Setting Up Broadband for an Older Relative: The UK Family Checklist
If you are helping an older parent, aunt or neighbour with their broadband, the hard part is almost never the technology. It is knowing whose name goes on the account, what you are allowed to do on their behalf, how to undo a contract someone talked them into on the doorstep, and what the January 2027 landline switchover means for the care alarm in the hallway. This guide answers those four questions in the order you will actually meet them, and every claim is sourced.
The short version
- Account in their name, you as third party. Ofcom requires every provider to offer third party bill management. It costs nothing and takes one phone call.
- Pension Credit qualifies for a social tariff, currently £10 to £24 a month, but only if the person receiving the benefit is the main name on the contract.
- A doorstep or phone sale can be cancelled within 14 days, and for up to a year if the salesperson never left written cancellation information.
- Every UK landline goes digital by the end of January 2027. If there is a care alarm in the house, nothing should be migrated until compatibility is confirmed.
- A registered LPA is only needed to change or close the account. Paying the bills does not require one.
You are in a very large group. Ofcom's Adults' Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026 found that 6% of UK adults have no internet access at home, and that this group skews sharply older.
Who is offline in the UK
Age profile of the 6% of UK adults with no home internet access. Source: Ofcom, 2026.
The figure that matters for families: 42% of adults without home internet access say they have asked someone else to do something online for them, most commonly shopping (56%) or accessing online health services (37%). Somebody is already doing this. Usually a son or daughter, usually on a mobile, usually standing in a kitchen.
That last number is the real story. Getting an older relative connected is rarely a technology problem. It is an admin problem, a money problem and, increasingly, a safety problem.
Should the account be in their name or mine?
Direct answer: keep it in your relative's name and have yourself added as a nominated third party. Putting the account in your own name is the most common and most expensive mistake families make.
There are three reasons, and the first one is worth real money.
- Social tariff eligibility is preserved if they receive a qualifying benefit.
- Vulnerable customer protections are recorded against the person actually using the line.
- The bill is their debt, on their record, not yours.
- You can still speak to the provider, see the bills and pay them.
- Their social tariff eligibility is lost unless you receive the benefit yourself.
- The provider has no record of the person in the property or their needs.
- You are legally liable for the bill and it sits on your credit file.
- You can close and change the account freely, which is the one real advantage.
Ofcom is explicit on the money point: for a social tariff, "the person receiving the benefit needs to be the main person on the contract." If your mother receives Pension Credit and the account is in your name, that discount is gone. Current social tariffs range from £10 to £24 a month, so over a two-year term this is not a rounding error.
On protections, Ofcom's General Condition C5 requires every provider to have clear, effective policies for treating customers in vulnerable circumstances fairly, and to offer specific services to disabled customers. Those services are recorded against the account holder. And on liability, third party bill management is deliberately designed so the nominee can pay the bills without becoming liable for them.
| Arrangement | Who is liable | Social tariff kept | Can you close or change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Their name, you as third party bill manager | Your relative | Yes | No |
| Their name, you as registered attorney | Your relative | Yes | Yes |
| Your name | You | Only if you receive the benefit | Yes |
There is one genuine exception. If your relative wants nothing to do with the account, receives no qualifying benefit, and you are content to carry the bill and the credit exposure, putting it in your name is a perfectly legitimate choice. It should just be a choice, rather than something that happens by accident because it was quicker at the point of sale.
What is third party bill management and how do I set it up?
Direct answer: it is a free arrangement, which Ofcom requires every UK telecoms provider to offer, letting a customer nominate a friend or relative to speak to the provider, receive copies of bills and pay them. Your relative has to ask for it, not you.
Ofcom's guidance, prepared with the Office of the Public Guardian, sets the boundaries plainly. The third party can act on the account but cannot close it, and does not take on liability for the bill. That limitation is a feature rather than a flaw: it is what makes the arrangement safe to set up years before anyone needs a formal legal instrument.
| Arrangement | Speak to the provider | Receive copies of bills | Pay bills | Close or change the account |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third party bill management | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Lasting power of attorney, deputyship or enduring power of attorney | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Benefits appointee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Table reproduced from Ofcom's own comparison (Ofcom, n.d.-a).
The script to use on the phone
Your relative rings their provider and says: "I would like to set up third party bill management and nominate my daughter." If the first agent does not recognise the term, ask to be put through to the accessibility or additional support team and say that Ofcom requires all UK providers to offer it. Providers are separately required to publicise the services available to disabled customers, so it should also be on their own accessibility pages.
When do I need a power of attorney instead?
Direct answer: when decisions need making rather than bills paying. Only a registered lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs works on a telecoms account. A health and welfare LPA does not.
An LPA lets a person, the donor, appoint someone else, the attorney, to help make decisions or make them on their behalf. Ofcom's guidance is specific: only a property and financial affairs LPA is valid in relation to a telecoms account, and it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it takes effect. Once registered, the attorney has the same power to manage the account as the account holder.
You may also encounter other arrangements. A deputy is appointed by the Court of Protection where no LPA exists and capacity has been lost. Enduring powers of attorney can no longer be made, but existing registered ones remain valid. An ordinary power of attorney stops being legal authority the moment the donor loses mental capacity, which is precisely when families tend to need it. A benefits appointee approved by the Department for Work and Pensions can manage benefit payments and use them to pay bills.
Proving an LPA to a provider, England and Wales
The code lets an organisation view a one-page summary of the LPA online, and there is a record of which company looked and when, which is a useful safeguard in itself. Access codes are not currently available for registered continuing or welfare powers of attorney in Scotland, or for enduring powers of attorney in Northern Ireland.
If you are told "no password, no conversation"
Ofcom's guidance says a provider should accept a registered LPA without the account password where the donor is unable to supply it, using different security checks if necessary. If you are told flatly that nothing can happen without the password, that is not the regulator's position, and it is worth asking for a supervisor.
Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently. In Scotland a continuing power of attorney covers property and financial affairs and can be used both before and after capacity is lost, while a welfare power of attorney can only be used after capacity is lost. In Northern Ireland, enduring powers of attorney can be used without registration while the donor has capacity, and must be registered with the High Court, Office of Care and Protection, if capacity is lost.
How do I stop them being mis-sold on the doorstep or over the phone?
Direct answer: the strongest protection is the statutory 14-day right to cancel, which covers doorstep and telephone sales as well as online ones. If the salesperson never handed over written information about that right, the window extends by up to 12 months.
This is the section worth printing out and leaving by the phone, because almost nobody knows the second half of it.
Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, a consumer may cancel a distance or off-premises contract at any time in the cancellation period, without giving any reason. "Distance" covers online and telephone sales. "Off-premises" covers a contract agreed at the customer's home, which is exactly what a doorstep sale is. For a service contract such as broadband, the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the contract was entered into.
How long you have to cancel
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regs 30 and 31. Bars scaled to the longer period.
If the trader supplies the missing cancellation information later, within those 12 months, the customer then has 14 days from receiving it.
Two further provisions in the same Regulations matter enormously when an older person has been pressured into signing something.
- The service should not have started yet. A trader must not begin supplying a service before the end of the cancellation period unless the consumer has made an express request, and for an off-premises contract that request has to be made on a durable medium. A verbal "shall I get that going for you now?" on the doorstep does not meet that test.
- If the paperwork was missing, there is nothing to pay. Where the trader failed to provide the required cancellation information, or the service was not supplied in response to a proper request, the consumer bears no cost at all for the service supplied during the cancellation period.
To cancel, the customer must inform the trader of the decision. They can use the model cancellation form in the Regulations, or make any other clear statement setting out the decision. In a dispute it is for the consumer to show the contract was cancelled inside the period, so do it in writing and keep a copy. The trader must then refund within 14 days of being informed.
Not the installation date, not the day the router arrived. The 14 days run from the day after the contract was entered into.
Check the welcome pack, the emails and anything left behind. If it is not there, say so explicitly in your cancellation letter, because that is what extends the window to twelve months.
"I am cancelling the contract entered into on [date] for [service] at [address]" is enough. Email it and post it.
If nobody obtained a durable-medium request, write that down. It bears directly on whether anything is payable at all.
Date, time, agent name, what was agreed. If this ever reaches the ombudsman, that log is what decides it.
Complain formally, then take it to the provider's alternative dispute resolution scheme. It is free.
If that last step sounds unlikely, it is not. On 8 July 2026 Ofcom fined Virgin Media £28 million for putting customers on millions of calls through unreasonable effort, hassle and difficulty when trying to switch away, describing it as the regulator's largest ever fine under its consumer protection rules for direct harm to consumers. The investigation found deliberate call-dropping, unnecessary transfers, and a commission scheme that financially rewarded agents for behaving that way. Persistence is not paranoia.
Adrian's take
The doorstep rule is the one I would fight for. Almost everything else in this guide is recoverable, but a contract signed under pressure by somebody who did not want to seem rude is a misery to unpick, and the people who sell that way know exactly whose door they are knocking on. What has changed for the better is that the law is on your side further than most people realise. The 14-day window is well known. The fact that it becomes a twelve-month window when the salesperson does not leave the paperwork is not, and neither is the rule that nothing is payable at all in that situation. Those two provisions turn a bad doorstep sale from a disaster into an inconvenience, but only if somebody in the family knows they exist.
How do I spot a scam call pretending to be their provider?
Direct answer: hang up, then call the provider back on a number taken from its official website or from a bill, never the number the caller gave. That single habit defeats most impersonation scams.
Ofcom's advice is that if a caller claims to be from a particular organisation, you should call them back using a number from that organisation's official website or your account statement, and pause before doing so to consider whether you are being pressured by someone who is not who they claim to be. Suspicious call numbers and text messages can be forwarded free of charge to 7726, which spells SPAM on a phone keypad and alerts the mobile provider to investigate and potentially block the number.
Retire the stereotype while you are at it
Ofcom's 2026 research found that adults aged 75 and over were the most likely to use low-interaction but safe responses to a test scam email, such as deleting or ignoring it. Across the tasks Ofcom set, breadth of internet use and task-specific confidence predicted performance better than age alone. Older relatives are not automatically the weak link. Set this up as a shared household routine, not as supervision.
If money has already gone, Ofcom advises contacting the bank or card provider immediately, and notes that many banks can be reached safely by calling 159. Scams can be reported to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040, or in Scotland to Police Scotland on 101. For free, confidential support afterwards, Citizens Advice can be reached on 0808 223 1133, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000.
Do they need a landline, and what does January 2027 mean for them?
Direct answer: every remaining UK landline moves onto a digital service carried over broadband by the end of January 2027. They will need a broadband connection for the phone to work, but not a fast or expensive one.
The old Public Switched Telephone Network is being retired. Ofcom's figures show the number of residential customers still on it fell sharply in a single year, and Openreach has said the January 2027 date is now locked because the technical barriers to migration have been resolved.
The old copper phone network is emptying out
UK residential customers still on the PSTN, millions. Source: Ofcom, via House of Commons Library, 2026.
Two million households moved in twelve months. The 3.2 million remaining are just under a fifth of UK residential landlines, and they are disproportionately the households least likely to have read anything about it.
Two practical points follow. First, voice over IP needs very little bandwidth, around 0.5 Mbit/s, so nobody should be sold a premium package on the grounds that the phone requires it. Ofcom's position is that if a customer does not have a broadband connection, the provider will supply one specifically to support the phone service, and the customer should not pay extra for the phone service if they do not take up a broadband service.
Second, digital phone lines rely on mains power at the property, because they run through the router. Ofcom requires providers to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to the emergency services, and its guidance says providers should have at least one solution giving a minimum of one hour of access during a power cut at the premises, provided free of charge to customers who depend on their landline. Under the PSTN Charter, signed in December 2023 by BT, Virgin Media O2, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Shell Energy and KCOM, providers also committed to work towards solutions going beyond that one-hour minimum.
If there is a care alarm in the house, stop before anything is migrated
Under the PSTN Charter, no telecare user is to be migrated to a digital landline service without the provider, the customer or the telecare company confirming that a compatible and functioning telecare solution is in place. In December 2025 Ofcom fined Virgin Media £23.8 million over serious failures in protecting vulnerable customers during migration to digital voice, having found that it disconnected customers with telecare devices without providing appropriate support. Say the words "telecare device" to the provider explicitly, and get the answer in writing.
If you would rather see the number-porting side in detail, our guide to what happens to your phone number when you switch covers it.
What extra help can they get, free of charge?
Direct answer: quite a lot, and almost none of it is mentioned at the point of sale. Ofcom requires providers to offer a specific list of services to disabled customers, and to publicise them.
| What they can ask for | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| Priority fault repair | Landline and broadband, though not mobile, for any disabled person with a genuine need for an urgent repair. Charges must not exceed the provider's standard fault repair charge. |
| Free directory enquiries | With through-connection of the call, for people unable to use a printed directory because of a disability. |
| Third-party bill management | A nominated friend or relative acting on their behalf in relation to bill management. |
| Accessible bills and communications | Large print, Braille or another reasonably acceptable format, on request from a customer who needs it because of their disability. |
| Text relay and emergency services access | Next generation text relay with special tariffs compensating for the extra call time, emergency SMS on mobile, and the 999BSL emergency video relay service for deaf British Sign Language users. |
Be straight with your relative about the qualifying condition, because this is where a lot of well-meaning advice goes wrong. These specific measures are tied to disability, not to age on its own. Being 84 does not by itself trigger priority fault repair.
What does apply to everyone is the broader obligation: General Condition C5 requires all communications providers to have clear, effective policies and procedures for treating vulnerable customers fairly and appropriately. Ofcom's best-practice guidance for providers explicitly includes working with the carers and relatives who are supporting vulnerable customers. You are, in the regulator's own framing, a legitimate part of that conversation.
Could they be paying too much?
Direct answer: very possibly. Every major provider includes Pension Credit among the benefits qualifying for a social tariff, and those tariffs currently run from £10 to £24 a month with no mid-contract price rise and no exit fee.
Ofcom's guidance is that if a household member claims Universal Credit they could switch to any of the tariffs available, and that all major providers also include Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support. Some providers include others, such as Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance.
Two conditions decide whether this works. The person receiving the benefit must be the main person on the contract, which is the whole argument for leaving the account in your relative's name. And if their current provider offers a social tariff they can switch onto it at any time, free of charge; if it does not, they can switch to a provider that does, and may be allowed to leave the current contract without a penalty fee.
Our hand-verified list of every UK social tariff gives the exact prices, speeds and the precise benefits each provider accepts, and our broadband for pensioners guide covers the wider affordability picture.
Why people say they are not online
Reasons given by UK adults without home internet access. More than one answer allowed. Source: Ofcom, 2026.
Worth noting before you push too hard: cost is the smallest of the three barriers. Most people who are offline have decided they do not need it. A social tariff answers the third reason, not the first.
What should I actually do about the router?
Direct answer: put it somewhere central, warm and visible, keep one network name rather than two, and write the details on paper next to it. This section is practical experience rather than regulation, so treat it as advice and not as rights.
- Out in the open, roughly central, not in a cupboard behind the coats.
- One network name for both bands if the router allows it, so there is one thing to connect to.
- Network name and password written on a card next to the router.
- Label the plug: "Do not switch off, this is the phone and internet."
- The provider's real support number goes in the phone and on that card. It is the single most effective anti-scam measure in the house.
- Nothing gets signed or agreed on the day. Hanging up to call back is always allowed, and so is closing the door.
Digital password managers are excellent and entirely useless to someone who does not use one. Paper wins here.
What if something goes wrong?
Direct answer: complain to the provider first, and if it is not resolved within eight weeks, or you receive a deadlock letter, take it to the provider's alternative dispute resolution scheme, which is free to use.
Any provider serving individuals and small businesses must have complaints procedures meeting Ofcom's minimum standards and must belong to an ADR scheme that customers can use free of charge. There are two approved schemes: CISAS and the Communications Ombudsman. A provider must set out clearly in its complaints code which scheme it belongs to, explain the customer's right to use it, and include that information on every bill it sends. So the answer to "which ombudsman do I go to" is printed on the bill in front of you.
Ofcom also notes that where a fault takes a long time to repair it may be appropriate for the provider to offer money back while repairs are made, and that where repairs take much longer, for instance where roads must be dug up or land access permission obtained, an additional refund or account credit may be due.
The ten-minute version
If they receive Pension Credit or another qualifying benefit, start with social tariffs, not the open market.
It protects their tariff, their liability position and their vulnerable-customer record.
They make the call, they name you. It is free and every provider must offer it.
Ask the accessibility team what is available and get it recorded on the account.
If there is an alarm or pendant in the house, nothing gets migrated until compatibility is confirmed in writing.
Especially if the landline is the only route to 999.
One network name, written on paper, provider's number on the same card.
Nothing gets signed on the day. Ever. There is always a phone call to a family member first.
Out-of-contract prices are where quiet, loyal customers lose the most money.
Third party bill management covers the bills. Only a registered property and financial affairs LPA lets you make changes.
Free and independent. Takes about thirty seconds.
Adrian's closing thought
The figure that stays with me is the 42%. More than four in ten adults without home internet already rely on somebody else to do things online for them, most often shopping and health services. Those tasks are being done anyway, usually by a son or a daughter, usually on a mobile, usually while standing in a kitchen. Getting the account, the tariff and the permissions right does not just save money. It takes something that currently runs on goodwill and improvisation and puts it on a proper footing, while everyone still has the time and the capacity to set it up calmly. That is a much easier conversation to have this year than next.
Frequently asked questions
Should broadband for an elderly parent be in their name or mine?
In almost every case the account should stay in your relative's name, with you added as a nominated third party. Ofcom's social tariff rules require the person receiving the qualifying benefit to be the main person on the contract, so moving the account into your name can remove their eligibility for a cheaper tariff. The account holder is also the person the provider's vulnerable customer policies attach to, and the person legally liable for the bill.
What is third party bill management?
Third party bill management lets a customer nominate a friend or relative to help manage their telecoms account. Ofcom requires all UK telecoms providers to offer it. The nominee can speak to the provider about the account, receive copies of bills and pay bills, but cannot close the account and does not become liable for the bill. The customer sets it up by contacting their provider.
Do I need power of attorney to manage my mother's broadband account?
Not for day to day bill management, which third party bill management covers. You need a registered lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs if you need to make changes to the account or close it. A health and welfare LPA is not valid for a telecoms account, and an LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it takes effect.
Can I cancel a broadband contract sold to my elderly relative at the door?
Yes. Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, a consumer can cancel a distance or off-premises contract, which includes doorstep and telephone sales, within 14 days of the day the contract was entered into. If the trader did not provide the required written information about the right to cancel, that window extends by up to 12 months.
Does my elderly relative need broadband if they only want a landline?
All UK landlines move to a digital service carried over broadband by the end of January 2027. A broadband connection is therefore needed for the phone to work, but a fast package is not: voice over IP needs around 0.5 Mbit/s. Ofcom states that if a customer does not take a broadband service, their provider will supply a connection specifically to support the phone service, and they should not pay extra for it.
Is my elderly parent entitled to priority fault repair?
Priority fault repair is required for any disabled person with a genuine need for an urgent repair, on landline and broadband but not mobile, and the charge must not exceed the provider's standard fault repair charge. It is tied to disability rather than age alone, so a relative who is simply older does not qualify automatically. Providers must also have policies for treating customers in vulnerable circumstances fairly.
Can a pensioner get a cheaper broadband social tariff?
Yes. All major UK providers include Pension Credit among the qualifying benefits for a social tariff. Prices currently range from £10 to £24 a month, the price does not rise mid-contract, and there is no fee for leaving. The person receiving the benefit must be the main person on the contract.
What should I do if someone calls claiming to be from my relative's broadband provider?
Hang up. Ofcom's advice is that if a caller claims to be from a particular organisation, you should call that organisation back using a number from its official website or your account statement, not the number the caller gave you. Suspicious call numbers and texts can be forwarded free of charge to 7726.
What happens to my relative's care alarm when the landline goes digital?
Under the PSTN Charter signed by the major providers in December 2023, no telecare user is to be migrated to a digital landline service without the provider, the customer or the telecare company confirming that a compatible and functioning telecare solution is in place. Tell the provider explicitly that there is a telecare device in the property and get the confirmation in writing.
Will a digital landline still work in a power cut?
Not on its own, because a digital landline runs through the broadband router and needs mains power. Ofcom requires providers to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to the emergency services, and its guidance says providers should offer at least one solution giving a minimum of one hour of access during a power cut, free of charge to customers who depend on their landline.
References
- Clark, A. (2026, April 1). The switch to digital landlines (Research Briefing No. CBP-9471). House of Commons Library. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9471/CBP-9471.pdf
- Ofcom. (n.d.-a). Managing telecom accounts on someone's behalf: powers of attorney and third party bill management. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/vulnerable-customers/power-of-attorney
- Ofcom. (n.d.-b). Communications services for disabled people. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/accessibility/services-for-disabled-people
- Ofcom. (n.d.-c). A summary of Ofcom's rules for phone and broadband providers. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/accessibility/rules-for-providers
- Ofcom. (n.d.-d). Broadband and landline faults and problems. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/broadband-landline-faults
- Ofcom. (2026, April 2). Adults' media use and attitudes report 2026. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/adults/adults-media-use-and-attitudes-2026/adults-media-use-and-attitudes-2026-report.pdf
- Ofcom. (2026, June 22). Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/saving-money/social-tariffs
- Ofcom. (2026, July 8). Ofcom fines Virgin Media £28m for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling contracts. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/switching-provider/ofcom-fines-virgin-media-28m-for-repeatedly-preventing-customers-from-cancelling-contracts
- Ofcom. (2026, July 15). What to do about a scam call, text or message. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/scam-calls-and-messages/what-to-do-about-a-scam-call-text-or-message
- The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, SI 2013/3134, Part 3. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134
Written by Adrian James, Broadband Editor at BroadbandSwitch.uk (LinkedIn). Reviewed by Dr Alex J. Martin-Smith (LinkedIn). Published 26 July 2026, sources last verified 25 July 2026. This guide is general information about UK consumer rights and telecoms rules, not legal advice. Prices, tariffs and provider policies change; check the linked sources before acting.