The Faulkners Surveyors is a professional Chartered Structure Surveying Practice that operates throughout UK. The Faulkners Surveyors undertakes all aspects of the Party Wall and so on. Act 1996 and supplies the following services:
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Objective advice on all Party Wall Matters
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Pre-commencement appraisals
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Preparation and service of legitimate Party Wall Notices
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Acting as Party Wall Property Surveyor for either Adjacent Owners or Structure Owners
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Acting as the Agreed Party Wall Surveyor
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Undertaking Schedules of Condition surveys
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Preparation and negotiation of Party Wall Awards (Agreements).
Party Wall (WikiPedia)
A party wall (sometimes parti-wall or parting wall surface, also called common wall surface or as a demising wall) is a separating partition between two adjacent buildings that is shared by the occupants of each home or business. Generally, the building contractor lays the wall along a property line splitting two terraced residences, so that one half of the wall’s thickness lies on each side. This kind of wall surface is usually architectural. Celebration wall surfaces can likewise be created by two abutting wall surfaces developed at different times. The term can be likewise made use of to define a division in between different systems within a multi-unit apartment complex. Really often the wall surface in this case is non-structural however developed to satisfy well established standards for noise and/or fire defense, i.e. a firewall program.
The Party Wall Act 1996
as it effects the garden
At first sight, it is simple to believe that the 1996 Party Wall Act does not affect garden building and construction, however it does impact the building and construction of limit walls even if not part of buildings and can likewise applies to deep excavations.
The Party Wall Act 1996 entered force in 1997, so it is now law and gives you rights and obligations whichever the side of the ‘wall’ you are on i.e. whether you are planning/doing work on an appropriate structure or if your neighbour is.
The Party Wall Act does not apply to boundary fences.
The Party Wall Act does not affect any requirement for Preparation Consent for any work undertaken. Having Preparation Consent does not negate the requirements under the Party Wall Act.
The Party Wall Act enters into effect if somebody is planning to do work on a relevant structure, for the functions of the Act ‘party wall’ does not just imply the wall between 2 semi-detached properties, as far as gardeners are worried it covers:
- A garden wall, where the wall is astride the border line (or butts up against it) and is utilized to separate the properties but is not part of any building.
- Excavation near to a neighbouring property.
For details of how the Party Wall Act impacts structure work in general, have a look at this page.
Just like all work affecting neighbours, it is constantly much better to reach a friendly arrangement rather than resort to any law. Even where the work needs a notice to be served, it is much better to informally discuss the designated work, think about the neighbours remarks, and change your plans (if appropriate) before serving the notification.
What garden work requires a notification and permission.
The basic principle of the Party Wall Act is that all work which might have a result upon the structural strength or support function of the party wall or may cause damage to the neighbouring side of the wall need to be notified. If in doubt, advice must be sought from a regional Structure Control Workplace or expert surveyor/architect.
Work in the garden covered by the Party Wall Act include:
- To rebuild/build a party and/or destroy limit wall.
- To increase the height or thickness of a party border wall.
- Excavations within 3 metres of a neighbouring building where the excavation will go listed below the bottom of the foundations of the neighbouring structure.
- Excavations within 6 metres of a neighbouring building where the excavation will go below a line drawn 45 ° downwards from the bottom of the structures of the neighbouring building.
Boundary walls
A notification should be provided to all affected neighbouring parties if the planned work on a border wall falls under the Party Wall Act. The notification must consist of (see sample letters in Part 5 of the Party Wall brochure):.
- The owners of the property carrying out the work.
- The address of the home.
- A complete description of the proposed work (this will normally be simply a single sentence outlining the work).
- The proposed start date for the work.
- A clear declaration that the notification is being served under The Party Wall etc Act 1996.
- The date the notification is being served.
- If the work includes excavations, a drawing showing the depth, position and so on
If the planned work is a brand-new limit wall approximately or astride the boundary line the procedure of serving a notice under the Party Wall Act is as follows:.
- The person planning to carry out the work must serve a composed notice at least one months prior to the intended start of the work to every neighbouring party providing details of the work to be performed.
- Each neighbouring party must react in writing offering approval or registering dissent – if a neighbouring party does nothing within 14 days of getting the notification, the impact is to put the notice into dispute. No formal contract is needed for a wall up to the limit line, the neighbour simply requires not to object in composing.
- No work might commence on a wall astride the limit line until all neighbouring celebrations have concurred in writing to the notification (or a modified notification).
See listed below concerning what happens in case of a dispute/objection.
Excavations.
If the planned work is an excavation within the distance/depth covered by the Party Wall Act, the notice requires to be served a minimum of one month before the prepared start day of the work. Neighbouring celebrations should provide written arrangement within 2 week or a disagreement is deemed to have actually happened.
See below concerning what happens in case of a dispute/objection.
What takes place if a dispute develops.
If agreement can not be reached between neighbouring parties, the procedure is as follows:.
- A Property surveyor or Surveyors is/are selected to figure out a impartial and reasonable Award, either:.
- A single ‘Concurred Property surveyor’ (someone acceptable to all parties).
or. - Each party selects their own Property surveyor to represent the specific celebrations.
The individual who is performing the work will usually have to pay all the costs of the Surveyors, the only exception being if the neighbour calls out a Surveyor unnecessarily – in the opinion of the Property surveyor. It must be noted that any Surveyor needs to act within their statutory duties and propose a fair and neutral Award.
- A single ‘Concurred Property surveyor’ (someone acceptable to all parties).
- The Agreed Property surveyor, or the private Surveyors collectively, will produce an Award which needs to be impartial and reasonable to all celebrations.
- When an Award has actually been made, all parties have 14 days to interest a County Court versus the Award.
When you have agreement.
As soon as you have contract, all work should abide by the notice. All the contracts should be kept to ensure that a record of the granted permission is kept; a subsequent buyer of the home might want to establish that the work was carried out in accordance with the Party Wall Act requirements.
Remember:
- We’ve only provided a short overview of the Party Wall Act here as it affects garden work however take a look at the Neighborhoods and City government site for a more thorough explanatory booklet including example letters for reactions and notices.
- Discussing designated work with neighbours is totally free and can prevent misconception which might develop if a notice shows up unexpectedly.
- Your local Building Control Office might have the ability to give totally free recommendations regarding the Party Wall Act and how it applies to particular situations.
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