Broadband for council and housing association tenants

Your tenancy agreement says which kind of tenancy you have, and GOV.UK says it "tells you all the rules about living in your property", so check it first.

Section 19(2) for other tenants in England. If your agreement says you need the landlord's consent for improvements, section 19(2) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 says that consent can't be unreasonably withheld, though the landlord can set reasonable conditions, such as paying for any damage or putting things back. Section 97 replaces it only for secure tenancies, and flexible tenancies are excluded from section 97, so section 19(2) covers flexible council tenants and housing association tenants. It doesn't help if your agreement bans alterations outright.

Older housing association tenancies. Under section 35 of the Housing Act 1988, tenancies starting after the Act's commencement can't be secure unless the landlord is a council or one of a few other public bodies. That date was 15 January 1989, so a housing association tenancy that began before then may still be secure, with section 97's rules.

Changes due in 2027. The housing association rows reflect GOV.UK as checked in October 2026. A government policy paper (10 April 2026) says the Renters' Rights Act 2025 reforms, which make all new and most existing assured tenancies rolling (periodic) tenancies, will apply to housing association assured tenancies from October 2027. Council secure and flexible tenancies aren't affected.

Introductory and starter tenants normally move to a longer tenancy after 12 months, GOV.UK says, unless the landlord has started eviction action or extended the trial. If the answer is no for now, a no-drill option can tide you over.

None of the sources we checked names broadband. Section 97 says an "improvement" covers additions or alterations connected with the provision of services to the home, and erecting a wireless or TV aerial. GOV.UK's list of improvements secure council tenants can make includes fitting an aerial or satellite dish. Those are the closest comparisons; we found no court decision on fibre installs.

So treat it as work that needs written permission. For secure council tenants, section 97 also says consent that's unreasonably withheld is treated as given; for tenants covered by section 19(2), the protection only works if the install counts as an improvement. Get housing advice before relying on either, because whether a refusal is "unreasonable" depends on the facts.

Ask your housing officer or the landlord's customer service team who handles alteration requests and whether there's a form. Then put the request in writing (email or the landlord's portal) so you have a dated record, including:

• your name, address and tenancy reference;
• which provider you're ordering from, and its network if you know;
• what will be fitted and where you'd like the equipment;
• a request for a written reply, and your preferred install date.

Our renters guide has example wording you can adapt. In a block, the building may need its own agreement first.

A wayleave isn't yours to give, but you can get the request in front of whoever can. Openreach's landlord form isn't for tenants: it tells you to contact your broadband provider and to help by putting Openreach in touch with your landlord.

1. Check your exact flat, including the flat number, on more than one provider's and network's availability checker.
2. Ask your landlord whether the building already has a network agreement, or one under discussion, and which networks it covers.
3. Register interest with the networks that cover your area. Hyperoptic's form for existing buildings accepts tenants and residents' associations. CityFibre tells residents in a block to speak to the managing agent about wayleave permission.
4. Raise asbestos early if the block was built before 2000: ask whether your landlord has an asbestos register to share, since Openreach won't survey without one. If there isn't one, the owner may have to arrange and pay for it.

Each network's process is in our guide to getting full fibre in a block of flats, and broadband wayleaves explained covers wayleaves generally.

Your block may have shared systems that residents don't control. GOV.UK says alarm systems, telecare and door entry systems will need upgrading as the old analogue phone network is retired, and lists lifts and intercoms among affected systems; its timeline says all users of the Openreach analogue network need to move to new services by 31 January 2027. Ask your landlord what its plan is; our guide to door entry and lift phones in the digital switchover lists what to ask.

In sheltered or grouped housing in England, Department of Health and Social Care guidance for housing providers (8 October 2026) says one master alarm unit can serve up to 40 flats and may be linked to fire detection, lifts and door entry. It tells providers to keep residents informed, and says residents with privately arranged telecare should tell their phone or broadband provider. In Scotland, ask your landlord about its plans. If you have a personal alarm, see telecare alarms and the digital landline before you switch.

In England, GOV.UK gives the same route for council and housing association tenants: complain to your landlord first, using its complaints policy, and contact the Housing Ombudsman if you can't resolve it together. The Ombudsman says it can look at a complaint about a member landlord once you've completed the landlord's complaints process and the issue is unresolved, or if the landlord isn't responding. It's free for residents.

In Scotland, councils and registered social landlords, such as housing associations, come under the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) instead. The SPSO looks at a complaint once you've been through the landlord's own complaints procedure and are still not happy.

Keep dated copies of everything, and say what you asked for, what the network needs from the landlord (such as a signed wayleave) and the reply you want.

Part 4A of the Electronic Communications Code (the law that gives network companies rights to put equipment on land) lets a network go to court for access to a block's communal parts if a resident has requested its service and the landlord ignores four notices, the last of which allows 14 days for a reply. It's the network's tool, not yours, doesn't help when the landlord refuses, and doesn't apply in Northern Ireland.

The government's guidance (December 2022) says the resident must be a "lessee in occupation": a lease typically gives exclusive possession of defined premises for a fixed or periodic term, for rent. Its examples are tenants at will and assured or assured shorthold tenants. Secure council tenancies aren't named, but the test turns on those features, not the label, so if your council isn't replying, ask the network whether it can use Part 4A. Our full fibre in flats guide has the notice timeline.

Meanwhile, or after a no, use a connection that's already there or a plug-in 4G or 5G hub. Three, for example, says you set up its indoor 5G Home Broadband hub by plugging it into a power socket and following the Three app (the app doesn't support its 4G hubs), and that you can take the hub with you to a new home in an area with Three coverage. Its 5G Outdoor Hub is different: Three says you mount it on a wall, window or pole (or a temporary indoor stand), so ask your landlord first. How well this works depends on mobile signal where you live; see whether 4G or 5G can replace fixed broadband and Three broadband deals.

GOV.UK says housing association tenants can end their tenancy with 4 weeks' notice in writing. Secure and flexible council tenants can swap homes with the council's permission (introductory tenants can't), and housing association tenants may be able to swap too. Citizens Advice says moving your service may cost a small fee, and you might pay a cancellation fee if your provider can't serve your new address. If a move is likely, check the home-move terms before you sign and consider a shorter contract; see rolling monthly broadband and broadband when moving home.