How to Get UTOPIA Fiber in Your HOA or Apartment

September 10th, 2020

UTOPIA Fiber HOA UTOPIA Fiber Apartment Utah

We get a lot of questions about how to sign up for UTOPIA Fiber from community members who live in apartments and HOAs. To help you get the ball rolling on that process, we created this guide that explains how you can get your property management or HOA on board with UTOPIA Fiber.

First, a little background on how we build our footprints. When we build-out a new footprint, we can’t automatically build into HOAs or apartment properties because they are built on private roads. We cannot service this area without a contract to build. We will happily work with your HOA or property managers to get services connected. In fact, this conversation is typically started because residents approach their landlords about our service. We work directly with your HOA or property manager to get permission, and once we receive it, we can add your area to our current buildout schedule. Typically, it takes between 3-6 months after the paperwork is signed before residents can sign up.

What you need to do to get UTOPIA Fiber in your apartment or HOA:

If you live in an apartment complex: you will need to have your property manager or owner get in contact with our business department (801-613-3836). Due to the difficulty of building into an apartment complex, we require a walk-through or site survey with one of our technicians prior to proceeding. It is typical for apartment complexes to have agreements with internet service providers. Check with your property manager to see when their current contract ends (if they have one), and if they are interested in signing an agreement with UTOPIA Fiber.

If you live in an HOA: reach out to your HOA board and have them email us at communications@utopiafiber.com or call 801-613-3880. We will want to ask them a few questions. Such as, how many homes are in your HOA? Are they stacked, side-by-side, or single-family homes? From there, we will send the necessary information to our construction team to engineer the area and the timeframe for building into your neighborhood.

There is a different process for different styles of homes:

Single-family home, twin-home, or townhouse: it is a simple process to build into this type of home. As stated above, the first step is to reach out to your HOA board and let them know you want UTOPIA Fiber. The HOA board will need to get in contact with us, and from there, we will provide them with a high-level design of our conduit, fiber lines, and utility boxes for them to review. If the HOA agrees, all we need from them is a signed agreement that we can build into the property. After that, we’ll find a time to add your area to our construction timeline and will keep the HOA posted on when residents can expect to sign up for services.

Condo-style, stacked: Because of the setup of this style of home, it can be a slightly longer process to install fiber. Your first step will still be to reach out to your HOA and have them get in contact with us. We will then send a technician to check out the property and decide on the best installation process. Because of the difficulty of installing into a stacked condo, there could be various ways we engineer and build-out these types of homes. We will discuss all options with the HOA directly.

If you are on your HOA board, here is a step-by-step guide to our process:

  1. Reach out to us. We will ask some basic questions and then chat with our construction and engineering teams to come up with options to build.
  2. Next, we will present you with your options for construction. Once you decide which installation option works best for you, we will design the install and send you a diagram of our planned build. At this point, you can schedule a site survey so you can see exactly where we plan on placing our boxes and make adjustments, if possible.
  3. Once we have agreed on an install design and have signed a written agreement, we will add your neighborhood to our construction schedule. Depending on how large your HOA is, construction and installation can typically take anywhere between a few weeks to a few months.
  4. After the installation is complete, individuals in your community can decide if they want to sign up for services or not. If your HOA would prefer a bulk deal we can accommodate that as well. More information regarding sign up can be found on our website here.

We are always willing to attend HOA meetings with your residents or board to explain the process and answer any questions they may have. For more information on our installation process, check out the installation page on our website. If you have any questions, reach out to us at communications@utopiafiber.com, we are happy to help!