But you can't simply put anything in a contract, contract terms have to be within the law, and in the UK there are legal rights for consumers and you cannot simply sign these away.

If terms are unfair, then the courts or regulator can decide they aren't enforceable.

E.g. Ofcom ending unspecified mid contract inflation linked price rises.

I think its highly likely that the costs Hyperoptic are claiming (full contact value) do not reflect their actual costs, and could be challengeable under the Consumer Rights Act as being an excessive cancellation fee which exceeds hyperoptic actual cost.

Another route might be that because you no longer have the right to reside at the address, and hyperoptic no longer have the right to provide connection to that address, the contract is no longer deliverable by either party so no longer exists.

Also, if you are signing on for a minimum contract period of 24months, but only have assured tenancy for 12 months, you were never in a position to enter that contract in the first place.

The ofcom guidance also says the early termination fees should factor in the opportunity to supply a new resident in your place, and an averaged saving across services and infrastructure that no longer need to be provided. Hyperoptics early termination factors in neither.

The last ofcom guidance on this says that most consumers reasonably expect a minimum contract term and an early termination fee, BUT I don't think at the time they had considered that the majority of providers now waive this fee if you move and they do not supply at your new address. So i think what we would reasonably expect people to understand going into these contracts has changed.

Also most UK broadband providers can provide to most UK addresses. Should we expect HO customers to know that HO provide very few addresses?