UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi - this post sort of follows on from my recent one about "Who pays for phone line connection".

I now have prospective tenants lined up with mid June earmarked as potential occupancy date.  Tenant reference and credit checking has just been concluded (all OK) Guarantors nominated, referenced and credit checked (also OK) but Guarantor Agreements not yet returned.  As soon as these are received, I will move to issue the AST, collect deposits and rental advance etc. as advised to do by you guys and the various other Landlord sites.

Just heard from tenant that they would like to sign up/set up phone and broadband asap (ie before they have paid deposits and signed AST) because they say that on checking with providers, as the phone line is disconnected, there will be at least a 2-3 week delay before they will have a service at the property.  They obviously want to move in and have a phone/broadband service from the off.

Should I allow them to do this?  I haven't yet got the guarantor undertaking for financial liabilities the tenants may incur on the property, so if things go belly up and they don't become tenants, could I (as the owner of the property) become responsible for the phone/broadband account?

Your wisdom, advice and recommendations, as ever, will be most gratefully received!

Personally I would get a deposit and AST signed before allowing this.

Having said that if they don't need access to the property to connect the broadband and phone line I don't think you can actually stop them calling up and having it done.

Why can't they start to arrange this with the provider right now, but nothing physically happens until a date after the move in?

Nothing wrong with them contacting, say, BT and saying that they'd like a connection, but arranging that date for shortly after they've taken possession of your property, thereby reducing the 2 to 3 week delay.

I would not let them arrange for anything to be done to the property before they move in.

So, today is the 22nd, say they're moving in on the 1st, they can phone up now and try to arrange a visit (or whatever is required) for the 2nd (or whatever is feasible) but they can't arrange a visit for the 25th.

See, this is why you ask.

I would have absolutely no problem with this.

They want broadband the minute the move in so they can check facebook, you never know they might miss a cute kitten video.

They are paying, what is the risk?

The more a tenant does to a property, the more they are bought into it, the longer they stay IMO.

You shouldn't worry as  much, dont stress the little things.

Thanks for your comments and advice.  My concern arose as a result of calls to a couple of Service providers to check the situation of someone becoming a subscriber before they were a tenant.  I didn't want to be caught with the potential liability of a phone/broadband contact linked to the house with me being responsible.  In the event, Guarantors were quick responding, tenant has paid deposit early and will shortly sign AST, so problem has disappeared.
Thanks for your reassurance.  I'll try and not sweat the small stuff Boboff!

Nice one.

Out  of interest, did you approach the tenants about it? If so, how?