Question We have a garden wall between our property and the neighbouring property which we believe sits soley on our side of the boundary. The wall was clearly in place long before the neighbouring property was built and is in dire need of replacement. When the neighbouring property was built they have built a wall in parts on the other side ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Notices, Rights of Owners, Surveyors
Question Our party wall award called for our builder to dig the foundations in 1.5m bays to ensure the stability of the neighbours extension. The builder, annoyingly and without our consent, did not carry out this and dug it all in one go. On the day concrete was poured our surveyor and the building control officer were present and both signed ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Enforcement, Party Wall Awards, Rights of Owners, Surveyors
Question The context is a typical Victorian south London terraced street, except that the adjoining building was bombed in WW2 and since rebuilt in the 50's - it is flush with no gaps and appears part of the terrace. Our neighbour showed us architects structural drawings (for building regs) for a loft extension, for which he would like our ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Rights of Owners
Question Wondering if you think the party wall act applies in the following case. I live in a terraced property. The party wall between two pitch roofs at the rear of the property has been damaged by water intrusion over the winter. The covering screed has cracked and is allowing damp to penetrated the underlying wall and roof space below. The ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Enforcement, Notices, Rights of Owners, Surveyors
Question I was served a party wall notice and consented to my neighbour's works which included building at the line of junction. The works commenced in Oct 09, and remain incomplete at this time. I have suffered inconvenience for the whole of this period which has meant that I am unable to park on my own driveway or access my back garden through ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Compensation, Notices, Rights of Owners, Surveyors
Question We are set to build an extension and side return and hope to use our neighbour's wall. We have a party wall agreement with them from when they built their extension a few years ago but the wall is not on the boundary line, it is all within their land - back then we declined their request for the wall to sit on the boundary because we ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Compensation, Rights of Owners
Question I believe the Party Wall Act states that notices are required if you intend to construct footings within 3 metres of the boundary line and to a depth deeper than that of a neighbouring structure. While we intend to build within 3 metres (1.6 metres to their back garden wall and 1.9 to their house), I'm not convinced that my footings ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Enforcement, Notices, Rights of Owners
Question I'm trying to get a loft conversion sorted as I've got a growing family and am looking to put in place a Party Wall Agreement with the neighbour as I need to put scaffolding up from the back yard of their attached property onto a shared wall (they've inherited the house, don't live there, but will be looking to put it on the market ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Rights of Owners, Surveyors
Question I have a neighbour who carried out extensive party wall works without even verbally informing me that this would happen. When the building inspector finally spoke to me, the work was complete. Do I have any legal redress or could I claim compensation for her failure to follow the correct procedure? Answer There are no penalties for not ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Rights of Owners
Question My neighbour has recently completed major renovations to his terraced house. The works carried out have caused significant damage to my property, mainly in the form of large cracks that have appeared in the joining wall between our houses. It has been agreed by my neighbour and the party wall surveyor that my neighbour is liable and ... Read more >>
Categories: Adjoining Owners, Party Wall Awards, Rights of Owners, Surveyors, Third Surveyor