Hey,

I've recently moved into a new property that has phone line sockets installed.

I arranged to have line rental with Post Office but they have come back and said that I need to pay £107 for an engineer to visit the house to install a phone line....which I dont get because there is already a phone line installed?

I could understand the charge if the engineer needed to work at the exchange, but they said its because they were told an engineer needed to install a phone line into the house.

I'm worried that just because I didnt give them a phone number (because I dont know it as I've only just moved in) they are assuming the property doesn't have a phone line installed?

Anyone help shed some light, or any tips on how to find out if I can avoid being charged?

Cheers,
Ben

If the property is new and never had service before the first occupant pays an installation fee, because BT paid the builder to put service into the property ( the builder gets more than what you are charged ) part of that is recovered by charging for the install ( 10 years ago it was £250/property that was a rate agreed with the NHBC )
today I doubt it its less...
If the property has had service before, but there is no dialtone at the main socket , then the previous service will have been ceased (rather than just stopped) so again you would probably be charged an installation fee to re- install the line ( even if that doesnt include fitting a socket, because the socket already exists, but work in the exchange and possible work on the external lineplant would be required to get the property re-connected

would shop around first,try b.t. sure they would be cheaper than p.o. and you would not have to pay for line re-connected