Inherited cabling after a tenant move?
Test it before you rely on it.
Test it before you rely on it. Our A$495 Site Takeover Check in Sydney checks inherited cabling, with a report and quote within 48 hours of the visit.
On a Warriewood job, a new tenant had the comms cabinet moved. We kept the existing cabling and re-terminated it at the new position.
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By David Barrett, Managing Director, AAA Communications. Updated 8 November 2026.
The question
Should you test inherited cabling before you move in?
Yes. Risk is not old cable. Risk is cabling nobody has documented or checked. When a new tenant moves into a space someone else cabled, the previous tenant's cabling arrives without a test record, and the new tenant owns the problem from the day they plug in.
Reusing it can be the right call. It is a good call when the runs have been checked, and an expensive one when they have not. At least 4 in 10 jobs we are called into need rework, so a short check before go-live is cheaper than finding out during it.
The risk
What can go wrong if you trust inherited cabling?
- Runs that are unlabelled or were never terminated.
- Poor terminations at either end of the cable.
- Damage from the last tenant's move or fitout.
- Outlets and panels that do not match the drawings.
- No as-builts, so nobody knows what is where.
Each one is quick to find on a site visit and slow to sort out in the middle of go-live, with staff waiting.
One job
What happened on one Warriewood job?
A new tenant in Warriewood, northern Sydney, wanted the comms cabinet moved. They did not want to pay for new cabling. We took over the install part-way through, kept the existing cabling, re-terminated it at the new cabinet position, added new outlets and panels where the space needed them, and are taking it live.
Keeping the existing cabling meant the customer did not pay for a full recable. Whether reuse makes sense on your site depends on what the checks below find.
The checks
What should you check when you inherit cabling?
Physical layer only. Seven checks:
- Get the as-built drawings and labelling schedule, then compare them with what is on the wall and in the cabinet.
- Trace every outlet back to its panel port. Note anything unlabelled, unterminated or not on the drawings.
- Test every run you plan to reuse with a cable tester, and keep the results.
- Inspect the terminations at both ends: jacks, punch-downs, patch panel, strain relief and bend radius.
- Check pathways and containment for cuts, crush damage and loose cabling left by the last tenant or their move.
- Check the cabinet itself: space for your gear, patching, labelling and power outlets.
- Photograph the result and record it in the as-builts, so whoever inherits the site next has the facts.
For what we check and fix inside a cabinet, see our cabinet scope. For planning the move itself, see moving day readiness. For the questions to ask at the open door before you sign off an install, see the install sign-off checklist.
From the thread
What engineers added in the LinkedIn thread
The Warriewood post drew comments from engineers who have inherited cabling themselves. Three points worth keeping, with thanks to each.
Noel Maguire (Building Communities & Connectivity, Belfast) described arriving at a pre-cabled building where the outgoing IT company had cut every cable at ceiling level and behind the RJ45s. His team pulled new cabling. Inherited does not always mean usable, and you only know by checking the runs.
Samuel K. Lam (Scalable Network Systems) asked whether we would re-terminate both ends of a run in a case like that. Yes. New panels and new outlets, end to end. Reuse is a decision for each run, not a blanket yes.
Jay Butterworth pointed out that cheapest-quote cabinets get small additions bolted on later with no cable management. That is how the next tenant inherits a mess. The physical layer gets value-engineered at fitout and inherited by everyone after.
The offer
What does the Site Takeover Check include and cost?
- A$495 ex GST in Sydney.
- Up to 2 hours on site, checking the install against your scope of works.
- A check of every enclosure, with before and after photos.
- Simple fixes on the day.
- Site report and follow-on quote within 48 hours of the visit.
- Not credited against later work.
What we need from you: site access, and the scope or drawings if you have them. Since 1992, 34 years on live networks. 1,000+ sites taken over and taken live. ACRS-registered cablers. 5.0 from 20 Google reviews. One accountable partner from the first walk-through to go-live.
Common questions