Openreach wants to run a cable across our building ...

Vandysgal

... to a neighbours' house. Openreach wants written permission from us, and we wondered if there's anything the letter should contain to avoid any potential problems in the future.

The cable will run from a box on the side wall of our three-storey end terrace, across the front and then down to the next-door neighbours' ground floor. The neighbours say Openreach has promised to attach it to the brickwork as unobtrusively as possible (it could run directly below a horizontal band of render).  Obviously, we're concerned that we'll be stuck with an unsightly addition to our property if Openreach just installs the cable as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Also, far less importantly, the box is small and already has wires/cables running to two properties behind our home. Is it safe to assume that there'll be no problems if any of the three flats in our building want a BT line in the future?  

pokora

If you consider very important the visual impact these wiring can have over your property you better available on the day they proceed to do it to reject anything you don't like or reject the proposition and ask them to find an alternative less invasive.
Is not frecuent, but any future problem in the wiring could require interventions that may not respect this original agreement.

[Deleted User]

A family friend has adamantly refused to allow OR to run a FTTP cable across the bottom of her garden. Her neighbours are not very happy!

molerat

The big problem will be if you want to extend / carry out any building works in that area as you will have to bear the cost of moving the cable.

matelodave

As said above, you need to consider the long term implications.

I guess there are other ways of doing it but I guess that OR would prefer tacking it across the front of your house as it's probably cheapest and less effort for them.

I have next doors power cable diagonally across the corner of my garden which doesn't actually cause a phyiscal problem but is unsightly and will require power company access across our lawn and flower beds in the case of a problem that requires it to be restrung.

J_B

First things first - how much are they offering to pay you?

https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/obtaining-wayleaves

spenderdave

My phone line runs across the front of next door to a box on the wall feeding to the pavement. Very inconspicuous and neither of us has questioned it, it is fairly normal for the houses in our street. When they had to put a new cable to the pavement last month because of a fault she had to sign a form to allow the to dig up her garden, which I guess is just a formality.