Seller of the property wants to keep broadband account on the property even after sale- please help!

[TKH77]

After lot of hiccups, we exchanged contract two weeks ago and moving to our home in 2 weeks time. We have the trio of worst seller+ worst solicitor+ worst estate agent. Anyway, we applied to BT to move our telephone/broadband to the new address from the moving date. However, this got cancelled as the current BT line in the new address is used by talk talk to provide tel/broadband service for the current owner. Apparently the current owner has put a 'bar' on the talk talk service from her moving date until her new home is completed which will be few months.

Main problem now is BT cannot connect to the existing line as the seller hasn't cancelled her account from the moving date, instead keeping the account and paying line rental. This will mean we have to get a second line at the property which will cost us somewhere around £200 (cost is not a major issue, though totally unnecessary). Our main concern is that seller will still have an account attached to the property and we are worried that she could use her account to prove her address which could potentially result in fraud. Also if she doesn't pay line rental, our credit history may be affected as we are living in that address from mid august (I am not sure about this though)

My main questions are:

1. Is it legally allowed to hold a broadband account on some else property without their consent when you don't own or reside in that property
2. any advice on how to proceed further.

We requested help from solicitor and also estate agent but they do not think its something which they can sort out.
I understand that seller can take their phone number and account with them but never heard of someone holding on to their account after selling the property.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Whatever you do, don't go into contract with Talk Talk! Worst internet provider I have ever experienced. The internet connectivity, speed and the customer service are all awful.

That's crazy! Surely after completion as the actual owner of the property you can cancel contracts held against the address on the basis that the current holder no longer has any claim on the property?!

Is there a security risk to them having wifi there, other than potentially using bills as (fraudulent) proof of residence?

Spoke to solicitor, he will not get this sorted. Apparently it is nothing to do with him. I assume he is not interested as he will get his fee irrespective of whether he deals with it or not .
Spoke to Talk talk - complaint manager- she assures me that I can cancel current owner's contract on our moving date. They can start the process of cancellation now if our solicitor write to them. I discussed this to our solicitor but he refused to do so!. He replied 'this is not part of conveyancing process'.

It is too late for me to change solicitor but will seriously consider making a complaint after completion. All these discussions were via email, so I have proof of everything.
I will try emailing seller's solicitor directly. If nothing works out, we will take a new line and start the process of cancelling her account from our date of move.

My mother has this. She's just sold but is tied into a contract with TalkTalk so has to keep paying each month and they will resurrect her phone and internet access when she moves into a new place.

She's not going into a new build though, so she's definitely not your buyer, but this is caused by TalkTalk tying people into contracts. Mum says she'll move away from TT when the contract expires.

Is your solicitor part of a package through your estate agent cos they sound beyond fucking shit? Ehen ever weve moved any isdues or problems we've discussed eoth our solicitor who says ' i will write and tell their solicitor the venfors mudt sgree to x y z or you will be forced to do A b c " etc etc. Yes its additional cost but buying a house is the biggest purchase most of us will make ots important to get it right and not be shit upon whether a buyer or seller.
Anything that affects the property you buy is part of the conveyancing service. Fgs.
I think id be inclined to find another solicitor to write the letter or frankly have a chat with about this bizarre situation to see what they suggest. Id sack yours but i expect its too late in the day if you are waiting yo complete etc. Has your purchase completed?

Completion is on 17th August, so there is time to change solicitor if needed but worried just in case completion gets delayed.
No, we didn't take this firm through agent. We previously used this firm and had excellent service. but this time we have a different solicitor and the previous one is only having partnership but retired. (we didn't know this when we took this solicitor)

Hmm. Id maybe be inclined to look elsewhere. Your solicitor is supposed to be working for you not choosing which parts of the job he/she wants to do.
Did your solicitor explain why they eould not deal with this?

Solicitor sent me one sentence reply 'this is not part of conveyancing process'. I am going to email seller's solicitor directly and cc our one in the email.

I'd definitely be changing solicitor

Update: BT has agreed to put a new line without any extra charge. We informed BT that talk talk agreed to give us account with installation fee, so BT agreed.
Spoke to talk talk today (4th time in the last 3 days)- my last and final attempt - as usual gave me another complaint reference and a promise that someone will ring me back. I am not expecting anything to happen.
We will be without broadband for few days which will be a problem as my husband works from home most days.
For my sanity, I am going to leave this till our moving date and will send an email to talk talk asking to remove the account from the property.
Thank you for all your advice and support.

without installation fee

We've just moved and have a delay between internet connection so I've bought a pay as you go mifi unit. It's working really well, it's expensive for data so video and streaming are out but for basic stuff like updating addresses and looking at new furnishings it's working really well

@Kickhiminthenuts , Please can you give me the name of that wifi unit? I assume there is no contract attached to it? Thanks in advance.

I work in telecommunications, I work with disconnecting accounts. On the day the sale goes through call her provider and tell them she has moved out & she no longer owns the property. Ask to speak to the home movers account. As soon as you bring it to their attention that she doesn't live there anymore they will disconnect her services. I take calls like this frequently. They will disconnect her and she won't have a choice. This will be due to her not wanting to pay early disconnection fees ( being in contract ) but that's not your problem.

I think all the major networks do them, you can get monthly rolling contracts as well so you can cancel when you need to.
There's dongles that go into your computer or wifi boxes.
You can also use your iPhone as a mobile hotspot but it uses up a lot of battery.

www.o2.co.uk/shop/mobile-broadband/?contractType=payasyougo#sort=content.sorting.featured&page=1
shop.ee.co.uk/dongles/pay-as-you-go-mobile-broadband/gallery?search=%3Abest-sellers

www.three.co.uk/Store/Mobile_Broadband

Currys, Argos etc do them as well.

Mines an EE one as I knew reception was good

@ will contact home move account on the day of move. thanks.

@ Thank you. I will have a look at these options. Will see which one has good coverage at new address and take that broadband.

Just make sure you speak to the home movers department ( not home movers account ) and be firm with them telling them that she has nothing to do with that house ( she's moved out ) and they will have to disconnect her. Any bills that arrive in her name are absolutely nothing to do with you, don't open them, send them back marked ' Return to sender ' silly woman who does she think she is telling you that you must keep the connection when it's your house?! It's nothing a solicitor can sort out I'm afraid, it's her providers responsibility to disconnect the account. And it's also her responsibility to contact her provider to tell them she's moved etc to get her bills registered to her previous address. So please don't stress thinking that you are liable for any bills that arrive IN HER NAME. I work in this sector day in & day out. So please don't worry. And yes if you have no joy with TALK TALK tell them that you will complain to the Ombudsman services, they get fined for e wry complaint that goes to Ombudsman stage so they should be looking to resolve and avoid you taking that route.

I've just noticed that you exchanged contracts 2 weeks ago .... call them ASAP and demand that they disconnect her services as she no longer lives there

Thank you Louloucharlie . I spoke to Talk Talk after contract exchange, so far no luck. I will be ringing them again on the day we move.

www.cedr.com/cisas/ This is the link for the regulatory body who you can complain to if you don't get any joy. It really doesn't surprise me, Talk Talk are notorious for giving poor service, the staff there probably don't want to take a disconnection ( bonus related )