Internet line installed without landlords permission

Bentil2019

We had hyperoptic installed a few months ago. This means a brand new line into our apartment building, which had to be drilled through from the hallway and routed into our living room, through holes in the hallway walls and then the wire tapped into place just above the skirting board. The socket is situated in the living room, but not on the same wall as the BT socket.

To be honest, we didnt know that they would need to drill through walls to install this line until he turned up, so it was my mistake.

We will be moving out in a couple of months.
Am I best leaving the line in and hoping they dont notice or care? Or shall i remove it and fill in the holes and paint over and pretend it was never there?

Anyone who is a landlord here - would you see an additional line in the apartment an issue or would you see a hyperoptic (superfast internet) line as a positive?

The property is a specific buy to let, unfurnished with neutral decor.

davidmcn

I would just leave it in situ.

Herbalus

Did you not think to stop them when a big drill was pulled out, by saying you’d need to check with LL whether drilling was ok?

As for what you do now, it really depends how neat it is, or whether you’ve just left holes through the walls.

theartfullodger

Say nothing. Very likely the move-in inventory and photos did not include these details.

Artful (landlord since 2000)

G_M

Ask the LL if he'd prefer to have the internet line in place, ready for the next tenant, or removed and the walls made good.

Slithery

How did you think they were going to run new cables into the property?

However, the only person that can answer your question is your landlord. Just be honest with them and ask what they would prefer, it wouldn't bother me too much if I was a LL as long as the installation had been done to a decent standard (debatable with most installers).

Legally if you don't leave the property in the same state as the start of your tenancy your LL can charge you for the cost to reinstate it from your deposit - even if they choose to not do the work and keep the connection.

AdrianC

"Hyperoptic" is a fibre-to-the-premises ISP.
That's going to require new cabling, kinda by definition, wouldn't you agree?

The installation FAQ on their website is perfectly clear about them needing to drill holes to install new cabling.
https://www.hyperoptic.com/help/installation-process/

How do you install Hyperoptic?
Our engineer will drill a small hole (10mm wide), in most cases above your front door, and will run the cable inside your property. Regular installations include 10 metres of surface-mounted visible cabling, and requires a power source within this length. The engineer fits the Hyperoptic socket and connects the router to it. The entire process can take up to an hour. Your phone will be connected to the router, so the spot where the socket will be fitted should be planned based on that fact as well. If you are renting please make sure you obtain the landlord’s permission prior to the installation taking place.

However... it's there now. It's a done deal. Your landlord has the benefit of something which may attract future tenants. Get in contact, apologise profusely for not asking permission before, and explain that you'll understand if he wishes you to arrange for it to be removed and made good as and when you move out.

If that's his biggest problem with your tenancy, I'm sure he'll be relieved...

Bentil2019

To be honest, I didnt know how it worked. We were just told via advertisement leaflets that our apartments are hooked up with hyperoptic and if we want to move to Hyperoptic then here is a good deal. We have numerous sockets in the flat and its a relatively new build. I thought they would just need to make one of the various sockets live, and perhaps the installation applied to houses if they would need to link it from the box on the street. Turns out the link is just outside our apartment door so it still needs running into the flat.

Genuine oversight and I accept the blame but when he came with the drill I thought, well worst case scenario we unhook it all before leaving.
It is a very tidy job, my only doubt that they may want it next to the other sockets. Its in the corner of the room which i dont think is a bad location but naturally I am concious of it and worry.

Just wanted to get some other thoughts and perspectives. At the moment i am thinking of leaving it.

seven-day-weekend

If it was done neatly, I as a LL would not mind.

We are going to ask our tenant, if she leaves, to leave the wiring for the wall-mounted TV that she has had installed, as we think it is an incentive for the next tenant, and it has been done professionally and neatly.

Your scenario, to me, is similar.

eddddy

Bentil2019 wrote: »

Turns out the link is just outside our apartment door so it still needs running into the flat.

Are you saying that visible cable has been attached to the communal hallway wall, and a hole drilled in the wall from the communal hallway into the apartment?

That wall probably belongs to your landlord's freeholder. So the freeholder's consent is probably required and a fee payable.

(Perhaps there really is concealed cabling already installed, but your installer didn't know. In which case, the freeholder might insist that the new cabling is removed, and the concealed cabling used instead.)

Maybe just don't say anything for the moment and see if the freeholder contacts your landlord about it.

Fire_Fox

Bentil2019 wrote: »

We had hyperoptic installed a few months ago. This means a brand new line into our apartment building, which had to be drilled through from the hallway and routed into our living room, through holes in the hallway walls and then the wire tapped into place just above the skirting board. The socket is situated in the living room, but not on the same wall as the BT socket.

To be honest, we didnt know that they would need to drill through walls to install this line until he turned up, so it was my mistake.

We will be moving out in a couple of months.
Am I best leaving the line in and hoping they dont notice or care? Or shall i remove it and fill in the holes and paint over and pretend it was never there?

Anyone who is a landlord here - would you see an additional line in the apartment an issue or would you see a hyperoptic (superfast internet) line as a positive?

The property is a specific buy to let, unfurnished with neutral decor.

Neither: the holes and cabling will have breached fire compartments. How large are they? How tall is the building (stories)?