How to move your broadband when moving home

11 Feb 2015 How to move your broadband when moving home

Moving your broadband really is an important part of moving home. Editor of Broadband Genie, Matt Powell, shares his inside information with Andrew Porter Limited and gives us some top tips on how to prepare moving broadband when moving house.

There are a million and one things to consider when moving home, and that includes transferring your broadband, phone and TV services along with other utilities.

Ideally everything would be set up in your new home on the day you move in, but while this isn’t always achievable there are steps you can take to make the process as smooth as possible and minimise your downtime, something which may be particularly important if you rely upon internet access for work.

Do your research before you move

There’s no guarantee that your new address will offer the same services as you currently receive, so some investigation work is required to find out what’s on offer.

Satellite TV and basic phone lines are rarely a problem but cable internet and TV and fibre optic broadband are more limited in coverage, while the performance of ADSL home broadband is affected by distance from the exchange. Availability of ISPs for ADSL also varies depending on whether the provider has installed its own equipment, and there are some areas where it’s very slow or not available at all.

Contact your existing provider and ask if they offer services at the new location. This is also something you can check for yourself using the tools at Samknows.com and Broadband Genie. Entering a postcode can provide details on the availability of broadband at the exchange, but if you can use a telephone number you will also be able to view speed estimates.

And don’t forget to ask your provider about their procedures for transferring. Each company will have a different notice period, and starting the transfer process late will likely result in delays.

It’s also very important to ensure the current occupier of your new home cancels their existing services when they leave. If they don’t, you’ll be left waiting weeks for the line to be unblocked so your broadband and phone can be setup.

Cancelling or upgrading broadband when moving

If you’re lucky your new home will have access to faster broadband and most ISPs will be delighted to offer you an upgrade since it usually means a higher monthly payment. Just keep in mind that this will mean signing up to a new contract, typically a commitment of 12 to 24 months, and there might be some extra set up or installation charges.

But can you cancel your broadband, phone or TV when moving? This may seem like the perfect opportunity to get out of a contract and start fresh but it’s no different to cancellation at any other time: you’ll still need to pay the same costs, usually a fee based on the number of months remaining on the contract.

This still applies if you can’t get exactly the same service at a new address. Even if your new broadband would be slower or not have the same features you will need to pay the cancellation fee to get out of the contract.

How to move your broadband, phone and TV to a new address

When you’re ready to move contact your provider(s) on or before their minimum notification period, which is typically two to four weeks.

If your broadband and phone are provided by the same company the process should be fairly simple, just provide the moving date and barring any technical issues like a blocked line or required engineer work it should go relatively smoothly, though you may want to chase them up closer to the moving date to confirm it’s on course.

When it comes to broadband and phone from separate providers things are a little more involved. You will need to first contact the telephone company to advise of the move and obtain a Link Order Reference Number (LORN), sometimes called a Simultaneous Provide Number.

Then get in touch with your broadband provider and give them the LORN. This will ensure that when they transfer service it is synchronised with the telephone. Without this step your broadband will be delayed until after the telephone service is live.

For satellite and cable TV the initial steps will be similar to broadband: find out how far in advance your provider has to be notified, and confirm if you can continue to receive the same service at the new address. There’s likely to be some costs involved for an engineer to carry out necessary installation work, but it should usually be straightforward to have this done on or around your moving date so you’re up and running on the day.

If you have Freeview it’s generally much simpler as you should only need to plug in your aerial, and perhaps an internet connection if your Freeview receiver offers online services. Should you have a Freeview based TV package from an ISP, such as BT TV or TalkTalk TV, this will be handled by them when moving the broadband.

The only real complication you’re likely to encounter with Freeview is if your property does not have an aerial that’s capable of getting a good signal. If that happens it will be up to you to have this rectified.

 

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