Party Wall Matters
The Party Wall Act 1996
This Act protects you and your neighbours during home improvements, such as an extension, or any other works that are adjacent to a party wall. If a dispute should arise, both parties can appoint an ‘agreed surveyor’ who will act impartially to draw up an award.
We have an excellent working knowledge of the Act and our role is to provide independent arbitration to resolve – or indeed prevent – differences between neighbours when building works to a party structure are proposed. Our award becomes legally binding on both parties and we are required, by statute, to act impartially.
We safeguard adjoining owners by:
Notifiable works can also include garden walls built along a boundary. There are certain things you can only do to a party wall after notifying your neighbour with a written agreement award prepared by a surveyor. These might include cutting into the wall, inserting a damp proof course (even if it is only on your side), rebuilding part of a wall, underpinning it, excavating foundations within 3 metres of a neighbour’s structure which are deeper than its foundations, or even just building a new wall on the line of the junction between the properties.
Matt Simper has been great to deal with. He promptly dealt with a party wall award and has gone above and beyond to give very valuable advice when dealing with party wall awards and similar matters.
I approached Matthew, seeking advice regarding a party wall matter. He could not have been more courteous or professional and I would not hesitate to instruct Snow Walker again in the future.
The professionalism and care to detail are evident throughout the range of services that we used in the purchase of our home, as well as follow-up on the issue of building an extension after the purchase.
