Coverage & data quality
How do I check the broadband speeds at a property?
For one address, Ofcom’s broadband checker shows the speeds available there.
For many properties, Homedata’s broadband endpoint (1 token) returns Ofcom Connected Nations figures for a postcode: average and maximum download and upload speeds, plus superfast, ultrafast and full-fibre availability. It’s postcode-level data, so it describes the area around a property rather than guaranteeing a speed at one address.
Broadband availability is part of the material information agents are expected to show on property listings.
What this means in practice
A buyer viewing a 1930s semi in TN15 6QH on 12 March 2026 enters the postcode into the Ofcom checker, picks number 47, and sees: Standard 14 Mbit/s download, Superfast not available, Ultrafast not available, pure ADSL only. The next-door property at number 49 shows Ultrafast FTTP at 1000 Mbit/s available because Openreach upgraded one side of the road in 2024 but stopped at the cul-de-sac entrance. The buyer factors in £30/month 4G home broadband as a stop-gap, plus a likely £200–£500 Openreach connection charge if FTTP arrives in the area later. A two-second postcode check would have saved a household relying on a child working from home from a six-month broadband gap.
Related questions
Why does broadband speed differ between neighbouring houses?
Three reasons. Distance from the nearest cabinet: FTTC speed drops sharply with copper-pair length, so a property 100m from the cabinet may get 80 Mbit/s and one 800m away just 18 Mbit/s. Network type: Virgin Media cable, Openreach FTTP and altnets like CityFibre and Hyperoptic each cover different streets, sometimes literally house-by-house. And in-home wiring: old internal phone wiring can knock 20% off the line speed regardless of the external connection. The Ofcom checker reports the available external speed; actual realised speed depends on the router and internal wiring too.
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