Organising broadband between exchange and completion

peanutjimmy

Hi there,

Just some guidance needed if possible. I'm a FTB due to complete on Friday 22nd May, exchanged a few weeks ago. Now in the process of getting things organised.

I've read different advice of organising broadband before completion, some say no issues but others say to avoid it in case the mortgage lender gets 'spooked'. Ideally internet access would be handy due to completing work from home.  The current owner has Plusnet, and that is the provider I will be looking at using as well.

What is the general consensus on organising this now or waiting until completion?

Thanks

greatcrested

Do you already have BB with Plusnet? I believe if you ring them you can move your current account to e new address (subject to availability blah bah...). Ring them?

If you're a new customer, for the sake of 5 days I'd wait till you're in. {Text removed by Forum Team}

AnotherJoe

You have absolutely no authority or remit to mess with their broadband and phone services even though many companies seem to have no qualms about changing contracts without the householders say so.

If you end up cutting off the current owner, you may well end up holding up the move or causing other problems. Just wait.

You can probably up your mobile phone contract temporarily and tether if needed.

theartfullodger

Arrange mobile 'phone network wifi hotspot off your monile 'phone, dead easy with Android.

Or get a temporary wifi hotspot box 

https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/mobile-broadband/guides/mobile-wifi

peanutjimmy

AnotherJoe said:

You have absolutely no authority or remit to mess with their broadband and phone services even though many companies seem to have no qualms about changing contracts without the householders say so.

If you end up cutting off the current owner, you may well end up holding up the move or causing other problems. Just wait.

You can probably up your mobile phone contract temporarily and tether if needed.

Thanks for the reply. I will have a word my mobile provider and see what they can do.

MovingForwards

I sorted out BB the day I completed, if something happens and you don't complete or it takes months (virus / death etc), you are paying for something you haven't got.

Plusnet were easy to deal with, they send the router in the post and text to say it's posted, think it was a courier who delivered it. Then it arrives the next day. 

Apparently the box fits through the letterbox, the delivery guy knocked and ran as the box is quite long.

Check your mobile provider and data allowance, if not unlimited, and be aware video conferencing can use a lot of data.

BT have WiFi (BTtBT fon) which you can pay for and not be a customer, bit expensive, but probably cheaper than a mobile data heft charge! Think it was £5 a day, or you can buy weekly, monthly pass.

youth_leader

I used the BT fon for a few weeks, good connection and speed.  Talk Talk gave me a new number when I moved, unfortunately I couldn't keep my phone number.

princeofpounds

I don’t think this applies to you much longer given you are quite so close to completion, but when there is an extended period do not mess around trying to prearrange telecoms provision.

It’s remarkably easy to cut off your vendor early, there are relatively few barriers to a telco applying to take over a line with a new account. It’s a variation of ‘slamming’. 

Happened to me last time I moved; even before we exchanged, my purchasers arranged to cut my line off a week before I eventually moved (the transaction wasn’t in much doubt but they assumed their preferred completion date). My telco couldn’t/wouldn’t reinstates  us. Was a total pain - lucky we did exchange!

iampetesmith

We have Plusnet and I arranged ours to be moved when we exchanged and I knew the completion date. There was a 2 week timescale to switchover, so by the time they could do it we'd already had the keys. The other thing is, our vendor had Virgin cable and had taken the BT phone line out. This meant that the vendor didn't get his service cut off and Openreach had to come and install a new phone socket, so this added a few more days onto the installation date (we didn't want Virgin).

You should find that you're able to switch your service over on a preferred date, so if you arrange it now then set it for a few days after completion then you should be fine.

I ended up having to set mine for a week after completion (the earliest they could do it) and because we needed a line installing, another few days were added on. We still had our rental property for a couple of weeks after we got the keys so we could move furniture into the new place, but what actually happened was they cut the service off on the original date. It went off on the Thursday evening, so that meant I had no service at either house until the Monday when they came to install the line at the new house. As others have said, just use 4G until you're connected properly as that's what we had to do for a few days.

bucksbloke

I have always organised my Broadband on the day of exchange, otherwise you risk not having it on the day of completion. 

trix-a-belle

as you are using the same company as the vendor is currently with ask what their process is for such situations, & check with the vendor when they are arranging their transfer if you have a good relationship there. I went with EE the last time I moved which is who the vendor was with and they couldn't even process my order until her transfer had been completed (which wasn't done promptly) & added ages onto the whole process & I think resulted in 3+ weeks without broadband after completion