Full fibre in shared and rented buildings
If your business rents its premises or shares a building, the landlord may need to agree before a network can install fibre. Here is what is involved and how to make it straightforward.
Why the landlord gets involved
To bring fibre into a building, the network that owns the fibre, such as Openreach or CityFibre, may need to run cables through shared areas, fix equipment to walls or ceilings, or use ducts that belong to the building. That needs permission from whoever owns or manages the building.
If your premises already has full fibre, or the network can reach you without using shared parts of the building, landlord permission may not be needed. We will tell you when it is.
What a wayleave is
A wayleave is an agreement between the landowner and the network that gives the network permission to install and maintain its equipment on the property. The network arranges it directly with the landlord or managing agent. It covers the network's equipment only: it does not give the network or us any other rights over the building.
In the UK, these rights are covered by the Electronic Communications Code. For leasehold blocks of flats in England and Wales, the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 also helps networks gain access where a landlord does not reply to repeated requests.
For tenants: what to check first
- Your lease, for anything about installing new services or cabling.
- Who to contact: the landlord, a managing agent or a facilities team.
- Whether other tenants in the building already have full fibre, which often makes things simpler.
When you ask us for a quote or a leased line quote, tell us whether you own or lease the building and which floor you are on, and we will explain what is likely to be needed.
For landlords and building managers
Fibre can make a building more attractive to tenants. To help an installation go smoothly, the network may ask for:
- a named contact who can sign the wayleave and arrange access
- access to the building for a survey, and then for the installation
- where cables can run and where equipment can be fixed, including any communications room or riser
- any restrictions, such as listed building rules, an asbestos register or working hours
If you manage a building and want to talk about fibre for your tenants, contact our team.
Renting your premises?
Check your address to see what is already available, or ask us for a quote and we will explain whether your landlord needs to be involved.