FTTP Installation Query

[Sarah_1007]

I'm hoping someone here can offer some advice or help relating to a new FTTP connection as I am going round and round in circles with Openreach and my landlord. 

I live on a small housing development which is owned by a housing association called The Guinness Partnership.  There is a mix of houses and flats on this site with the houses already being able to access Full Fibre Broadband.  Regarding the flats, they are in small blocks with four flats in each block.  They currently have FTTC only. 

I live in a ground floor flat and want to be able to get upgraded to FTTP so I can access the higher speeds this brings.  My neighbours who live in the house that is next to me and is attached to the side of my block/flat already have Full Fibre available.  As my building is classed as an MDU (Multi Dwelling Unit) it is my understanding that I need permission from my landlord to have it installed.  I have sent a few emails to the Fibre Broadband team at The Guinness Partnership and was told they were trying to negotiate a wayleave covering their various MDU properties and that Openreach weren't being very co-operative. However, after my experiences of dealing with The Guinness Partnership for other issues, I doubted that this was more to do with them not being reasonable rather than an issue with Openreach.  On 4th June I spoke to the local Customer Liaison Officer from Guinness Partnership and she told me in no uncertain terms that Guinness Partnership WILL NOT ALLOW any installations for FTTP as apparently Openreach would need to go into some sort of utility room on site and in the past, damage has been caused to equipment in there and it can knock out the service to the whole site.  However, an engineer would be allowed to install a FTTP connection by drilling a hole through the wall of my flat and fix a box to the wall of my flat if they were to do it at the rear of my property and get access via my garden.  It seems the issue is they are not allowed to come into the building via the communal entrance side.  

I'm not after a communal installation as such.  I just want my flat connected only.  There is a BT manhole just the other side of my garden wall so I'm not sure access would be a problem.  I spoke to my current provider, EE, and they have said FTTP is here but it hasn't been made available for sale by Openreach. I guess due to it being a Flat/MDU and needing landlord permission.  Is there any way I can request for a FTTP connection to be made available for sale so that I can upgrade to FTTP.  I can get permission for drilling a hole and fixing a box on the wall to my flat.  The cable can be run straight into my flat then. 

Apologies for the lengthy post.  I'm just tearing my hair out as it just seems to be such a complicated situation and trying to get answers from anyone is almost impossible. I would be so very grateful for any advice anyone can share. If there's anything else you need to know please ask and I shall respond.

Thank you in advance!!

[gg30340]

This is a BT Retail customer to customer forum and has nothing to do with Openreach.

It is entirely up to Openreach whether or not and how they will install FTTP to a property. 

Anything that is put forward as an answer is purely speculation.

You will need to pursue it with Openreach and the landlord of the property. If the landlord is not allowing access to the property then Openreach will just walk away. 

As regards doing what you have suggested drilling through your wall, again Openreach will not do that without permission of the property owner/landlord so unless you can get that in writing and make it available to Openreach nothing will happen plus Openreach may deem it an unacceptable way of installing FTTP to an MDU.

[Sarah_1007]

Thanks for your reply. Apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place, I didn't realise. I can't seem to get answers anywhere from anyone so I posted here as a last resort. 

Thanks anyway, I shall look elsewhere for help.

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately you are being overly optimistic in thinking that Openreach would overlook your address being part of a MDU and treat it as a SDU at your request , also if the new optical network were to the front of your property then getting served from the back is a non starter regardless of the MDU or SDU situation as that simply isn’t practical or cost effective.

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome

Enter your address here , and that of a very near neighbour that can get FTTP , and post the entire results here , the  part of interest is the survey note , it looks like this , you may not have a survey note ,  the neighbour definitely should .

Our records show the following FTTP network service information for these premises:-Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Feed with no anticipated issues.

FWIW , small MDU’s  , like your 4 flats/apartments in a self contained block although technically MDU , Openreach often do treat them very similarly to a SDU , often with a wall block mounted externally with capacity for all 4 flats , this usually is if the copper network was delivered that way , but obviously if this new optical block were to be provided on an  wall of a flat , they (the overall owner ) would still have to give permission for that new block to be provided (or the landlord or freeholder or managing agent ) and obviously to provide cables  to the other flats would require multiple cables one each from the fibre block to each individual flat, however if the existing copper services were , for example, underground to an internal utility type area , then it is dealt with as a MDU , do you know how the existing copper services are supplied ? 

Approximately how old are these flats that may give a clue to the existing type of service , or is there any evidence on the external walls of the existing copper pair infrastructure, if there isn’t then unless the ‘owners’ are agreeable then there isn’t much that can be done .

You could always try this 

https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

basically the section ‘my neighbour can get FTTP but I can’t’  , but I suspect you will get a generic reply if your address is correctly categorised as MDU 

[Sarah_1007]

Thank you for your reply. I'm not expecting any special dispensation or treatment from Openreach to treat my flat as a SDU. I'm just going on what the Customer Liaison officer from my housing association said. I'm trying to get my head around the situation so I know who to keep on at to get my request at least heard. I want to do things the correct way as I appreciate it is not my property to make any changes to. 

As I thought, It seems to be my landlord that is the problem. So I will try and find someone who can perhaps help me to pressure them a bit more so that they hopefully change their mind. The flats were built in 1997. As for the copper infrastructure, I'm not too sure to be honest. Thanks again.

[iniltous]

If built in 1997 then it’s almost certainly the case that the existing service comes underground into a utility area , where copper cables were provided to each individual flat , this done as the flats were being constructed (so no visible cables etc ) , this does mean however that retrofitting with FTTP will be the same as a much larger MDU , with the necessary permissions etc…try the Openreach link it may help

[Sarah_1007]

Thanks again. It makes a bit more sense now! I've never noticed any cabling on the external buildings so it makes sense that they would run underground. 

Thanks for the link, that is definitely useful! 👍