Can you get full fibre at your address?

Check your exact home, even if the neighbours already have fibre.

The answer in 2 lines. Start with the official broadband coverage checker and select your exact address, including the flat number. Then ask a provider to confirm that you can actually order full fibre there. Coverage data is a useful starting point, but it is not an installation promise. In a rented home or block of flats, access permissions may still be needed. Check the installation arrangements and total contract cost before cancelling your existing service.

Start with your exact address

Open Ofcom’s broadband checker, choose broadband availability, enter your postcode and select the correct property. Read the available technologies and predicted speeds.
Use the government’s gigabit availability service: select Start now and follow the address search to see whether gigabit coverage is available or planned.
Ask your chosen provider to confirm orderability at the full address, the underlying technology, installation requirements and any extra charges before accepting the contract.

Stop: danger

Coverage is not a booking: a planned build or a positive coverage result does not guarantee an immediate installation appointment.
Check the flat number: availability elsewhere in the building or street does not establish availability inside your home.
Do not arrange unauthorised alterations: establish what permissions are needed before drilling or running cables through shared areas.

Understand what is being offered

Ofcom’s technology guidance explains why providers should describe the network clearly. Use it to check the wording in your proposed contract.

Full fibre or FTTP: fibre reaches the premises. Installation may still be required before you can use it.
Part fibre or FTTC: fibre reaches a street cabinet, with the remaining connection usually using copper.
Cable: a different network technology; it should not automatically be treated as full fibre.
Gigabit-capable: describes network capability. It does not mean every package sold on that network provides the highest available speed.

An existing fibre connection also does not mean you already have an active subscription. Confirm what equipment can be reused and whether an engineer needs to visit.

Available, planned or missing: what next?

Available: request an address-specific offer and installation assessment. Ask whether the quoted price includes connection work and whether any survey could change the cost.

Planned: treat the information as a forecast. The government checker warns that suppliers’ plans and address information can change. Recheck before making decisions that depend on a connection date.

No result or conflicting results: read Ofcom’s checker explanation to understand its limitations. Ask a provider to investigate missing or incorrect address records. Keep the exact address and a screenshot of the result; do not assume that an absent prediction proves there is no service.

What not to do

Ordering from a postcode-level result without checking the individual property.
Assuming the fastest advertised package is the speed your household needs or will receive over Wi-Fi.
Cancelling working broadband before the new installation and switching arrangements are clear.

If you rent or live in a flat

Ask the provider what building access and permission it needs. Send the proposed installation details to your landlord, freeholder or managing agent, as appropriate. Clarify the cable route, shared-area access and equipment location.

The House of Commons Library briefing on broadband in flats explains access barriers and the legal background. Use its current explanation when discussing a blocked installation. Do not assume that requesting broadband gives you permission to authorise work to someone else’s property. If consent stalls, ask the provider what access process applies to your building.

Before installation and if it goes wrong

Ask where equipment will go, what access the engineer needs and whether your existing telephone or connected equipment will be affected. Agree any additional work and charges before it proceeds.

If the promised connection fails, complain formally to the provider with the order confirmation, appointment records and correspondence. Use Ofcom’s dispute-resolution guidance to identify the relevant independent scheme and follow its application route if the complaint remains unresolved.

Good to know

The government address service linked here covers England and Wales. Its starting page directs readers to separate services for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A full fibre package does not guarantee equally fast Wi-Fi throughout your home; the wireless connection remains a separate consideration.
Keep the coverage result, contract summary and promised installation details together so you can show what you were told.

Illustrative example: Daniel finds gigabit coverage listed for his street, but his upstairs flat cannot be ordered online. He asks the provider to check the precise address. Shared-area access is outstanding, so he sends the installation proposal to the managing agent and keeps his existing service while the arrangements are resolved.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the official checking routes and technology distinctions; medium for availability, installation dates, permissions and costs at an individual property. Coverage information is indicative and must be confirmed before ordering. No national coverage percentage is used.