Housing association blocking me getting a phone line

deepindebtor

I recently moved into a housing association property. I told them before I moved in that I had arranged for BT to install a new line and internet access and what the date and time of that was.

When BT came to install the line we found out that they needed access to a locked cupboard, the housing association knew of this requirement and did not tell me. BT had to go away and my appointment was re-scheduled , which was four weeks in the future.

The housing association are being particularly annoying and obstructing me from getting a telephone line and internet access installed.

They are saying they will come out and let the BT engineer into the cupboard but I must give them a time. BT are saying they book BT Openreach (seperate company) and they can only do AM (8am-1pm) and PM (1pm-6pm). The housing association say they cannot wait and that BT has been accomodating in the past. I try and tell them BT has now split and they will NOT now accomodate their request.

We did manage to get a date set, I would have got the keys in the morning and I would have to return them that afternoon, then BT went and changed the date without warning.

Now I find out that my housing manager will be away on holiday on the alternate date, they say I can collect the keys in the morning and return them that afternoon but they don't open till 9am and close at 5pm, however BT can come from 8am and up till 6pm so again I cannot comply.

I have persmission to work from home, my business makes use of my internet connection, but not the phone line, hence it being a residential line not a business one. This is killing my business to not be able to work for 6 weeks now.

I am stuck, in the middle. The real villians here are the housing association who are being particularly unfair in not providing appropriate access to the cupboard that BT need access to.

They have agreed to fit a key safe with a code lock but now they tell me that will not be done anytime soon as they do not have the budget for it.

This is not my fault, I informed them BEFORE I moved in when I was having this work done, they failed to let me know there would be an issue, even though they KNEW there was a problem as they have gone through this before.

They say BT has never been an issue before, well now they are and that is not my doing!

What can I do, do I have any rights here? Is restricting my access to a phone or internet and therefore communication with my family and friends breaking my human rights in any way (last resort I know!)

So what do I do, if you know a good, workable answer let me know.

I have tried to discuss this amicably with the housing association all to no avail. My housing manager appears to have more holidays than anyone I have ever known which is also adding to the problem as they are never around!

Lost, confused, angry and my company may go bust because of this.

Mallotum_X

Borrow the keys, get one cut and hand them back. Keep quiet about getting the key cut, or dispose of it after the work has been done.

Darlyd

Mallotum_X wrote: »

Borrow the keys, get one cut and hand them back. Keep quiet about getting the key cut, or dispose of it after the work has been done.

Took the words right from my keyboard

timberflake

deepindebtor wrote: »

my business makes use of my internet connection, but not the phone line, hence it being a residential line not a business one.

Isn't the internet delivered through the phone line.

casper_g

Mallotum_X wrote: »

Borrow the keys, get one cut and hand them back. Keep quiet about getting the key cut, or dispose of it after the work has been done.

An excellent plan, which I would have added but you've saved me the trouble! The only problem will be if they're secure keys that can't be copied.

deepindebtor

I recently moved into a property that is owned by a housing association.

I am trying to get a telephone installed but am being met with a wall of issues from the housing association.

My line needs to be installed by BT Openreach (a separate company from BT!), they only give out AM or PM appointments for residential installations, no timed appointments are possible, please do not argue that fact, I have tried!!!!

The line cannot be installed as the comms cupboard is locked by the housing association and residents are NOT allowed access.

The housing association say they will meet BT Openreach and give them access if BT Openreach will give them a time....no timed appointments are possible, only AM or PM so BT Openreach cannot do that and they are unlikely to change nationwide policy for one rogue housing association.

I am stuck in the middle, HA saying they will only come out at a preset time, BT Openreach saying they cannot do that.

BT Openreach have tried multiple dates to see if they could accomodate them and said to me they were the worst people they had ever dealt with in their time with BT Retail. This HA is a large nationwide company, that I am chosing not to name right now, not a one man band.

What rights do I have here? I feel the HA is being unreasonable, they refuse to give me the key to access this cupboard, preferring to see me as guilty of wanting to damage anything in that cupboard when all I want is to pass the key to the BT Openreach engineer so I can have a telephone line.

Other people in the property have lines installed, the HA say, BT was more flexible in past, well that is when BT was BT and not two seperate companies as they are now BT Retail and BT Openreach. The lie of the land has changed and they are not willing to move with the times, leaving me stuck in the middle of this battle.

Where do I stand legally?

I don't want to break into anything, I don't want to become the tenant from hell either, but I do need to find some kind of resolution as I feel this is totally unfair on me.

I need some real, useful, workable advice from someone with the background as a landlord or legal advice.

Can anyone help?

chris_m

Anything wrong with the replies you got when you posted this the day before yesterday and to which you haven't even given the courtesy of acknowledging?

G_M

See here for answer!

missile

Get a locksmith to open the cupboard. He will be able to that without damage and perhaps he will be able to supply you with a key for future use.

Why did OP post twice?

DVardysShadow

missile wrote: »

... Why did OP post twice?

Presumably because he did not like the answers?

I immediately spotted this one as being a repost of an earlier thread - I am glad others have spotted it. When I saw the original thread, I thought it belonged here, because it is a housing issue and not a telecomms issue

Cross posting to a different forum may elicit a broader range of answers - but it does risk wasting peoples time covering old ground. I do wish those who do it would actually say they have crossposted on both old and new thread.

deepindebtor

I am unable to borrow the keys and it would be wrong to 'break into' the cupboard with fake keys.

I am not trying to be unlawful here and I find these suggestions to be erring towards the side of breaking into the cupboard.

After all, what is entry, without permission but trespassing?