New Tenant Cant Get Broadband as Contract is Open

Finbarr Murphy

Just looking for advice what to do in this situation;

A tenant moved in recently and tried to get broadband but found out that he can't as the old tenant still has an open contract.

The old tenant was contacted by the landlord to ask to close the contract but he stated that his old contract expired and that the broadband company rolled over into a new contract without his consent.

The broadband company wants several hundred euro in payment before they close the account which the old tenant doesn't want to pay because he says the contract was rolled over without his consent.

It's not fair on the new tenant and the landlord has found it impossible to contact the broadband company by phone to clear things up. In my opinion he won't get far as his name is not on the contract.

How can this situation be resolved asap?

Txs

Baby01032012

Has nothing to do with landlord...landlord has no contract with the previous tenants Broadband provider. Why cant new tenant use another provider..is it fixed line?..use alternative....use dongle...mobile...wifi etc

Ms Doubtfire1

go with another supplier for broadband

Graham

Good luck, prepare for a long wait.

Took me months to sort out a similar situation with Eircom. No chance of moving supplier either, only the 'customer' is entitled to make that request.

mugsymugsy

It's up to the tennant. Tennant ask provider to release line if they don't then tell them to get onto comreg

Finbarr Murphy

mugsymugsy wrote: »

It's up to the tennant. Tennant ask provider to release line if they don't then tell them to get onto comreg

The old tenant or new tenant?

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Mrs OBumble

Mobile BB sounds like the way to go.

astrofool

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Mobile BB sounds like the way to go.

Mobile BB is sooooo awful though, wires all the way, light web browsing is just about tolerable on mobile BB, but absolute sh*te for everything else.

Mobile BB is a last resort really as its capped (usually a low enough limits) and not as reliable. Does the house have cable and telephone access, if its got cable also then go with virgin as they have nothing to do with the phone line. Though its still unfair if the tenant has a better deal with eir or wants to go with magnet as they do no contract BB.

There is no reason for the company holding the line not to release it and as someone else said I'd threaten comreg on them fairly sharpish if they don't release the line. It in no way lets the previous tenant off the hook so not sure why they won't do it. It's nothing really to do with the LL either.

Graham

astrofool wrote: »

Mobile BB is sooooo awful though, wires all the way, light web browsing is just about tolerable on mobile BB, but absolute sh*te for everything else.

Can't say I'd agree with that. I have a fixed eircom line that connects at 8Mb, a mobile broadband modem that averages around 20Mb.

mugsymugsy

Finbarr Murphy wrote: »

The old tenant or new tenant?

Thanks for all the replies so far.

New tenant. Obviously the old tenant doesnt give two hoots and won't pay what the company say the owe.

Jodotman

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Mobile BB sounds like the way to go.

How is mobile broadband the way to go? 360MB fixed line unlimited broadband or 250GB 4G broadband for 70 a month. There is no comparison.

As the landlord is the registered owner of the property it will have to go through himself to ring the broadband company to get the mess sorted.

He may have to show some proof that he is the property owner but if the Landlord is anyway a decent person and not a snob he should have no problem doing this for you.

Samuel T. Cogley

Jodotman wrote: »

How is mobile broadband the way to go? 360MB fixed line unlimited broadband or 250GB 4G broadband for 70 a month. There is no comparison.

As the landlord is the registered owner of the property it will have to go through himself to ring the broadband company to get the mess sorted.

He may have to show some proof that he is the property owner but if the Landlord is anyway a decent person and not a snob he should have no problem doing this for you.

It absolutely does not have to go through the LL unless he's the account holder.

Graces7

What is the difference here between eg ESB?

I had to pester agent to get bb etc sorted. Was easy as I use digiweb and do not use a landline. Just got the alternative set up.

comreg sounds a good idea

wordofwarning

astrofool wrote: »

Mobile BB is sooooo awful though, wires all the way, light web browsing is just about tolerable on mobile BB, but absolute sh*te for everything else.

Depends on the area. I know someone who had wimax which was superior to the Eir line. They were beside the Wimax mast and were getting 10mb at all times. The Eir line was between 3-8mb

OP I would get the tenant to try sign up for broadband online with an online form. Maybe they won't notice the outstanding debts

CeilingFly

wordofwarning wrote: »

OP I would get the tenant to try sign up for broadband online with an online form. Maybe they won't notice the outstanding debts

Each line has a unique Universal Access Number, so that simply won't work.

You could request a second line, but there are costs involved.

The landlord should have ensured that there were no outstanding bills before returning the deposit.

One other option is to see if previous tenant will transfer the contract and pay just up to current day and op pays from now.

SoftMicro

New tenant should maybe lodge complaint with comreg

Kristopherus

Landlord may be able to help. He just may have a new address for the old tenant. That address could be forwarded to the BB provider the old tenant had/has. He could then go to Comreg and maybe a solution could be found by going that route. For sure the new tenant will not get the UAN while the old tenant "owes" money.

Samuel T. Cogley

Kristopherus wrote: »

Landlord may be able to help. He just may have a new address for the old tenant. That address could be forwarded to the BB provider the old tenant had/has. He could then go to Comreg and maybe a solution could be found by going that route. For sure the new tenant will not get the UAN while the old tenant "owes" money.

The new tenant should never be given the UAN anyway. The UAN is for the account holder only. All providers have a new tenant process (or should) and none of them require the outstanding balance cleared unless the provider thinks the 'new tenant' isn't a new tenant but the same 'household' as the person that owes money. That doesn't stop the new tenant going to another provider but it looks like the OP is stubbornly staying with one provider, probably Virgin who are on a completely different system and may have their own policies.

ED E

Lots of bad advice here so I'll post the procedure. No need for COMREG.


1. New Tenant proves now living at address (Lease, Tenancy Agreement, etc)
2. New Tenant applies for line to be declared delinquent with current line operator (just ring each until you get the right one, they cant tell you who it is for DP)
3. After 3-6wks this will cause the existing service to be cleared from the address disconnecting the line.
4. Next new tenant can order a new service as if they were the first occupant, up to 14 days further to go live

Separately:
5. Old tenant will have their final bill passed to a debt collector, so they're better off not ignoring it.

January

We had this issue in an old place, they came and cut the wire for the TV and all. We had to provide proof that we were not the person who used to live there. UPC (at the time) accepted a copy of my husbands driving licence.

ShaShaBear

When we ran into this problem, the provider (who was the cheapest option in the area) was more than content with a copy of our tenancy agreement which showed when we moved in and that we were the sole occupants. They told us that the account would simply be cancelled, the charges passed on as a debt to the previously named account holder and after a few days we could ring back and order a new service. Usually when they dig their heels like this they are hoping someone is stupid enough to fork up what was owed. They only care that they get it, not from whom

Victor

Did the landlord have a clause in the lease requiring all bills to be paid?

Landlord could write to service provider, explaining they are the landlord and that they have a new tenant and that they need the line released.

Kristopherus wrote: »

Landlord may be able to help. He just may have a new address for the old tenant. That address could be forwarded to the BB provider the old tenant had/has.

I'm not sure if that is appropriate.

CeilingFly wrote: »

One other option is to see if previous tenant will transfer the contract and pay just up to current day and op pays from now.

If taking over the contract, the new tenant should make sure they have the modem / other equipment and that the balance has been cleared, with no future 'surprises' like call charges that haven't been billed yet. Tenant may be stuck with that service provider and their nuances for a time.

I don't know why people keep bringing the LL into it. It's no more to do with him than if the previous tenant didn't pay his car tax.

Fr Tod Umptious

Finbarr Murphy wrote: »

Just looking for advice what to do in this situation;

A tenant moved in recently and tried to get broadband but found out that he can't as the old tenant still has an open contract.

The old tenant was contacted by the landlord to ask to close the contract but he stated that his old contract expired and that the broadband company rolled over into a new contract without his consent./b]

The broadband company wants several hundred euro in payment before they close the account which the old tenant doesn't want to pay because he says the contract was rolled over without his consent.

It's not fair on the new tenant and the landlord has found it impossible to contact the broadband company by phone to clear things up. In my opinion he won't get far as his name is not on the contract.

How can this situation be resolved asap?

Txs

How is that possible ?

The previous tenant at some stage had to consent to a new contract, it may have been hidden in small print, but it was certainly there.

TheDoc

Ameer Thundering Herb wrote: »

I don't know what's why people keep bringing the LL into it. It's no more to do with him than if the previous tenant didn't pay his car tax.

They should have an active interest as for many people, it's the up there with running water and electricity.

If I moved into a place told I had working broadband (And I personally only deal with one company) to then find that was blocked due to issues with a previous tenant the landlord wasn't on top off, I'd be seeking my deposit back and going back to market.

And be pretty fuming at the wasted time and likely effort of moving

Landlords not being on top of things causes grief. Our last landlord, who in fairness to him was new to the game and a nice fella so I didn't make too much of a deal, wasn't on top of things and our gas was locked by the Gas Networks and it took a number of weeks and over €200 to resolve, which wasn't ideal with a two young children and hot water coming from kettles....

Samuel T. Cogley

TheDoc wrote: »

They should have an active interest as for many people, it's the up there with running water and electricity.

If I moved into a place told I had working broadband (And I personally only deal with one company) to then find that was blocked due to issues with a previous tenant the landlord wasn't on top off, I'd be seeking my deposit back and going back to market.

And be pretty fuming at the wasted time and likely effort of moving

Landlords not being on top of things causes grief. Our last landlord, who in fairness to him was new to the game and a nice fella so I didn't make too much of a deal, wasn't on top of things and our gas was locked by the Gas Networks and it took a number of weeks and over €200 to resolve, which wasn't ideal with a two young children and hot water coming from kettles....

This is akin to asking the LL to deal with your timing belt on your car. The two are completely unrelated. If this is Vigin, the only reason they are refusing to provide service is becuase they don't believe it's a new tenant. Now the LL might be able to assist with that with a letter but it's hardly a requirement, and throwing the toys out of the pram, especially in this market, is ridiculous.

wordofwarning

TheDoc wrote: »

Landlords not being on top of things causes grief. Our last landlord, who in fairness to him was new to the game and a nice fella so I didn't make too much of a deal, wasn't on top of things and our gas was locked by the Gas Networks and it took a number of weeks and over €200 to resolve, which wasn't ideal with a two young children and hot water coming from kettles....

So a pension fund or a REIT with a few thousand apartments in Dublin should be on the phone to Bord Gais, Eir, ESB etc to constantly try to resolve issues like this? The Utility is hoping that the landlord will pay the old tenants bill or OP will pay it. It is like you buying an second hand car and discovering Revenue wants you to pay back taxes for something you did not use

Utilities in this country are poorly regulated. OP should have had to sign a form that they were not the said resident, have the account closed and a new one opened. Their landlord should not have to be involved.

TheDoc

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

This is akin to asking the LL to deal with your timing belt on your car. The two are completely unrelated. If this is Vigin, the only reason they are refusing to provide service is becuase they don't believe it's a new tenant. Now the LL might be able to assist with that with a letter but it's hardly a requirement, and throwing the toys out of the pram, especially in this market, is ridiculous.

No, it's akin to me going into a rental house where there is a gaslock in place, and no services can be provided until it is resolved, at personal expense.

Basically what I went through, and basically the situation here. A new tenant not being able to receive a pretty bog standard service, and increasingly important in this day and age, due to a landlord not getting things in order when their last tenant left.

Obviously it's the last tenant being utterly brutal and an idiot causing this, but sorry, I'm not buying for a second now that landlords can just absolve themselves of responsibilities for services provided in their own property.

It seems to be a new thing every week landlords can wash their hands of when you read in here

TheDoc

wordofwarning wrote: »

So a pension fund or a REIT with a few thousand apartments in Dublin should be on the phone to Bord Gais, Eir, ESB etc to constantly try to resolve issues like this? The Utility is hoping that the landlord will pay the old tenants bill or OP will pay it. It is like you buying an second hand car and discovering Revenue wants you to pay back taxes for something you did not use

Utilities in this country are poorly regulated. OP should have had to sign a form that they were not the said resident, have the account closed and a new one opened. Their landlord should not have to be involved.

Erm no, those funds enlist agencies to manage their properties.

Problem here is you treating broadband like it is not some basic service expected in 2017. For many people, broadband is there beside Gas and Electricity in terms of utilities.

In reality this can be easily resolved and it won't be any major stress, have dealt with it myself in our first apartment where the previous tenants were a nightmare not paying bills, but I was thankfully taken at face value when I signed up to all my utilities.

Just saying. It's a bit lame to absolve the landlord entirely for this. Maybe it's because of my reliance on the internet, but I'd be absolutely livid if I came into a property, and without being told, found there was hoops that would have me without broadband for a number of weeks (likely 4-6 weeks) and I definitly would be having a conversation about the rent for that month.

Samuel T. Cogley

TheDoc wrote: »

No, it's akin to me going into a rental house where there is a gaslock in place, and no services can be provided until it is resolved, at personal expense.

Basically what I went through, and basically the situation here. A new tenant not being able to receive a pretty bog standard service, and increasingly important in this day and age, due to a landlord not getting things in order when their last tenant left.

Obviously it's the last tenant being utterly brutal and an idiot causing this, but sorry, I'm not buying for a second now that landlords can just absolve themselves of responsibilities for services provided in their own property.

It seems to be a new thing every week landlords can wash their hands of when you read in here

Gas or Electric I would agree to a point as there is one network deal with this. Also the LL does have some interaction with these between tenants so I kinda see where you're coming from on those. Broadand is potentialy two fixed line networks with a number of mobile options. On one of the fixed line networks (Eir's) one provider couldn't give a toss what someone owes to another.

The OP isn't giving us the whole story here or simply hasn't tried all the options.