First confirm your exact flat in the provider's checker. If the building is not ready, ask whether the issue is network build, an address record, a survey, common-area access or landlord permission. Then involve the freeholder or managing agent with a specific request.
For the wider picture beyond your building, explore London’s fibre coverage and network options before checking your address.
Separate building readiness from your installation
A building project and an individual home connection are different stages. Openreach describes an apartment process involving permission, a survey, route approval and shared-area work before residents place individual orders. Other networks have their own procedures.
Ask whether the network has reached the building, whether the internal distribution is complete, and whether your flat is released for ordering. Those questions are more useful than asking only whether the street has fibre.
Send an enquiry that someone can act on
Keep the enquiry concise and specific. Include the building address, the exact provider result and any network reference. Ask who the operator should contact about access and permissions, and whether any fibre installation is already being coordinated.
It can help to collect questions from interested residents in one place. Interest is useful context, but do not promise that a particular number of signatures will trigger a build or a free installation.
- Confirm the legal building name and flat numbering.
- Ask whether a survey has already taken place.
- Identify the property contact responsible for common areas.
- Request the operator's required next step and reference number.
- Keep proposed dates provisional until the order is accepted.
Plan the route within your own flat
Think about both the entry point and where you use the connection. A router near the front door may be convenient for installation but a poor position for a rear bedroom used as an office. Ask what placement options are feasible before the engineer starts.
Consider a neat Ethernet run to a fixed desk or a properly placed wireless access point. This is a home-network planning choice, separate from the provider's ability to deliver service to the ONT. Do not alter building cabling or disconnect existing equipment to make room.
Manage expectations while the building work progresses
Openreach notes that multi-dwelling projects can take several months because of surveys, agreements and coordinated access. That is not an estimate for every operator or every flat. Your provider must confirm the status of your own order.
Keep a usable connection while the prerequisites are unresolved. When a provider offers an appointment, verify that it is for an orderable service in your flat and that the relevant access arrangements are in place.
Your questions, answered.
Can my landlord approve everything on their own?
It depends who controls the property and the proposed route. Shared areas may involve a freeholder or managing agent as well as the flat's landlord.
Can I order because the next-door flat already has fibre?
It is a promising sign, but still check your exact flat. Address records, spare connections and installation routes can differ.
Sources & further reading
Official information behind this guide. Links checked 29 October 2026; individual datasets retain their stated reference dates.