Phone line damage by previous owner or his tenants

Hello:

A friend has just bought and house and phoned eircom to get her phone connected. She was unable to check the phone line until today as the phone handset was in storage. I phoned eircom to get the line connected and if I phone the number we were given it rings out ok.

However on plugging in the phone to the socket (handset worked ok last week on my previous line) its totally dead, there is no dialtone and the phone doesn't ring if you ring it.

What is ominous is that there is a loose cable hanging beside the front door of a 3 wire cable (black, red and yellow) that has been cut. Also we noticed that there was a satellite dish installed on the roof but when we tried connecting a SKY box with live card there was no signal. I suspect that the last tenant (who really abused the house) may have cut the cables to both phone services and satellite dish.

I've phoned eircom who have passed to a technican but I'm assuming that if the line work is damaged we will be charged for the repair. If this is substantial what legal position has my friend?

I have suggested that she pass the cost of any repair to her solicitor to pass to the previous owner. Or is this legally ok? The engineers report didn't check for telecoms connections so I'm not sure what her legal position is, but I'm assuming if there is damage done by previous occurpiers then strictly the previous owner should be liable?

While I'm at it also we found out that the ESB had been changed out of his name 3 months before my friend got the keys - who is liable for the costs incurred between then and when my pal got the keys?

This is not a Mortgages and Home Buying query.

Eircom is 100% liable for all repairs outside the house . They must present a single working socket inside (usually in the hall inside the front door) and the rest is your problem.

While I'm at it also we found out that the ESB had been changed out of his name 3 months before my friend got the keys - who is liable for the costs incurred between then and when my pal got the keys?

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You take a reading on receipt of keys and ring the ESB and they take it from there. Its up to the ESB to sort this and your previous owner will be liable.
Regarding phone line you simply said you wish to get reconnected. They will try to charge you for this but just stand firm and tell them to disconnect if they're not willing to let it go. They need your business and will be willing to forfeit payment but only if you stand firm and refuse. Of course I cant guarantee they will do this but from experience they have done so in the past.
Good luck.

2Pack said:

Eircom is 100% liable for all repairs outside the house . They must present a single working socket inside (usually in the hall inside the front door) and the rest is your problem.

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I would have thought this, but what if a previous occupier has maliciously (or accidentally) damaged the line work inside the hall, which is what I suspect has happened? Surely then the customer will have to either repair the internal line work themselves or pay eircom to do it?