What Happens to Your Contract When Your Building Is Demolished or Renovated?

If your home is being renovated or your building is scheduled for demolition, do not simply stop paying your broadband bill. The contract may remain active even when you cannot use the service, and the financial consequences depend on whether you request a suspension, relocate the service or terminate the contract.

The key issue is not simply that the building is being changed. It is why the service can no longer continue and what your contract says about that situation.

Renovation Does Not Automatically Cancel Your Contract

A temporary renovation normally does not mean your broadband contract has ended.

If the premises will remain available after the renovation, the practical option may be to ask the ISP whether it offers a temporary suspension, relocation of equipment or another service arrangement.

However, suspension is not necessarily free.

The Malaysian General Consumer Code requires service contracts to state their duration, termination conditions, early-termination conditions and applicable charges, as well as the terms for disconnection and reconnection. General Consumer Code of Practice

This means you should check the actual contract instead of assuming that an unused connection stops generating charges.

What Happens During a Service Suspension?

A suspension means the broadband service is temporarily unavailable, but it does not necessarily mean the contract disappears.

Unifi provides a clear example. Its current FAQ states that when a Unifi service is suspended during the contract period, TM recalculates the contract period by adding the number of suspended days. For example, a 24-month contract suspended for 30 days would become 24 months plus those 30 suspended days. Unifi Suspension FAQ

The current Unifi Home T&C also states that its suspension provisions do not prevent TM from continuing to bill applicable fees and other charges during a suspension in the circumstances covered by those clauses.

So the important question is not simply:

“Can I suspend my broadband?”

You should ask:

1. Is customer-requested suspension available?
2. Is there a monthly suspension or retention fee?
3. Will my promotional discount continue?
4. Will the contract end date be extended?
5. Is there a maximum suspension period?
6. Is there a reconnection or reinstallation charge?
7. What happens if the renovation takes longer than expected?

There is no single suspension fee that applies to every Malaysian broadband provider or plan.

A Suspended Service Is Not the Same as a Terminated Service

This distinction matters because a suspension normally preserves the contractual relationship, while termination ends the service agreement.

For example, Unifi's current Home T&C defines a Minimum Subscription Period and states that terminating during that period can trigger charges for the remaining months, calculated at the pre-discount price, unless the termination falls under specified exceptions such as TM's willful default or a Force Majeure Event.

This creates three very different outcomes:

Do not treat all three as the same situation.

When Does Force Majeure Apply?

Force Majeure generally deals with events outside the reasonable control of the parties that prevent contractual obligations from being performed.

Under the current Unifi Home T&C, Force Majeure includes events such as natural disasters, national or local emergencies, government or competent-authority actions, industrial disputes, electricity or power failure, cable cuts, fire, explosion and flood, together with other causes outside either party's control. Current Unifi Home Terms & Conditions

The same clause states that either party may terminate the agreement with 14 days' notice if the Force Majeure event prevents performance or continuation of obligations for more than 60 days.

But this does not mean every building renovation is Force Majeure.

If you voluntarily renovate your house and temporarily move out, that is materially different from a government order, natural disaster or other external event beyond the parties' control.

The contract wording and the actual circumstances therefore matter.

What If the Building Is Ordered to Be Demolished?

This is where the situation becomes more complicated.

Consider two examples:

Example 1 — Private redevelopment

Your landlord decides to demolish an old apartment block and redevelop the site. You are required to move out before your broadband contract expires.

This is not automatically the same as a Force Majeure event. You should ask the ISP whether the service can be relocated, transferred or terminated under a specific contractual provision.

Example 2 — Authority-related event

A government or competent authority requires the building or infrastructure to be removed, and the event prevents the broadband service from continuing.

This may be more relevant to a Force Majeure clause, depending on the wording of the contract and the facts of the case. Unifi's current Force Majeure clause specifically includes acts or omissions of government, highway authorities or other competent authorities.

Do not assume the outcome yourself. Ask the ISP to identify the contractual clause it is applying.

Demolition May Also Affect the Fibre Installation

A building can be physically unusable even before the contract has been formally terminated.

Fibre equipment, internal cabling, building risers and the connection between the building infrastructure and the customer's premises may all be affected by renovation or demolition work.

Unifi's current T&C, for example, states that certain re-wiring or re-installation requests can incur charges, including RM212 when there is no BTU movement and RM318 when the BTU is moved, subject to the applicable terms and current charges.

That is different from an ISP terminating a contract because the service cannot continue.

A contractor cutting an internal fibre cable does not automatically mean your contractual obligations have disappeared.

What If You Simply Stop Paying?

This is the worst way to handle a renovation or demolition situation.

If the ISP has not formally approved a suspension or termination, stopping payment can create a non-payment issue rather than a contract cancellation.

The current Unifi Home T&C states that the customer remains responsible for applicable fees and that non-payment can lead to suspension or termination under the agreement.

Maxis similarly states that a Fibre service remains active until termination is finalised, and that early termination charges can apply when the customer is still under contract. Maxis Fibre Termination FAQ

TIME currently states that it does not offer temporary suspension or pausing for its home service, while early termination charges can apply depending on the contract. TIME Home Internet FAQ

This is why you should contact the ISP before renovation or demolition starts.

Ask the ISP These Five Questions

Before the building becomes inaccessible, ask the ISP to confirm the following in writing:

1. Can the service be temporarily suspended?
2. What monthly amount remains payable during the suspension?
3. Will the contract end date be extended?
4. Can the service be relocated to another address?
5. If the building is permanently demolished, what termination charge applies and does any Force Majeure provision apply?

Also ask whether the router, BTU/ONT or other ISP equipment must remain at the premises.

Keep the written response, demolition notice, renovation documents and your final bill.

What If You Are Moving to Another House?

If the building is being demolished and you are moving elsewhere, relocation may be worth checking before requesting termination.

The availability of relocation depends on the ISP, the new address and the applicable contract.

For example, TIME states that its home fibre contract is tied to the service address and that relocation is subject to coverage availability. TIME Fibre Home Plans

A new address therefore cannot automatically be treated as a continuation of the old connection.

The ISP may need to check whether the new premises is serviceable and what relocation conditions apply.

Keep These Documents

For a major renovation or demolition, keep:

1. renovation or demolition notice;
2. letter from the landlord, building management or developer;
3. government or authority notice, if applicable;
4. photographs showing the condition of the premises;
5. ISP emails, chat transcripts and case numbers;
6. suspension or termination confirmation;
7. final bill and equipment-return records.

These documents are especially useful if the ISP later treats the situation as an ordinary early termination.

The Building Being Demolished Does Not Automatically Erase the Contract

A broadband contract does not automatically disappear because the physical building is being renovated or demolished.

For a temporary renovation, the relevant issue may be suspension and its charges.

For a permanent demolition, you may need to consider relocation, termination or Force Majeure, depending on the actual circumstances and the ISP's contract.

The safest approach is to get the ISP to confirm, in writing, what happens to your monthly charges, contract end date and early-termination liability before the building work begins.

NetBijak’s Take

The expensive mistake is assuming that “I cannot use the broadband” means “my contract has ended.”

Renovation, demolition, suspension and Force Majeure are separate contractual situations. Before the building work starts, get the ISP to confirm the suspension cost, contract extension, relocation option and termination liability in writing.

That gives you something concrete to rely on instead of discovering the contract consequences after the building is already gone.

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