Moving home / cease on BT line

[ClareWriggles]

We're moving house on 29/03 and tried to transfer our BT broadband to the new address for this date.  We gave just under 3 weeks notice. However BT Openreach have rejected our order, stating there is a 'cease' on the existing BT line which means that they cannot place any orders.  Apparently our sellers have raised a cancellation for 25/03, with a cease on the line, and we are stuck not being able to order anything until after then. However my understanding is that if we wait until after then, we will need to reinstate the line (charges?) and obviously wait for the new broadband to be installed.
We are asking our sellers to lift the cease, but will this impact their cancellation?

What is the correct process (for the buyer and the seller) for moving home and taking over a line? This really shouldn't be so complicated as it's an existing BT line!

Thanks

[Keith_Beddoe]

@ClareWriggles 

They should have not raised a cease, as normally it would be a Working Line Takeover, and their line would have been taken over on the date you moved in.

It just Openreach, not BT Openreach (no such company), that would have rejected the order from BT Retail.

As it is, there is not much you can do apart from raise another order after the 25/03, but you may not get service on the 29/03.

You could ask them to cancel their cease, then you could place another order, and  the line would be taken over on the day you move in. They would get a notification that someone want to take over their line. They would need to ignore that, and let the takeover take place.

[-Richie-]

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@ClareWriggleswrote:

We are asking our sellers to lift the cease, but will this impact their cancellation?

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They might not be ceasing, if they've asked for a home move order then it will also show as a pending cease.

Alll you can do is wait until the line stops, then ask BT to reactivate the stopped line, not much else you can do, it's how the process works.

[ClareWriggles]

@Keith_Beddoe Thank you that's helpful. To clarify, can they just lift the 'cease' on the line or is it tied to their cancellation / home move? Are the cancellation and cease the same thing essentially? 

Understand the working line takeover is the most straightforward solution here but surely it relies on the buyer.  A seller would want to cancel their service rather than hoping a buyer takes over the line...to avoid continuing charges....?

[ClareWriggles]

@-Richie- Thanks I'll see what they sellers say about the cease. BT have said they can send out a kit to tide us over so although it's a pain (not what you want during a house move!) we don't mind so much about the delay in service. But would there be a reinstallation of the line charge after it's stopped?

[-Richie-]

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@ClareWriggleswrote:

But would there be a reinstallation of the line charge after it's stopped?

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Typically no, charges are normally raised when an engineer is required, a stopped line should just need work at the exchange and pcp (cabinet) which won't incur costs for costs for you.
If there are any changes, they are almost always waived if you renew the contract, so you'll have options and decide what works best, the kit you mention sounds like a 4G mini hub which will give unlimited mobile data, for me it worked great because I get a decent EE signal, it will vary by location.

Honestly don't let it worry you, moving house is stressful enough, it's a minor bump but you're about to start a new chapter with your family in a new home, focus on the positives 🙂

[ClareWriggles]

Thanks @-Richie- yes it's the 4G mini hub, perfect, if they can't lift the cease it sounds like all will be ok anyway. Cheers, have a nice evening!