I have recently bought a period house in Dublin. At the end of the back garden there is a wooden telegraph pole. It has a cable running across my garden and into the gable wall at back of my house, but there are no connections or outlets on the same wall inside the house. It also has a cable going into my neighbour’s garden, and this is surrounded by large trees. I can’t see anything going from the pole into his house, which is empty. I cannot see any markings on the pole, because it is covered by dead ivy branches. How can I find out what this pole is for, or who owns it?
This is a fairly common problem with older properties in built-up areas. Issues of this nature would not tend to arise in more recent years, as the planning authorities now usually insist on all utility services being taken into properties below ground. By doing this, the unsightly look of mismatched overhead cables is avoided. However, clearly, your house predates all of this.
You could well have a fairly frustrating experience ahead of you, particularly if you do not know which utility provider owns the pole and the cables. This will be even more complicated in the context of the cable which is crossing your garden but serving the adjoining property, as not only will you have to contend with the service provider, but also with the neighbouring homeowner. Clearly there will be a greater chance of getting a resolution if you know who the service provider is, and indeed if you know who the neighbouring property owner is. In the absence of this information, you will have quite a bit of tracing to do.
Obviously you can’t just cut and remove the cables and pole, as not only are they not your property, but you would run the risk of exposing yourself to both injury and a potential claim for interfering with third-party property.
RM Block
In the first instance, and in the event that you do know your neighbour, it is generally better for you to work together with a view to following up on matters of this nature. Given that the neighbouring house is vacant, this may be problematic. However, you will ultimately need to have the owner’s details as it would be virtually impossible to detach the cable from their property without their co-operation.
Before the cables can be removed from either your own or your neighbour’s property, you need to establish who owns them and to ensure they are no longer active. While there used to be only one primary-services provider, in more recent times there have been quite a number of potential utility providers, and you will need to get clarity on who owns the equipment. One way is to identify all the potential service providers and to contact them with a view to establishing who owns this equipment. We would caution that this will likely prove to be a laborious and time-consuming exercise, as it can be difficult to get service providers to respond at the best of times.
One way of fast-tracking the discovery process would be to enlist the services of an electrical/communications expert or electrical-services engineer, as they would be better placed to identify the potential owners of the equipment, or to at least narrow down the list of possibilities.
You will have to agree terms with the electrical-services engineer, as there will be limitations on what they can achieve, and clearly there will be costs arising. It must also be remembered that the equipment may still be live, which means you will likely be stuck with them going forward.
In summary, you will need to identify and liaise with the neighbouring homeowner and bring them on board with you. If you are not successful in doing this, even if you do manage to identify the relevant service provider, you are unlikely to make any meaningful progress, as the service provider will not enter the neighbouring property without the owner’s permission.
Val O’Brien is a chartered building surveyor and member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland
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