How Party Wall Affects Construction

By Author: Jim Hart
Total Articles: 5
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Like a building owner, do you plan to:
Work with an existing wall, ceiling or floor structure shared with another property
Build on or at the boundary with another property?
Excavate near a neighboring building or structure?
If you are planning these works, you have to discover whether the work falls inside the scope from the Party Wall Act 1996. The Act was introduced by the federal government in 1997, covering the whole of Britain to regulate building activity works to adjoining properties. It's meant to enable try to proceed while protecting adjoining owners and occupiers who might be affected by the work. Under the Act, the building owner who wishes to conduct such work must provide notification in the required time as well as in writing to adjoining owners of the proposed work. Adjoining owners can be owners or occupiers of adjacent residential, commercial and industrial land or buildings.
Should you share a party wall, party structure or a party fence wall with another, you might be governed by the provisions of the Act. Party walls are walls utilized by more than one owner, like the dividing ...
... wall between two houses. Floors between flats are party structures. Boundary walls can be party fence walls. Loft conversions, extensions, structural focus on a party wall such as removing a chimney breast, excavation near to another building or structure to some depth that exceeds those of the neighbor's foundations, or alteration to some masonry party garden wall are examples of work governed through the Act.
When the Party Wall Act pertains to the planned work, the building owner is obliged to serve notice around the adjoining owner/occupier. Upon written consent by the adjoining owner, the work can proceed. You should have a Schedule of Condition, the industry report of the current condition of the building or structure, before work commences. When the adjoining owner disagrees with the proposed work, the Party Wall Act serves to solve the dispute.
Resolving disputes
In the event of a dispute between owners, the Act provides procedures for appointing party wall surveyors Epsom who can resolve issues by way of an award, specifying the format for carrying out the work. An award allows your building owner the right to conduct work under the Act, while ensuring the work is done in a manner that protects the adjoining owners' interests. The surveyor may inspect the work during its progress to ensure all is being carried out properly and fairly.
What you should do
Before commencing any building work, check to see when the Party Wall Act applies. Failure to adhere to the Act could result in the works being unlawful. If in down consult a professional party wall surveyor Sutton who's ideally part of the Faculty (FPWS), because they will have been trained to recommend party wall matters and are bound through the Faculty's Code of Conduct.
For services by qualified party wall surveyors Epsom log on to: http://www.partywallsurveying.com