Arrondeep by door standing outside an appartment

Obtaining wayleaves

What they are, how they work and who to contact if you need help


Wayleave agreements give us permission to install and maintain our apparatus on privately owned land or some types of buildings, such as apartment blocks.
 

What’s a wayleave agreement?

A written legal agreement between us and the land or property owner. It gives us permission to install, maintain or repair the network equipment that’s on their property.
 

When do we need a wayleave?

We need to have a wayleave agreement in place to install or repair Openreach equipment on private land, or inside a property, where it provides service to people who aren’t the legal owner of the land or a property, such as an apartment building. For example, providing services to a tenant.
 

When don't we need a wayleave?

If a land owner has asked for our service and is working with us on an associated project, we may not need a wayleave. This will be discussed and confirmed in the scope of any project or service request as necessary.    

Who to contact about wayleaves

FAQs for residents

FAQs for landlords and land owners

  • What are the benefits of providing fibre to my tenants?

    Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband could help you get and keep more tenants, giving you a better return on your investment. If your property is in an area where we're rolling out our Full Fibre network we can include your building in our roll-out free of charge.

    Future-proof Full Fibre allows your tenants to get download speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. And they won't be locked into a single supplier - our network is open so they can choose from any of the service providers who use our network and once they're on Full Fibre they'll be able to upgrade without needing an engineer visit too.

  • What will it cost to have fibre installed in my premises?

    We'll install fibre for free but there will be charges from your chosen service provider for the broadband package and set up fee. For information on service providers selling Full Fibre Broadband visit our FTTP providers page.

  • Will you need access to the building or apartments to install fibre?

    We'll need access to the common areas of the building to install Full Fibre, both internally and externally.

  • Who will carry out the work?

    This could be an Openreach engineer or an Openreach partner, working on our behalf.

  • Will you need to dig up the external areas of my property and garden?

    The survey will determine the work needed and where we need to dig, however we'll try to use existing infrastructure to avoid excavating. We'll let you know all of the plans before we start work to make sure that you're totally happy with everything and the work we need to carry out.

  • How long will it take?

    After you've registered your interest we'll be in touch with the next steps. Once the survey has been conducted and we've checked all the paperwork we'll plan the installation. We'll keep you updated at every stage of the process so you know what's happening.

  • What is a wayleave and why are they needed?

    A wayleave is permission from the landlord, or land owner, to access their building or private land to install or repair network and equipment. If we need permission to install  new apparatus on private land. Our wayleave application will include the route plan, wayleave agreement and an explanation of why we need permission.  Once this has been signed and returned to the wayleaves team, this gives us permission to install network and equipment on the landowner's land.

  • Who will contact me about the wayleave?

    This may be an Openreach specialist or one of Openreach's partners, working on our behalf.

  • You’ve sent me a wayleave application for my land. How long do I have to sign it?

    We can’t do any work until we’ve got your signed document. So please send it back to us as quickly as you can.

  • What if I don’t want to sign the wayleave?

    Please talk to us about your concerns and seek legal advice if necessary. We do have some legal powers under the Electronics Communication Code that mean we can gain consent via the court to install apparatus on your land. But we don’t want to use these unless we absolutely have to, and we will make best endeavours to explore all alternative options available to us.

  • How long does a wayleave last?

    Usually a wayleave is an ongoing agreement without an end date. So it’ll continue to apply to the apparatus it covers, even if the owner of the land or property changes.

  • Will you pay me for a wayleave on my land?

    Yes, but only if the wayleave is for apparatus on your property that will provide service to a third party. This is someone who you’ll be legally unrelated to. We have standard rates which you can ask to see.

  • I have a wayleave agreement with Openreach and I need to change my contact or payment details. How do I do that?

    To change your contact details fill in this form to let us know.

  • I have a wayleave agreement with you and you’ve asked me for my bank details. Why?

    To change or give us your payment details fill in this form. You only need to do this if you already have a wayleave agreement with us, and it states that we’ll pay you for it.

    If you get wayleave payments from us by cheque, we might have asked you to give us your bank details so we can pay you by BACS. This means we’ll put the money directly into your bank account. So you’ll get your payments faster than if we have to send you a cheque.

    If you’re already getting your payments by BACS, you can also use this form to tell us if your account details have changed.

    If you don’t give us your bank details we’ll send you cheques for any wayleave payments.

  • What is the asbestos register?

    The asbestos risk register is a legally required document that shows that a building is safe and doesn't contain any known asbestos. 

  • Do I need to provide a copy of the asbestos register?

    Before we arrange a survey or start installing fibre there's a legal requirement for us to confirm that there's no known asbestos in the property and that it's safe for our engineers and partners to work in.

    For properties build before 2000 -  we'll need a copy of the Asbestos register for the building from the Freeholder (Landlord). This can be either a digital or a scanned copy of the register which has been counter-signed, dated and shows the printed name of the Freeholder/Managing Agent or Legal Representative.  The completed document can be sent to mdu.community.led@openreach.co.uk.

    For properties built after 2000 - we'll need written confirmation that no known asbestos exists within the building from the Freeholder (Landlord).  A letter stating this will be sent to the landlord to complete, sign and return.

    You can find further details on the types of asbestos surveys at https://www.haspod.com/blog/asbestos/asbestos-survey-types.

    We can't arrange a survey or start work until we know the building is safe and will place the survey and order on hold until we have a copy of the asbestos register or confirmation statement.

  • Why do I need a survey?

     A survey is required to determine how we're going to supply the fibre connection to the building. We'll need access to the common areas of the building, internally and  externally, to do this. We'll need a signed wayleave before we can go ahead with the survey.

  • What are flying wires?

    These are wires which “fly” across one property from telegraph poles on another property. We’re sometimes allowed to install these without needing a wayleave, but only if:

    • we don’t need to enter the property to do it
    • the wires are 3 metres or more
    • they don’t interfere with normal business at the property.