What does an access agreement look like?

We want to provide you with a better understanding of what an Access Agreement is, why we need it and the benefits of it being completed as early as possible.

Click here for an example of an Access Agreement

Definition of Terms

Direct Customer
This is the organisation purchasing services directly from Virgin Media Business.

This could either be the Property Owner, or the Tenant renting/leasing the property where the service is to be installed.
 
Indirect Customer 
This is an organisation purchasing Virgin Media Business Services through a third party and not directly from us.

An Indirect Customer could either be the Property Owner, or the Tenant renting/leasing the property where the service is to be installed.
 
Reseller
Purchase services from Virgin Media Business on behalf of the Indirect Customer.
 
This category of customer will not own, rent or lease the property where the service is to be installed.
 
Landlord/Property Owner (not a Direct or Indirect Virgin Media Business Customer)
This is the person or organisation who rents out/leases their property to the Direct or Indirect Customer. A Landlord/Property Owner will often deal with us via a third party e.g. Managing Agents Solicitor, Surveyor etc.
 
Authorised Signatory/Signee
This is the person that is authorised to sign the Access Agreement and agree to the terms within it.  Depending on the above definitions this could be a Direct Customer, an Indirect Customer or a Landlord/Property Owner.
 
Who can sign /has the rights to sign the Access Agreement?
The following people are authorised to review and/or sign the Access Agreement:
 

  • the Direct/Indirect Customer, providing that they either own the property, or that their lease is for one year or more and they don’t have any restrictions on it
  • the Landlord/Property Owner of the Direct/Indirect Customer, where their lease is for less than one year or has restrictions on it.

Useful information

Why is an Access Agreement (Wayleave) needed?
 
This is a legal requirement which gives us written permission to install and maintain equipment at the property. It doesn’t grant ownership over land, only the right to carry out the physical works (such as digging, cabling, drilling holes) to install or maintain our equipment.

Can an Access Agreement (Wayleave) be signed before the cable route has been planned?

Yes.  This can be really helpful because it means that we’ll know in advance who has the authority (known as the Authorised Signee) to agree to the cable routing before the Site Survey takes place.  Our Planners can then liaise directly with the Authorised Signee to agree the route. 

Will I be updated on the progress of an Access Agreement after placing my order? 

Yes

When an order requires an Access Agreement to be signed, a dedicated Wayleave Officer is appointed to work with all parties concerned to obtain this written consent and to send you regular email updates.  If you’re placing an order via our Engage portal, updates regarding your Access Agreement will be shown on the ‘Order Details’ page.

Who do I contact with information that will help progress an Access Agreement?

Please contact either your Account Manager, Order Manager, Project Manager or Wayleave Officer if you have any additional details that may help us to complete the Access Agreement.

Helpful tips to avoid delays obtaining an Access Agreement

 

1)            Provide the correct Landlord/Property Owner details

If you aren’t the Authorised Signee, please ensure that you provide us with the correct contact details to help us get the documentation signed.  It also helps if you give the Landlord a heads up about the documentation that they’ll need to sign.
 
  • Identification of the Authorised Signee and their contact details as soon as possible allows us to engage with the correct people at the earliest opportunity.
 
2)            Re-plan of proposed route or site 

The Authorised Signee may request alternative external cabling routes, access points to the property or internal cabling routes to those specified by our Virgin Media Business Planner. 
 
  • Involvement of the Authorised Signee or their representative during the Site Survey allows the route to be agreed directly with the Planner, removing the need for subsequent re-plans.
 
3)            Site Specific Risk Assessments & Method Statements (RAMS)

RAMS are additional technical documentation that Authorised Signees will sometimes request to form part of the Access Agreement.  It details how we will carry out the installation and mitigate any identified risks.
 
  • A Risk Assessment & Method Statement adds a minimum of 10 working days to the time it takes to complete an Access Agreement. Please let us know as soon as possible if this is required, to avoid any delays with processing your Access Agreement.
 
4)            3rd Party Land

This is where the external duct and cabling route will run across property belonging to another Property Owner whose land is not directly to be serviced by us (Virgin Media Business). 
 
  • Identification of potential 3rd party land owners and their contact details early in the planning process allows us to engage with these parties to sign a separate Access Agreement to provide network across, over or through their property.
 
5)            Cost Approval 

Authorised Signees can incur costs from their representatives e.g. a solicitor. This can lead to requests being made to Virgin Media Business to cover these fees.  Sometimes we may need to pass on these charges to you (our Customer) and this will be detailed in the terms of your sales contract. 
 
  • Please advise your Landlord about your plans as early as you can as it could reduce the involvement of solicitors etc.Unfortunately we can’t control these costs but we will keep you updated should they be incurred.
 
6)            Licence to Alter (LTA)

Sometimes an amendment can be made to a lease agreement, to give the Tenant (rather than the Landlord) the rights to grant us permission to install Virgin Media Business services at the property.  This is called a Licence to Alter (LTA) and must be agreed between the Tenant (the Customer) and their Landlord
 
  • If an LTA is required then the Direct/Indirect Customer and their Landlord will need to work together to agree this change to the tenancy agreement but we’re happy to help support wherever possible.
 
7)            No Lease/Lease renewals

If you’re still finalising the details of your Lease agreement with your Landlord, then please provide us with an indicative date of when you expect this to be in place.  We’re unable to send the Access Agreement to your Landlord until you have a signed Lease agreement.
 
  • We cannot start work on an Access Agreement until the Customer has a signed Lease Agreement in place.

 
 

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