WHAT IS PARTY WALL?
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers three distinct types of work; alterations to party structures (usually walls but may also be floors), the construction of new walls at the boundary and excavation close to neighbouring properties.
These are some typical examples of work that is likely to be covered by the Act:
- Cutting beams in to a party wall as part of a loft conversion
- Removing chimney breasts that are attached to a party wall
- Excavating for the foundations to a new extension within 3m of a neighbouring or shared structure
- Underpinning a party wall to facilitate a basement extension
Where work falls within the scope of the Act it is necessary for a building owner to serve notice and obtain the affected adjoining owner’s consent; if that consent is not forthcoming the parties are deemed to be ‘in dispute’ under the Act and surveyors must be appointed so that the dispute can be resolved by way of a Party Wall Agreement (technically called an ‘Award’).
If the two appointed surveyors fail to agree upon any of the issues in dispute they can make a referral to a previously selected Third Surveyor.
At Peter Barry we have a 12 strong team of experienced party wall surveyors, assistant surveyors and specialist party wall administrators to help ensure that everything runs smoothly.
We cover the whole of the Ipswich from our network of offices so if you are planning on undertaking work that falls within the scope of the Act or have received a notice informing you of proposed works that may affect your property you are very welcome to contact us for some advice.
Often an adjoining owner only becomes aware of their neighbour's proposed works when a party wall notice lands on their door mat. An adjoining owner has the...
An owner planning to undertake works that fall within the scpoe of the Act should start planning earlu; notice periods are either one and two months depending...
In Ipswich, our high-density housing means that party wall issues are commonplace but there are set measures in place to enable adjoing homeowners...
Peter Barry Surveyors have more than 10 years' experience of providing a wide range of professional residential surveying and valuation services for properties in...
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Related Blog Posts
In the previous post, I looked at which owners should be notified of works directly affecting a party structure (under section 2) when the adjoining property is divided into flats. This post will ...
Once a building owner has established the layout and demise of the flats within an adjoining building, the next step is to work out how they are affected by the proposed works. It’s best to ...
Section 20 of the Act defines an owner, amongst other things, as ‘a person in possession of land, otherwise than as a mortgagee or as a tenant from year to year or for a lesser term or as a tenant ...
