Latest blog posts

It used to be common for party wall awards to include an obligation for the building owner to ‘maintain or cause contractor(s) to maintain adequate insurance against such risks and provide evidence of this upon demand by the adjoining owner’s surveyor contractor’ and this was generally interpreted as the relatively inexpensive Public ... Read more >>

I often tell adjoining owners that have suffered damage as a result of party wall work not to, under any circumstances, enter into discussions directly with their neighbours’ builder. By giving such advice, I’m not trying to make life difficult for building owners but rather making the point that under the Act it is the building owner rather ... Read more >>

Right of first refusal (RFR) is invoked when the freeholder (landlord) wants to sell their interest in a building that is subject to RFR legislation and they are required under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (the “1987 Act”) to offer this interest to the leaseholders first.This can be the entire freehold, part of the building or common ... Read more >>

There are a number of hoops to jump through when negotiating the purchase of a home, particularly when purchasing a new build property.To add to this burgeoning ‘to do’ list, it would seem that a worrying trend of poor quality control is developing in the new build property sector, even amongst so called ‘luxury’ branded sections ... Read more >>

It’s the phrase that party wall surveyors rely on to reassure adjoining owners that they will not incur costs as a result of their neighbours’ works i.e. “In all normal circumstances, the fees of all/any appointed surveyors will be paid by the building owner”. The inquisitive adjoining owner will ask for clarification of what ‘normal ... Read more >>

The process of preparing a Reinstatement Cost Assessment involves a site visit to inspect the property, take measurements and site notes detailing the type and quality of the accommodation, a calculation of the likely reinstatement cost of the property based on the information gathered during the inspection, and the recording of this information ... Read more >>

If badly handled, party wall procedures can add many thousands of pounds to the costs of your building project but there are plenty of things you (and your surveyor) can do to keep costs to a minimum. Speak to your neighbours before serving noticeThis isn't always possible, if the property is let or the adjoining freeholder is a ... Read more >>