Hello and welcome to today’s property surveying blog post, we are going to be taking a look at if you need to inform your neighbour of your Party Wall works. Now quite simply any works that do fall under The Party Wall etc Act 1996 will require you to inform your neighbour of the planned works and the way this will be done is by way of a Notice being served to them.
Whereas any works that still occur on the Party Wall but are not involved or mentioned within the Act then you are not required to inform your neighbour of your Party Wall works.
When do you need to inform your neighbour of Party Wall works?
This is in any case where the planned works are considered Notifiable under The Party Wall etc Act 1996 then you will have to inform your neighbour of your planned works by way of serving them a Notice.
A Notice is a letter providing details of your planned works to your neighbour and what sections of the Party Wall Act they will fall under, and in cases where there are surveyors involved within the Party Wall process then their details will also be provided within the notice.
There are more aspects to what a Notice is but, as this is not the concentration of this blog I will not go into any more depth on this.
The primary thing to remember in regards to a Notice is that if any of your planned works do fall under The Party Wall etc Act 1996 then this does put you under an obligation to inform the adjoining owners of your party wall works.
Sections 1, 2, and 6
These are the main sections within The Party Wall etc Act 1996 that covers the types of party wall works that are considered notifiable under the act.
Section 1) New building on line of junction.
This section covers new structures such as walls or fences that lie on the boundary line, in cases of this then a one-month Notice is required to be served to the adjoining neighbour/s.
Section 2) Repair etc. of party wall: rights of owner.
Section 2 covers a wide range of works Including things such as:
● repairing a party wall that may be in disrepair and no longer holds up to statutory requirements,
● Strengthening/thickening the party wall,
● Implementing a damp proof course,
● Cutting into the party wall,l this could be for the purposes of implementing steel beams into the party wall to strengthen it commonly done with loft conversions.
● Exposing the party wall
So if your planned works consist of any of the above or any of the other work in section 2 this will require you to inform your neighbour of the works by way of serving them a Notice.
Section 6) Adjacent excavation and construction.
Section 6 covers excavation so in cases where your planned works would require excavations such as requiring new foundations to rebuild a Party Wall where it may be in disrepair or its current bearing capacity might not meet the standard required for your planned works.
Then new foundations will have to be dug and if they go deeper than the adjoining owners It will fall under The Party Wall etc Act 1996 and so will require you to serve Notice.
In cases where shallower foundations would be required, if the excavations are occurring within 3 m of the adjoining owner’s property then the Act will come into play.
Also in cases where deeper excavations may be necessary Such as the use of piles, if the excavation is occurring within 6 m of the adjoining owner’s property then once again the Act comes into play.
When you do not need to inform your neighbour of Party Wall works
You do not need to inform your neighbour of minor everyday works that are on the party wall such as painting, insulation of storage units, putting up shelving, fixing and fitting electrical plugs, and plastering a party wall.
Works of this nature are not considered notifiable under The Party Wall etc Act 1996 as they are only minor works that are not likely to cause detrimental damage to the adjoining owner’s property and so they do not require you to inform your neighbour of works of this nature.
Thank you for clicking on today’s property surveying blog post if you have any further questions or queries in regards to Party Wall works or any questions
regarding any of the other property surveying services that we offer at Stokemont. Please feel free to get in touch or alternatively pop us an email and we would be happy to assist and advise you.
