The Fibre You Inherit: A UK Connectivity Checklist for Office Moves

An office move is usually managed as a property project with an IT workstream attached. Connectivity is often the item that exposes the gap between the two. The landlord may describe the building as fibre-enabled; the previous occupier may have left a cabinet; the broadband may work on day one. None of that confirms that the incoming tenant can order the service it needs, at the capacity it needs, on the date the lease begins.

For UK procurement and IT teams, connectivity due diligence should start before the lease is signed or renewed. The objective is not to become a telecoms engineer. It is to establish who controls the building infrastructure, what contractual rights attach to it, how service will be handed over and what happens if the arrangement fails.

Why connectivity belongs in lease due diligence

Building-provided connectivity is not the same as connectivity available to the tenant. A landlord may have an arrangement with a preferred supplier, a building-wide fibre network or a wayleave that permits only certain operators to enter. Each can be legitimate. Each can also constrain competition, extend lead times or create dependency after the move.

The commercial risk is easily underestimated. A delayed circuit can postpone occupancy, disrupt customer service or force a temporary mobile solution onto a team that was not designed for it. A restrictive building arrangement can also make future renewals less competitive. Procurement teams should therefore treat connectivity as a lease-critical item, not a post-completion task.

The documents to request before signature

Verbal assurances from an agent or building manager are not sufficient. Ask for the documents that establish rights and responsibilities.

Wayleaves and landlord consent

A wayleave is the permission needed to install and maintain telecoms infrastructure across land or property that the operator does not own. In multi-tenant buildings, the landlord or managing agent often controls access to risers, roof space and common parts. The incoming tenant should establish, in writing, what routes are permitted, who grants consent, how long approval takes and whether any third-party provider already holds rights.

The lease should also address restoration and removal. If the tenant installs cabling or equipment, who is responsible for making good at exit? If the landlord controls the wayleave, can the tenant assign it or must it be renegotiated?

Building fibre and in-building infrastructure

Request a clear description of the fibre serving the building: where it enters, who owns it, whether it is open access or tied to a single provider, and what capacity is available. Ask about diversity. Two circuits that share the same entry point, riser and power supply are not truly diverse.

The communications room deserves a site inspection. Confirm access hours, security arrangements, power, cooling, rack space and fire-stopping standards. If the building promises a managed service, establish who maintains the active equipment and what service levels apply. If the tenant is expected to connect to a shared distribution point, check whether the landlord permits competing operators or charges for access.

ISP handover and lead times

Handover is more than an installation date. It includes survey, landlord approval, cabling, circuit provisioning, testing and acceptance. Ask the chosen ISP to confirm the precise handover point and any building-specific dependencies. Lead times for UK business circuits can extend when landlord consent or building works are required, so the project plan should show those dependencies explicitly.

Number portability also needs an owner. Moving premises can affect existing numbers, call routing and emergency service location data. The procurement team should confirm which party manages porting and what happens if the old and new services overlap.

Backup and resilience

A 4G or 5G backup is useful only if it works inside the building. A desk-based assumption about mobile coverage is not a design. Commission an internal signal survey, identify where routers or antennas can be placed, and confirm failover configuration, data allowances and power arrangements. If the backup shares the same comms room or power circuit as the primary service, it may not survive the event it is meant to cover.

Commercial terms that decide the move

Service credits are often negotiated at renewal but ignored during a move. Check what triggers them, what exclusions apply and whether landlord-caused delays count. Confirm the escalation path and the remedy if the building provider misses an agreed date.

Exit routes matter as much as entry. The tenant should know how equipment will be removed, whether reinstatement is required, how wayleaves are transferred or terminated, and how numbers and data are recovered. A low monthly cost can be misleading if the cost of leaving is high or the building arrangement makes switching impractical.

A pre-signature checklist for procurement and IT

• Obtain written confirmation of wayleave rights, permitted operators and landlord approval times.
• Identify the fibre entry point, ownership, capacity, diversity and access conditions.
• Confirm whether the building network is open access or tied to a single provider.
• Inspect the communications room for space, power, cooling, security and access hours.
• Ask the ISP to confirm the handover point, dependencies and realistic lead time.
• Record who is responsible for landlord consent, cabling, testing and acceptance.
• Check number portability, emergency service location data and call routing.
• Commission an internal mobile signal survey for 4G or 5G backup.
• Confirm failover configuration, data caps, power and maintenance responsibility.
• Review service credits, exclusions and escalation routes.
• Establish removal, reinstatement, assignment and exit obligations.
• Align the connectivity date with lease commencement and fit-out milestones.

The question to ask before the lease is signed

The practical question is not whether the building has fibre. It is whether the incoming tenant can control, contest and exit the connectivity arrangement on reasonable terms. If the answer depends on an informal assurance, the due diligence is incomplete. Connectivity should be documented alongside rent, break clauses and service charges, because once the lease is signed, the building's arrangements become the tenant's problem.

For UK firms planning a move in 2026, the safest approach is to make connectivity evidence a condition of lease approval. Procurement and IT do not need to solve every technical detail at that stage. They do need to ensure that someone with authority has asked the questions and received answers in writing.