Can I move the Master BT Socket ?

This is a question I get asked repeatedly. Can I move the master BT Socket ?
Is it legal to move the main socket?
There is no common law regarding your master BT socket. Just a contract.
The police are not coming out because a telephone socket was moved in your premise.
When it was originally installed, sometimes in such a ridiculous place, you will want to move it.
Sometimes the wiring has been installed by the builder or electrician, with no thought to the end users requirements.
Who wants a master socket installed behind their front door or on a window sill?

As the house owner you can have it where you want it.
No one can tell you different, it’s your house.

The contract in place is to protect the supplier from bad installation practices, It does not protect you.
In regards to the original BT installation, that was to suit the person before you.

BT Openreach, also do not hide wiring and ugly installations are commonplace.
Drilling through door and window frames, wires on show down internal walls.
Wires clipped to skirting boards and many more amateur techniques.

Want to move the master BT socket as the place it is in presently, does not work for you.
This is no problem, as long as the work is competent and does not interfere with your service, causing unnecessary call outs.

Who’s going to know? Will it work?
There are no records of every wire installed in every house in the UK.
As long as it is a competent installation, it will be fine.

Is it dangerous?
No, Its scarier crossing a London road.

Am I breaking the law?
What law is there to break? You are in a contract with certain requirements.
Openreach are not the law, just another large corporation.
If the cable comes from overhead, don’t lower its height, there are legal safety heights to respect.
Attach to where it meets your property and reroute.

Does anybody really care?
I suggest “not really”, the socket is where you want it to be now.
You are what matters.

It is not a gas or electric meter.

It will not kill you.

You are only bound by a “contract” protecting the provider
There is not a common law, involving the Police, about shifting a master socket.

BT boundary for your wiring responsibility

The picture below, taken from the Opennreach website clearly shows the way they see your contract. It states:

BT Home Improvement Service – information and charges
We won’t be able to tell you if there’s a charge
until after an engineer visits your premises.
It’s free of charge if the problem is with our network
outside the boundary of your premises.

Can I move the master BT Socket as shown on the boundary diagram
BT wiring boundary

As you can see, the purple line denotes that you are responsible for any wiring after the
boundary line of your premises.

Moving the master makes no difference to the contract scenario.
You’ll still be responsible regardless of it being moved or not.

Can I move the Master BT Socket to a new location

Here is an installation of a master socket that the home owner was not at all happy about. Would you be?
The Openreach employee had no idea of what they was doing, drilling from outside, in to the house.
Damaging the window sill, leaving a loop of wire on show and showing how “not” to install a BT master socket

Can I move the master BT Socket to a new location in my house
Poor workmanship

On this occasion, the socket was removed, the wiring pulled out and shifted
to where it should have been when first installed.
Down near the skirting and next to a power socket. A reasonable place and no damage to the property.
Openreach would not come back and fix their bad work:
Instead they quoted £130+vat to replace the socket.

Can I move my Master BT Socket? Yes..!

My master socket is in the wrong place

I have seen master sockets installed in various strange places.
BT engineer London can move any socket to any location you require.
If your master socket is in the wrong place, we can move it.

Can I move the master BT Socket to a better location for my router
Master Socket needs moving

This installation by Openreach shows a situation you don’t have to put up with.
The client was told by the Openreach employee,
the incoming wire comes through at the top of the window, 
the master socket needs to go at this point“.
This is not the case, you can have the socket anywhere you want within the guidelines set out by your provider, during installation.
In this instance we removed the socket and connection box, pulled out the incoming wire and re-run it
closer to the front part of the house. 
Drilled through the wall and installed the socket in a more acceptable location.
It now sits by the TV in the lounge.

Can I move my Master BT Socket? – Of course you can!

Just don’t mess it up…! Or it could cost you.