When carrying out certain home improvement projects, it may be necessary to have to deal with party wall procedures and if you’ve never had to make decisions in this regard before, it can often prove to be a little confusing.
The purpose of the Party Wall Act is to ensure that disputes are either avoided or minimised, with notices served to make sure that property owners let their adjoining neighbours know about any works that are due to start soon.
Make sure that your notices contain the names of the building owners (those who are proposing the project), as well as all those potentially affected by the work taking place. Give a suggested start date, make sure that all work notifiable under the Act is clearly indicated, and date and sign the notice, or have a representative do it on your behalf.
Typically, notices are accompanied with drawings and plans to properly illustrate the proposals, so make sure these are included if you can. Once the notice has been served, your neighbour can then provide written consent within 14 days of the date on the notice.
Bear in mind that they can provide consent with conditions attached, although these may be refused. They can also refuse consent, which means you’ll then need to enter into dispute resolution. And they can also do nothing whatsoever, which means that after 14 days the matter will be viewed as being in dispute.
You can serve notices up to two months before work is due to begin. If your notice is ignored or consent is not given, an independent surveyor can be appointed on behalf of the adjoining neighbour.
Looking for a party wall surveyor in London? Get in touch with Cavendish Surveying today