Party Wall issues are very common in routine around us. Probably all the house owners face the same thing at least once in their entire lifespan. Before 1996, there were no rules or regulations to solve such disputes smoothly without harming the relationship with a neighbor or an adjoining owner. Walls or structures that are shared by two adjoining properties or developed on the boundary line are accepted as “Party Walls”. It has been noticed that when it comes to doing some extension and other building works on the party walls, the opposite owner faces some problems. If he/she does not get the information prior, he/she faces a lot of problems. Even in some cases, the party wall can be damaged or the adjoining owner may face some damages on related structures. And this leads to a lot of problems between two adjoining owners. Before 1996, seriously there was no such rule or regulations that can ensure the safety and n-damage of the adjoining owner. But in 1996, the Party Wall Act has entered the genre. And that’s why today resolving any party wall dispute is not a hectic job.
If you have to do some building as well as extension work on the party wall or boundary line, you just have to give a party wall notice to the neighbor or adjoining owner. If you accelerate the process legally, you do not have to visit courts frequently and pause the work till you get the work continuation order.
How to issue a Party Wall Notice?
If you want to start the extension work or any building work near the party wall or boundary line, you should inform the adjoining owner or neighbor rightly. If you have a good relationship with your neighbor or adjoining owner, you can verbally discuss the process and ask for their permission. But you have to make sure that you are saying them all the right things in detail so that later any confusion or disagreement cannot take place. After the verbal discussion, you can issue a Party Wall Notice by mentioning all the details. This is a written document and there you have to mention each and every detail.
If you find making understand the adjoining owner or a neighbor is tough or you do not have that much time you can take the help of a professional Party Wall Surveyor. You have to give the notice to the adjoining owner or a neighbor at least before two months of the starting date or the extension or building work.
Generally, they will give you written consent within fourteen days. If they do not give any response, you may face the Party Wall Dispute. Apart from this, the adjoining owner also gets a chance to give you a counter-notice if he/she wish to do any work on his/her side.
If the situation seems critical to you, you can take the help of a professional party wall surveyor. It has been noticed that a lot of people take the help of a professional party wall surveyor so that they can smoothly handle the situation and fast complete their extension on building works.
You can create the notice by yourself or take the help from the same professional. In a party wall notice, you have to clearly mention each and every detail of your extension and building work. If the work causes any damage to the party wall or supporting structure, you should pay the compensation. Due to your work, if any damages caused to the side of the adjoining owner, you should pay the repairing cost on behalf of the adjoining owner. If you do not agree to do such, the neighbor can take the issue to the court and your work will be paused for an unknown time frame.
For the excavation or other works near the neighbor’s property, you have to wait for their approval. The detailed work process should be mentioned on the notice. If you try to do anything additional, the situation will be critical and your activities will be accepted as illegal.
So, you are suggested to hire a professional party wall surveyor to deal with party wall disputes. The professional will help you to properly inform the adjoining owner or neighbor by mentioning all the important details. A professional surveyor sometimes acts as a mediator. So, if you face any critical situation or negative response from the adjoining owner or neighbor, he/she will solve the issue easily. While writing the notice, you should always maintain honesty. If you forget to mention a little task, it may create a problem in near future. So be a bit more careful while writing the party wall notice or solve all your party wall disputes easily with a professional!
