Booking Broadband/Homephone before house move date

inquisitivewanderer

Is this technically allowed?
I've had an email from our supplier stating we're leaving - which is because our buyer has already booked his connection in prior to our move date of 20/11.
The property we're buying has no connected phone line so one needs setting up. Am I good to go ahead and book it 5 days before moving considering the property is empty and the owners don't live there?

matelodave

It depends whether the owners are amenable to you doing it and will allow you to be there if access to the property is required.

iniltous

Has your  buyer used the date you move , if the date is before that obviously could affect you, as your service will stop, the reason you get notification at your current address is so you know your current service will end , giving you time to stop it.
If the property you are moving to is empty , you can  arrange new  service for it, but if you take a date before you actually have the keys, if the installer needs to be inside, you obviously won’t be there to let them in, and if you take a new service provider , then any equipment they send , will be sent there, and who will accept the delivery as that will likely be a day or two before the activation date...if you keep your old provider your existing router may be OK.
If the reason the new property is empty is because is a brand new build, your current provider may not offer service to it.

DCFC79

iniltous said:

Has your  buyer used the date you move , if the date is before that obviously could affect you, as your service will stop, the reason you get notification at your current address is so you know your current service will end , giving you time to stop it.
If the property you are moving to is empty , you can  arrange new  service for it, but if you take a date before you actually have the keys, if the installer needs to be inside, you obviously won’t be there to let them in, and if you take a new service provider , then any equipment they send , will be sent there, and who will accept the delivery as that will likely be a day or two before the activation date...if you keep your old provider your existing router may be OK.
If the reason the new property is empty is because is a brand new build, your current provider may not offer service to it.

If its a new build the house builder could have the gear already plugged in etc and the new owner just needs to activate the line etc.
But its alot of IFs as we dont know until the OP comes back and clarifies it.
If it were me Id wait until I had the keys to be on the safe side.

inquisitivewanderer

iniltous said:

Has your  buyer used the date you move , if the date is before that obviously could affect you, as your service will stop, the reason you get notification at your current address is so you know your current service will end , giving you time to stop it.
If the property you are moving to is empty , you can  arrange new  service for it, but if you take a date before you actually have the keys, if the installer needs to be inside, you obviously won’t be there to let them in, and if you take a new service provider , then any equipment they send , will be sent there, and who will accept the delivery as that will likely be a day or two before the activation date...if you keep your old provider your existing router may be OK.
If the reason the new property is empty is because is a brand new build, your current provider may not offer service to it.

The house is about 9 years old, the existing owners have downsized and already bought and moved.
The property is empty, but they did say the phone line was deactivated when they moved, so I assume it's a simple thing for the engineer to reconnect.

We are due to exchange either Wednesday/Thursday this week, with completion set on Friday.
I was tempted to hold off arranging a new contract at the new property simply because of the issues around router delivery (no one there to accept delivery). I can't see the broadband/phone line connection being ready for 2 weeks at least but as I work from home I want to limit that if at all possible to the one week whilst I'm on annual leave.

JJ_Egan

Are Open Reach going to accept a booking for xx date .

inquisitivewanderer

JJ_Egan said:

Are Open Reach going to accept a booking for xx date .

Well this is the thing... when I go through the BT checkout process there doesn't appear to be a way of defining a specific date. So how would I know when going through the website?

JJ_Egan

As far as i am aware you cannot specify dates  . BT book them with OR  .

matelodave

As JJ-E says, you cannot specify a date, the supplier will book an appointment with OpenReach to do the work and you'll get fitted in with everyone else..

Your supplier will give you a "go live" date and they'll send you the router a day or so before that date. If internal works have to be carried out then they give you that date as well. I'm afraid you';; just have to wait until it's your turn.

If you have a desperate need for broadband/phone then you'll have to soldier on with a dongle, mifi or phone tethering until that date.

brewerdave

Install delay could be anything from 2 days to a month (or more with covid effect) - that's the problem with a monopoly supplier like Openreach!!

inquisitivewanderer

brewerdave said:

Install delay could be anything from 2 days to a month (or more with covid effect) - that's the problem with a monopoly supplier like Openreach!!

Yep, exactly why I wanted to try and get this all booked in ASAP. Guess I will have to wait based on replies.