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Bt wants to pay me to put a neighbours phone line onto my house?


johnnythefox70
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Got a letter today from bt openreach asking if they could have permission to install a phone line onto my house wall for a new build house behind my house and if they dont get consent they would have to put a new mast up. Now i dont want to fall out with the new neighbour (even though hes an are! and probably if shoe was on the other foot wouldnt give me permission). They letter says i would get a small payment if i consent. Anyone ever come across this and is there any kind of pros and cons to this? Any one ever had anything simlar?

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It is a wayleaves permission, I would be tempted to get the opinion of a solicitor in that respect just to make sure that you are covered.

 

Tell BT that they will need to pay for you to contact a solicitor to understand the implications before you decide anything.

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With a wayleave comes the right to access the property to fix the equipment, I have had a few. The payment is peanuts and not worth it. Any jobs need doing and things may be left behind or messy. Scottish power wanted to put a new electricity cable through my land and/or the farmers next door - we agreed they could take a hike unless they paid for the privilege, so neither would be 'undercut'. They went via the road.

My advice would be to say no - unless the new pole will be a pain. They do not have a right of access or any special rights to wayleaves - they just usually take the least cost route.

Worth trying the -'pay for my solicitors advice and I'll consider it' -route.

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Just on a side note. The cost for a mast to be put up would be around £1K. So make sure you get compensated correctly.

 

Now thats what i wanted to hear!

 

Can the cable not be put undreground and do away with the need for poles etc and mounting anything on your walls?

 

Don't know, there is an unadopted lane which runs down to the property but is full of other services so probably a lot easier to bounce the wire from my house.

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We bought a property with phone wires going through the roof space to neighbours (semi-detached) house and when upgrade required for broadband they left a bigger hole in my property and result was huge wasp nest. BT were not interested in resolving - although I think the problem was the sub-continent of India didn't really understand expressions such as 'nest', 'wasp', 'semi-detached' etc etc so had to DIY. Be careful what you are letting yourselves in for.

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Don't think of it as a friendly act to a new neighbour. Think BT are too lazy to do the right thing and remember they will probably use a sub who gets paid flat rate for the job and they will not want to take time or use methods for cosmetic appearance and once it's up your there gangway to anything else that may spring up.

If you say yes, get an agreement they will use BT engineers, and ask to hear the alternatives.

Be very careful !!

Has the new build no money left to or are BT charging silly prices.

John.

Solicitor will tell you to be careful and charge you for a carefully worded letter.

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You really need to know what their options are - I'd ask them to come and talk about it. See what they CAN do if you refuse. see where the proposed pole would go. Ask about who would do the work and what rights would it give them if you agreed, ask about legal advice. This way you get to know the alternatives and the implications (to some degree) of agreeing.

If you dont like any of this (keep them out if you can) then you know what would work at greater cost.

 

To add a bit to my previous post. I asked someone to move a hedge for me and he just caught the cable supplying 2 properties that ran through the edge of my drive and across my field. The next door properties were on individual generators for 2 weeks before they came and asked if I could let them check the local supply network as they were having problems - fine.

They found the break where the hedge man had just nicked the cable and, over time, the arcing had severed the supply. They asked how this happened and I said maybe it was the hedge man who just touched it. Next they said I would have to pay for the generators and the work to reconnect the adjacent properties. I advised them that the cable that had been nicked wasnt even on their wayleave plans and if they even again suggested I might be liable they could remove every single piece of plant on the property.

You just dont need the hassle. That said though after the bust-up they provided me with a new 3 phase supply and diverted the offending cable for nowt - best estimate for the seperate 3 phase supply - £3k. We also had an overhead cable on the property to supply next door - nice to see the swallows. A tree in our garden blew down across the cables and I spent 2 late nights whilst they cleared the mess and erected a new pole - couldnt get out of the drive by car. I even had to clear up after them - they just left the soil from the auger hole by the new pole. Our supply was ok as it was new and underground.

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If it was a line to an orphanage, or a convent, etc., I would say "Yes", but in the circumstances you describe I would say "No".

It will be a fitting on the side of your house, with a line across your property to your neighbours, with BT having unlimited future access.

You won't earn much out of it and future buyers of your property might not be impressed.

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When I worked for Openreach I went to a repair at a remote bungalow where he had lost service. His line was supplied by 32 poles down the lane. On investigation I found a gap of two poles. Looked through hedge and there they were on the floor. Farmer had cut them down with chainsaw. When we spoke to him he said BT hadn't paid him for a year so cut them down and buried a pipe along hedgerow as alternate route but wanted £2K a year for BT to use it. Lol was so funny.

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