I live in a flat/apartment. How will I be connected?

If you live in a flat/apartment, your property is part of what is known as a MDU (multiple dwelling unit).

Use our availability checker to find out if your property is within reach of our network and the broadband provider partners that can supply you with a service over our network. If we are still building in your area, and our network is not yet available, please consider registering for updates as our building status in your postcode changes.

MDU’s vary greatly in size from a couple of flats in a converted house, to a building which contains several hundred properties. As a result, there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to connecting our full fibre network to MDUs or the time it can take from placing your order with one of our broadband provider partners to the installation of our network into your individual property.

Placing an order

After you have placed your order with your chosen broadband provider, they will confirm to you the earliest available date available, for us to install our full fibre network to your property. This date will reflect the additional work and approvals we may need to action, if your building is not yet linked to our network to enable us to install that fibre connection into your individual property.

Connecting your building

When your broadband provider accepts your order and advises us, we carry out a number of checks to enable us to both connect your building and install full fibre directly into your property. This may include contacting your building’s owner/management agency, to get agreement for us to connect our fibre network to your building (often referred to as a wayleave agreement). Once we have permission granted, we’ll carry out a survey of your building, to agree with your building’s owner/managing agent, the best route for our fibre cables to get your building connected before then carrying out the work.

Finally, our engineers will attend your individual property on the installation date confirmed by your Broadband Provider to install full fibre.

If you are unsure if your building has already been connected to the CityFibre network or are looking to understand if your managing agent has provided approval (Wayleave), please consult your building owner/managing agent.

Installing full fibre in your property

On the day of your installation appointment, we’ll need you or an adult over the age of 18 to be home. Our installation team will need access to your property to install the full fibre broadband connection in your building, to your property. They will discuss with you where you would like your new router (provided directly by your Broadband provider) located, and the work that will need to be done to connect your router to the fibre connection (Optical Network Terminal).

In order for us to bring our fibre network from your building into your property, we will need to drill a discreet hole through your wall to install a small connection box (ONT) inside of your home to connect the fibre cable to your new router, but this will all be cleaned up and sealed once complete. The connection box and your router will need their own power supplies (plug sockets), so please consider this when choosing the location of your new router. If you have ordered a digital phone services from your broadband provider or have any other devices that you may wish to connect to your router (other than via Wi-Fi), please also consider how these will be powered as they may also require their own power supply (plug socket).

When your home is connected, our team will carry out several quality tests to confirm your new full fibre broadband is working correctly. It should only take 1-2 hours to install your full fibre broadband connection.

View our installation page for more details on how to prepare your home for your full fibre installation.

Rent your property? Whether you live in an MDU or any other type of residential property and rent your property, we’d advise you to check with your landlord before ordering full fibre broadband from your chosen broadband provider. Whilst installation within your property remains relatively simple, they may class this as a notable change to their property and as such wish to approve the addition.