Denying access to cable for neighbours

[EatsShitAndLeaves]

So I got a letter in the post from Virgin Media who are in our locality.

They want me to give permission to lay cable down my drive to access the houses behind.

I live in an old farmhouse with a big front/back garden- before we moved in after the "field" at the back was sold and 3 houses built on it.

They have access to their property via my drive - but I own the drive.

I've done a very shitty picture to illustrate...R is road, G is garden and D is Drive. My house is the rectangle.

It's not to scale. The drive is very long and we spent a lot of money block paving it when we moved in.

I'm not at all keen on this being ripped up and botched reinstated.

As we are on the Main Street we would get access to Virgin services regardless. Allowing the work gains us nothing - apart from stress and hassle.

However if I deny the work then my neighbours can't take this service.

AIBU to refuse access?

No, absolutely not.
For all of the reasons outlined above.
Plus, why is it the company who is approaching you, surely the neighbour should be asking.

So you tried to engage with Virgin and they've already made a cock up of replying? This tells you all you need to know. NFW?

Seconding WaxyBean's comment. Also, Virgin will have to cover the costs of your solicitors who you'll engage to draw up a contract and ensure it's enforced. Don't let them select this solicitor for you. You'll need a specialist surveyor and make sure they're Chartered, and a member of the RICS: they should be able to recommend a solicitor to take care of the legal stuff.

It's possible to demand that Virgin Media pay an upfront fee into an account (escrow account? I can't remember) which will cover the costs of relaying your drive when required, so that if their contractors bodge the work you're ok. You could include in the contract that your surveyor appoints builders to deal with the relaying, all at Virgin's costs.

These things are common in business contracts, and while Virgin might object or refuse to agree, they're perfectly reasonable.

I wouldn't agree - too may imponderables for the future. It sounds like Virgin are instigating this, not necessarily the neighbours who may prefer Sky!

Just say no. I used to live in a terraced house. My neighbours at #9 wanted Virgin cable. I lived at #9A. One day I noticed a roll of cable in my garden. I also saw my fence had been damaged. I contacted Virgin and found out that it was the cable for my neighbours. I asked them to remove it and make good my fence.

Some weeks later, the reel of cable disappeared. Whilst I was at work, it had been buried

Virgin cables are very far from life's essentials.

So tiggytape are BT's the same then?.

After the mess they made round here, I wouldn't trust them to dig up a pot plant.

They did all the roads round my way just before Christmas, and all the trenches are already collapsing, and potholes cropping up all over the place.

20 odd years ago Telewest were laying cables down the streets where we lived - they didn't seem to give a toss that their "making good" looked nothing like how it was before and they made a shocking mess. I'd not allow it

I'd say no chance. Your drive will be ruined and it's not as if it is for an essential service. Tell them to get Sky instead!

Nope, I wouldn't let them.

Virgin is not exactly an essential is it. I think most people cope perfectly well with freeview.

As a compromise is there any land that lies to the side of the driveway that could be dug up (within a flower bed or grass which would surely be easier to dig up and make good?

If not then definitely a vote for no way!

To 'soup dragon' and 'just a boy,' your virgin work that has left hardly anything visible... I assume the service is feeding 3 other properties, and you are not using the service?

If that is not the case, your example is in no way like the OP's issue. We are talking about their block paving drive being dug up and fucked up, so THREE properties can have Virgin media, (but not you!) and they could easily use another provider (and Virgin are shit anyway)

In addition to this, even if they do re-do the drive, it will never be the same again, and will invariably sink... Also, any future work may involve the drive being uprooted again.

One would have to be very foolish to say yes to this.

I meant 'We are talking about their block paving drive being dug up and fucked up, so THREE properties can have Virgin media, (but not them!)' (I didn't mean to put you)

Do nothing op. Just leave the matter. Don't go chasing after it.

I also agree you would need contracts and surveyors and everything agreed up front and even then you would need to enforce them if things go wrong.

It is not unreasonable to not wish to spend your time doing this for a non-essential service that your neighbours may not even want.

We currently use Sky and broadband is BT.

I know the neighbours use BT broadband due to their wifi when they come up on a device access search.

To be clear, I could have Virgin because my property large front garden aside accesses the Main Street.

I could have cake and eat it potentially, but it would feel somewhat cold, neigh "frozen" not to consider my neighbours- sorry could not help but reference the PBP cake thread

Being selfish there is every reason to say no. I can't imagine any compensation Virgin could give to make it worth it. It's 3 houses. It's not like a 20 house estate.

What would I get? A years free service? Not much when in contexts of digging up a drive that cost £10k....

What's also not clear is that beyond my drive I'm pretty sure the access beyond that is shared between the 3 houses...so presumably they need permission from all 3 for that as well?

Just say no and be done with it. Fuck chasing it up. There's no way you should be chasing this up. NO.

Do you and the other properties currently have access to a super fast fibre broadband service?

I think this comes down to whether the neighbours actively want it, Eats. Personally I'd say no while it's just (probably) VM touting for more subscribers, and not even bother finding out more details.
Pur off any moral/legal complexities until a neighbour is desperate for it and comes to ask.

Thank you all for your responses.

I'm not normally indecisive whatsoever. This one has thrown me though.

Neighbours and I are not BFF's but we all rub along very cordially in general. I'd like to keep it that way.

I don't want to be a shitty neighbour or have any bad feeling.

Would you - if you were my neighbours understand why I said no?

Incidentally - we used to have Virgin fibre broadband in London before we moved to this area, which doesn't have it. DH enquired in the Virgin Media shop and saw a screen of info about our street which I'm sure he wasn't supposed to see. It had demographic info for each house including estimated income. They were only laying cable in streets where they thought households could afford their services...

So you might take some comfort from the knowledge that VM clearly think you are loaded

Ang

No no no no no. Virgin fucked up the road outside my house so badly we couldn't put the cars on the drive without scraping them. Complained to the road workers numerous times to be told they'd 'sort it tomorrow', every time. They never did. Shite they are. Only agree to it if you want your drive to be permanently fucked and unusable.

'Would you - if you were my neighbours understand why I said no?'

Yes. This is why I'd never buy a house with a shared drive or access.
It goes with the territory. And if they don't and you're not required to, then honestly, fuck 'em. Virgin will never put your drive to rights without major, major ballache and possibly even taking them to court. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.