file
Radio coverage belongs to the building
Section 510 of the International Fire Code requires approved emergency responder radio coverage in new buildings, based on the public safety signal levels outside. The 2021 edition sets coverage at 95% of all areas and 99% of critical areas, and the owner must have the system inspected and tested every year and when structural changes occur.
Additions or remodels that could change the original test results also call for retesting, so a large tenant fit-out can trigger it. The 2024 edition renamed these systems emergency responder communications enhancement systems.
Local adoption varies a lot. Our metro pages cover the rules in San Jose, San Diego, Charlotte and Baltimore, among others.
- Pathways and power planned for the radio coverage system
- Riser space kept for coverage cabling during fit-outs
- Coordination with your licensed radio coverage vendor before ceilings close
Base building and tenant work
Who owns what decides who pays, who maintains it and what stays when a tenant leaves.
Landlord scope
- Entrance room and the demarcation point for carriers
- Riser backbone with fiber and copper to each floor
- Building cameras, lobby access control and elevator readers
- Pathways for radio coverage and distributed antenna systems
Tenant scope
- Suite telecom room or IDF and its racks
- Horizontal cabling to desks, rooms and access points
- Suite access control tied to the building system
- Tenant cameras and Wi-Fi
Connectivity is now a leasing point. WiredScore, which rates buildings on connectivity at Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels, has certified more than 4,000 buildings in over 40 countries. Its assessment covers internet service provision, mobile coverage, infrastructure setup and resilience.
Office-to-apartment conversions
RentCafe counted about 90,300 apartments in conversion nationwide at the start of 2026, up 28% from a year earlier, and offices made up 47% of future adaptive reuse units. New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles led the pipeline.
A conversion turns one office network into hundreds of homes. The old office cabling comes out and each unit gets its own outlets, with shared fiber, intercoms, access control and garage cameras for the building.
New York
16,358 units in conversion
Washington, D.C.
8,479 units
Chicago
4,360 units
Los Angeles
4,340 units
Common questions
Who has to remove abandoned cable, the landlord or the tenant?
The NEC requires the accessible portion of abandoned cable to be removed but does not say who pays. The lease and work letter usually decide.
How often does a radio coverage system need testing?
Under the International Fire Code, the owner has the system inspected and tested every year and when structural changes occur, and remodels that could change performance call for retesting.
Can you work for both the landlord and the tenants?
Yes. We keep base building and tenant work separate in scope, labeling and billing so each party knows what it owns.
Do you work on conversions?
Yes. We remove the old office cabling and install unit outlets, building fiber, intercoms, access control and cameras.
Request a quote for a building
Send the address, the building type and whether the work is base building, tenant fit-out or turnover. Include the lease end date for removals.