Latest blog posts

A Guide to Building Regulations I am often asked ‘What is Building Regulations, why do I need them, does my project need building regulations approval?’ In most cases the answer is yes, in almost all residential development work, even if you believe it to be minor works you will need some form of building regulations approval. What Are ... Read more >>

A leasehold owner proposing structural or material changes to their property will generally require the consent of their Landlord under the terms of the lease. Such consent must not be unreasonably withheld but will typically be provided in the form of a written Licence to Alter (or License for Alternations) so that the interests of the Landlord ... Read more >>

Planning Permission v Permitted Development Clients tend to ask me the question ‘Should I go through planning permission or should I go through permitted development?’ To answer the question it is important to really understand the difference between the two first starting with an understanding of each. What is Planning ... Read more >>

As an architectural technician working in close conjunction with our clients it has become increasingly obvious that the stages involved when wanting to proceed with works at a property aren’t quite clear. I have therefore decided that it is only fitting that the first post from the architectural team address this crucial issue as otherwise ... Read more >>

Writing as the owner of a surveying practice that undertakes a large volume of party wall work I have to say I’m happy that not all party wall notices are consented to but it does concern me how poorly the Act is understood by the general public and how many unnecessary party wall disputes arise as a result of that poor understanding. If you ... Read more >>

The UK, like any other country in the world, has various requirements and limitations in respect to non-citizen’s living and working arrangements. As we are part of the European Union (for the time being anyway) workers from within this economic area benefit from the operation of what is an internal/single market which allows free movement of ... Read more >>

Accurately recording the condition of adjoining properties is an important part of the process of producing a party wall award (many owners think it’s the only part!) so I thought it was worthy of a blog post in its own right. When our trainees start working on party wall files the skills involved in preparing schedules is the first thing ... Read more >>