FTTP Installation (Landlord problem)

[ClixRapidix]

Hello everyone,

I'm moving out to a rental property that has FTTH/P coverage, however, because an Openreach engineer has to drill a hole and do some modifications to the building, the landlord said no, which is quite sad because I'm currently on FTTC on my current flat.

As if that wasn't the worse, the exchange that serves my new flat is on a "stop sell" for FTTC, so it's either FTTP or nothing, even though the existing tenants were on FTTC, as soon as I move to the new property BT is going to try and schedule me an FTTP install which my landlord expressly rejected.

Any ideas on how I can either 1) get my landlord to back off and be more lenient and allow me to get FTTP installed or 2) get BT to use the existing FTTC installation?

Thank you 🙏

[licquorice]

Tell him he will struggle to get tenants if he doesn't allow it. The guy must be a complete idiot.

[ClixRapidix]

And you will be surprised it's not a unique case... a lot of neighbours around the house don't want their yards dug up to lay the fibre cable...

As I work from home I depend on having a broadband connection on the day I move, I don't mind if I have to use the existing FTTC installation as long as BT allows me to use it, but from what I read online once an exchange gets 75% of their customers on FTTP, all new installations/contracts will be FTTP only. If I check the broadband checker page this is what it says:

Has anyone had any experience in dealing with situations like this?

[jac_95]

FTTP will become the primary and only available fixed line method of getting a broadband connection. Gov also pushing for 85% gigabit/full fibre availability by 2026 and 100% by 2030.

Landlords and land owners will find that they need to allow this to be installed and policies have and are changing to ensure landlords are provided a greater obligation to help and allow the installation when asked by their tenants.

Openreach's page on retiring the copper network: https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/retiring-the-copper-network

Once in a stop sell, then FTTP will only be available and at some point they will completely retire the copper network in that area.

[gg30340]

Tell the landlord that having FTTP is a selling point.

New tenants will have no option other than FTTP and if he doesn't allow it to be installed at your cost he will at some point in the near future have to install it at his cost or face having nobody wanting to rent his property. 

[iniltous]

The checker info you have posted has more information regarding the type of installation,  what you have posted shows ‘single stage’ , that normally suggests a straight forward install , as OR don’t envisage any issues that would require the job to be done in 2 stages .

if you currently have overhead , the new optical wire in most cases takes exactly the same path from pole to property, a small box ( CSP ) fitted on the wall to convert the external cable to an internal optical cable then  that is brought inside , if your landlord won’t even accept that tiny change there isn’t much you can do about that ( possibly find another place to rent ) 

If it’s an underground feed , and the existing cable isn’t in a duct then there can be more disruption, if an excavation is needed from the footpath through a garden ( for example ) to get the cable to the property, that’s a more understandable objection for a landlord to make , if it’s a ducted feed , then it’s just a CSP to fit , same as overhead 

If the area is stop sell for copper products, and your landlord cannot be persuaded, then OR won’t be serving that property 

[Les-Gibson]

You may find some helpful advice here:

A Tenant’s Guide to Sorting Out Broadband | The Tenants' Voice (thetenantsvoice.co.uk)

[ClixRapidix]

That is my main concern. I'm only moving out of my current flat because I've become disabled and finding a flat that's wheelchair accessible can be quite daunting. I'm aware that OR is retiring the copper network (finally), but landlords can make the whole process of getting FTTH a pain by not allowing any sort of changes.

Also, I'm not the first person to face these problems. I also called up BT today and they said if the landlord refuses the only way I can get broadband would be via a 4G hotspot which is totally unreliable for the type of work I do (I upload large files and work from home). It's super ridiculous that I can have FTTH but because of a crappy landlord I won't be able to use this new connection and instead will have to rely on mobile data.

And BT also told me that as soon as the old tenants move out, they will disconnect their copper FTTC connection from the cabinet.

Any ideas 🫠 ?

[Les-Gibson]

Not knowing what discussions you've already had with your landlord makes it difficult to offer any advice but you could try stressing "And BT also told me that as soon as the old tenants move out, they will disconnect their copper FTTC connection from the cabinet." and combine it with " the paragraph from that link I posted earlier where it states "No reasonable landlord is likely to object to the installation of high-speed broadband but they may well wish to oversee the work to ensure that the installation is not detrimental to the appearance of the property".

Maybe it would help him to understand that he is (perhaps) being unreasonable?