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Over 1.2 million flat owners in England and Wales may soon gain legal grounds to compel landlords to approve gigabit broadband installation, as the government seeks to bridge the persistent connectivity gap in multi-occupancy buildings.
More than 1.2 million flat owners in England and Wales risk being left behind in the national upgrade to gigabit-capable broadband because leasehold arrangements often prevent timely engagement with network operators, the government says in a newly launched consultation. According to the original report, only 78% of flats currently have access to gigabit broadband compared with 86% of all residential properties, leaving a persistent gap in urban and suburban areas where installation should be straightforward. [1]
The consultation lays the blame largely at landlords’ doors, describing property owners as “repeatedly unresponsive” when asked to permit upgrades and saying incentives to engage with providers are weak. Industry data shows network operators can be ready while landlords are silent, meaning “timeframes do not always align” and rollouts stall at building entrances despite Britain’s £50 billion digital infrastructure sector. [1]
For many flat owners the consequences are practical and financial. The government points to lost remote-working opportunities, damaged property values and the practical reality that slower connections undermine video calls and multi-device households. A government study cited in the consultation found a premium for homes with better connectivity, while wider research shows digitally excluded people pay more for basic services. The consultation accompanies an £11.7 million government programme to help digitally excluded adults get online. [1]
The proposed legal fix would give leaseholders a formal right to request a high-speed connection in writing and oblige landlords to acknowledge such requests within 28 days; landlords could not refuse without good reason. The right would also extend to tenants, with leaseholder landlords able to request upgrades on their tenants’ behalf. The consultation runs until 16 February 2026 and could lead to legislation requiring landlords to engage with broadband rollout if responses support the plan. [1]
If enacted, the move would align with earlier efforts to prevent landlords from blocking access. Previous measures already allow providers to install equipment in some blocks of flats when landlords are unresponsive , a tenant-facing enforcement route reported in industry publications , but the government says the new proposals would give leaseholders explicit legal standing to compel landlord action more broadly. Industry reporting has noted that earlier rules were intended to connect additional residential buildings annually, but the consultation suggests a much larger population remains affected. [6][1]
The proposals sit within a wider push by ministers to reach near-universal gigabit coverage. Government announcements in 2024 and 2025 committed hundreds of millions of pounds to extend gigabit-capable broadband in rural and hard-to-reach areas, aiming to connect tens of thousands more homes and businesses as part of the drive to 99% coverage by 2032. Those programmes targeted rural infrastructure and specific regional contracts, underlining that while rural upgrades continue to require public subsidy, the flat-owner gap is chiefly a market and legal-framing problem. [4][5][1]
Regulatory data underscores both progress and the remaining challenge. Ofcom’s 2024 nation report recorded substantial year-on-year gains in gigabit availability , Wales, for example, rose 10 percentage points to 78% , and broader industry figures show millions of homes have gained full-fibre access in recent years. Yet the consultation highlights that pockets of under-provision persist, concentrated in multi-occupancy dwellings where access depends on third-party consent. [2][7][1]
Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd framed the consultation as a fairness measure for consumers, saying the changes are “about fairness and improving the playing field for consumers.” The government will review submissions after the consultation closes and publish a response before deciding whether to proceed with legislation; how landlords respond , administratively accommodating the rules or mounting legal and practical objections , will help determine the speed and scope of any eventual law. [1]
##Reference Map:
- [1] (inkl) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7, Paragraph 8
- [6] (LandlordZONE) – Paragraph 5
- [4] (GOV.UK) – Paragraph 6
- [5] (GOV.UK) – Paragraph 6
- [2] (Ofcom) – Paragraph 7
- [7] (Computer Weekly) – Paragraph 7
Source: Fuse Wire Services
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