Just moved in and the previous owner hasn't cancelled her phone line?

Orange_Candle

Hi all,

Hoping for some help here and can't find a similar thread on this? We moved in to our first house 2 days ago, and last week we called BT to let them know so that the phone and internet could be set up asap (I am about to start an OU course so we really need the internet!), they said that as the current occupiers hadn't let them know that they were moving yet it would take a while.

We called the EA and asked them to remind the seller that she needed to cancel her phone line, which she didn't do, and on the day we moved in we saw her and asked her again. She still hasn't, and BT says they can't do anything until she calls. We can plug our phone in and it has a dial tone, we haven't tried calling from it to see what the number is as we don't know if that is allowed.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? We are considering contacting our solicitors to see if it coming from them might spur her on (we need to contact them anyway about some things they left behind, don't know if they forgot them or we can have them!), as I don't think it qualifies as vacant possession if they still 'own' the phone line?

Thanks in advance for any help!

G_M

Just use the phone - but don't abuse the phone.

Either the stupid seller will be billed and will pay (more fool them), or the seller will ask you to contribute for the calls/usage you've made (fair enough since you WILL have been using it.)

getzls

About 5 years ago i moved into a house with a live phone there. I didn't want a landline and phoned BT to tell them about the line being on. They said it would be diss-connected eventually when the bill wasn't paid. Sounded a strange way to go about it. I just un plugged it.

chris_m

Orange_Candle wrote: »

We can plug our phone in and it has a dial tone, we haven't tried calling from it to see what the number is as we don't know if that is allowed.

Assuming it's definitely a BT line, dialling 17070 will tell you the number.
Then do as G_M says, use it but don't abuse it and be prepared to pay the seller for what you've used.

If the seller can't be bothered to get it cancelled/changed over it's preventing you from getting a phone yourself - short of trying for a second line which (provided there is sufficient line plant available, of course) will cost you considerably more as a new provision than taking over the existing line.

Grimbal

getzls wrote: »

They said it would be diss-connected eventually when the bill wasn't paid. Sounded a strange way to go about it..

BT were just as "efficient" in our case. We bought a house after the owner died. We wanted to port our own number over & BT kept insisting that they needed to speak to the previous owner before they could disconnect the line. After explaining my limited abilities as a medium & the implication that it had for certain proof of life after death, they eventually relented & allowed us to have our own number.....

Orange_Candle

Thanks for the responses all! Not quite sure yet how to quote or anything...

Useful ideas for using the phone, very helpful. Does anyone have any suggestions about how we get her to disconnect it any quicker, or ways round it to get internet?

Thanks again

david29dpo

I bought a repo in 2007 with a working BT line. Called to tell them and asked for its disconnection.
BT said only the account holder can do that and gave up. Never used the phone but it rang many times, mainly from people chasing for money.
House been rented out since (tenant has cable) and still have bills from BT to the old owner.
I open these and the old owner is STILL PAYING by DD for the line rental!!!
No wonder the house was repossessed!!

Soot2006

Happened to me in a rental and after a week we just started using it as normal (not abusing lol) .... Two months later the dial tone disappeared. Never got asked to pay for anything ... Most strange!