Wayleaves for leased line installation

What a wayleave is

A wayleave is permission from a landowner or property owner for network equipment to be installed on, under or over their land or inside their building, and for it to be maintained and repaired afterwards.

Openreach, which builds and maintains much of the UK's local access network, describes its wayleave agreement as a written legal agreement between Openreach and the land or property owner, giving permission to install, maintain or repair the network equipment on their property. Openreach also says a wayleave is usually an ongoing agreement with no end date, so it continues to cover the equipment even if the land or building changes hands.

For a business, the wayleave matters because it is a dependency you do not control directly: the engineering can be planned, but the work cannot start until the owner has signed. Knowing early whether one is needed is the best protection for your installation date.

This page is about wayleaves for telecoms lines. Electricity wayleaves for power cables and pylons are a separate subject with their own arrangements.

When a leased line needs a wayleave

Openreach says it may need a wayleave to install or repair its equipment on private land, or inside a property, where the equipment provides service to people who are not the legal owner, for example a tenant. For a BTnet line, that commonly means:

• You rent your office or unit, and the line has to pass through common parts, risers or walls owned by your landlord
• You are in a multi-let building, such as a business centre or a floor of an office block, managed by an agent
• Your site is on a business park or industrial estate with private roads or land between the public highway and your building
• The route crosses a neighbour's land, for example where the nearest duct runs along the side of another property
• New equipment is needed on private land, such as a new duct, a chamber or a pole

Openreach also says that where a landowner has asked for the service themselves and is working with Openreach on the project, a wayleave may not be needed. If you own your building and the land between it and the road, you may not need one either. The site survey is where the need is confirmed.

Why tenants need landlord consent

If you lease your premises, you do not own the building fabric, the risers or the land around it. Your landlord, or their managing agent, has to agree before anyone runs new cables or fits equipment through parts of the building they control.

This catches many businesses out, because the lease may let you use the space but not authorise new works to the structure or common parts. Openreach says it cannot do work that needs a wayleave until it has the signed document back. So a landlord who takes weeks to reply can hold up an otherwise straightforward installation.

Two other points help when talking to a landlord:

• It is usually ongoing. Openreach says a wayleave is usually an agreement without an end date, which continues if the property changes hands. Landlords may want to read it carefully, and some take legal advice.
• Payments depend on who is served. Openreach says owners are only entitled to wayleave payments where its equipment on their property provides service to someone other than them, giving neighbours as an example.

How a wayleave is usually arranged

1. The survey identifies the need. The survey shows the route crosses land or a building that you do not own.
2. You provide the owner's details. Landlord, managing agent or landowner contact details, so the request can be sent to the right person.
3. The application is sent. Openreach says its wayleave application for new equipment on private land includes a route plan, the wayleave agreement and an explanation of why permission is needed.
4. The owner reviews it. They may ask questions, ask for changes to the route, or take legal advice.
5. The signed agreement is returned. Work covered by the wayleave can be scheduled once it is signed and back with Openreach's wayleaves team.
6. The engineering work goes ahead. The access line is built along the agreed route and your installation continues towards its committed date.

Openreach also says it has some legal powers under the Electronic Communications Code to seek consent through the courts, but that it prefers not to use them and explores other options first. For a business that needs a line by a particular date, the practical route is to get the owner on board early.

How long does a wayleave take?

There is no fixed time. A wayleave takes as long as it takes the owner to review, agree and sign it, and that depends on the owner, not on BT or on us. A responsive landlord who has signed similar agreements before can turn one round quickly. A landlord who has to consult lawyers, a board or other tenants may take much longer.

Because related work cannot start until the agreement is signed, wayleave time can add directly to your installation time. BT's help pages say BTnet installation can take up to 70 working days, depending on the survey, and wayleaves are one of the reasons the survey matters. See BTnet lead times for how BT sets your date, and excess construction charges for the other common reason jobs need extra work.

How to stop a wayleave delaying your line

• Tell your landlord early. As soon as you decide on a leased line, let your landlord or managing agent know that a request may follow.
• Check your lease. See what it says about alterations, telecoms and access to common parts, and who to ask for consent.
• Name the right contact. Give the details of the person who can actually sign, not just the building reception.
• Share the plan. A clear explanation of what is being installed and where helps the owner say yes.
• Ask about existing routes. If other tenants already have dedicated lines, an existing route may make the request simpler.
• Chase politely and in writing. Keep a record of when the request was sent and followed up.
• Moving premises? Ask the landlord about telecoms consent before you sign the lease, and allow for it in your move date.

Our guide to moving office with BTnet and our page for offices and business centres cover the multi-let building questions in more detail.

How Forever Communications helps

Forever Communications is an Authorised Supplier for BT. We cannot sign a wayleave for your landlord, but we can help make the request easier to say yes to: spotting early whether one is likely, explaining what it covers in plain words for your landlord, making sure the right contact details reach the right people, and explaining how it affects your committed date.

Contact us to talk about a BTnet line for rented or multi-let premises.