Demarcation point from DP to flats

[jamiefrost]

Just have a question regarding the demarcation point when it comes to lines in a block of flats.

Situation is as follows... the property used to be offices but has been converted into flats in the last few years. In what is now the communal locker area, next to all the electricity meters, is what looks like the original DP from when the building was offices.

I've just ditched Virgin Media and signed up to a DSL provider... installation date is set, landline number to be ported... all good.

Fortunately, the property developer was kind enough to run cables from each of the flats down to the DP. These are all white, internal-style cables—each runs from a hole next to the DP, up a master jack installed in a plate which also has satellite and terrestrial TV aerial jacks, in each of the flats. All of these cables are bundled up like rats nest in the corner of the communal locker area, a few appear to have been connected to the DP at some point.

My question is kind of in two parts I guess... will Openreach be able to use the master jack currently installed in the plate, which matches the rest of the switches and sockets? If so, where do they define the demarcation point?

Or, will a new master need to be installed in the flat? In which case, do Openreach 'adopt' the cabling which runs from the DP to the flat, as their property to maintain?

Thanks in advance 🙂

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

It’s my understanding that the OR demarcation is the master socket in the utilities area, and although they will use the cables the developer provided into the individual apartments, they are not OR’s responsibility, understandable really, if they are of poor quality , or went faulty , how could OR resolve these issues which may well require intervention in the actual  fabric of the building.
Provided the developer provided decent , compliant cabling there shouldn’t be an issue , but , playing devils advocate, at some point ( for arguments sake ) you line stopped working , because the internal cable was damaged somewhere within the building, OR could probably say , your line is OK in the utility area, and it’s your problem to sort the internal cable.

[gg30340]

This forum has nothing to do with Openreach.

You have said "I've just ditched Virgin Media and signed up to a DSL provider."  which would infer that you are not a BT customer. If that is the case you should contact your provider and ask them your questions so that they can tell you what the procedure will be for their installation. 

[jamiefrost]

Thanks for your reply iniltous 🙂

Makes total sense now I think about it... think my confusion came from the 'up to the master is Openreach, after the master is the end user' belief, which in most cases is true... however, if Openreach have installed neither the master or cabling leading to/from it to the DP, they can't be responsibility for it.

I only ask as I when I moved in a few years back there was a fault on an isolator installed after the electricity meter, which took a full week for the property developer to sort out 😕 If anything goes wrong after the installation, I need to make sure I'm chasing the correct people.

Thanks for your help.

[jamiefrost]

gg30340, I realise that now, but thank you for your reply anyway—I guess it seemed the best place to ask for advice, as I could see various other posts on here from Google results which referred to the technical side of new connections, but none that quite answered my question. Apologies if I caused any offence.

I did try to get an answer when I signed up on the phone a few days ago... but understandably there was a brief awkward silence after I explained the situation to the salesperson 🙂