Extensions and building works are common. Every homeowner needs to go through this kind of task for at least once in the entire lifespan. Generally, people do these tasks to add some ease and comfort to life. But sometimes it can call a lot of problems if the party wall has some disputes. Extensions as well as building works can leave some effect on the party wall and boundaries. If any kind of damage or wrong boundary placement takes place, you can get sure that you will have a bad time with your neighbor.
Party wall disputes are very common problems nowadays. Yet a lot of people end up visiting courts. They go through too many hassles. In order to smoothly handle such a situation and to maintain a good relationship between neighbors, the Party Wall Act was introduced back in 1996. This act sets your responsibilities as well as obligations for the extension or building work that may leave some effect on other’s property.
How this kind of problem arises?
It is a very common factor though that when you will continue any extension or building work, the party wall or boundary can be damaged. There is a risk always but it is not that even with protective measures you cannot skip the problems. The basic aim of the mentioned act is that before starting any extension work to the party wall or boundary, you should inform the adjoining neighbor.
You have to send a notice at least 60 days before your starting date. If they do not respond or provide any written consent within the next fourteen days, you will be in dispute.
It is not that a party wall disputes are always acrimonious. A dispute can take place even if the owner fails to respond within a particular time frame. The owner or the neighbor can legally dispute your notice to get assured that their interests are not going to adversely affect and gain the protection of an Award.
How to prevent Party Wall Disputes?
Thanks to laws and regulations that one can easily avoid all these hassles even before starting the work. You can take the help of a Party Wall Surveyor and follow the suggested ways not to have any problem when you will start your work. A Party Wall Surveyor will help you to properly communicate with your neighbor and outlining the works you are going to carry. If you have a good relationship and trust, you can communicate with your neighbor and make him/her understand all the works you wish to do.
Discuss your work plans with the adjoining owner- According to experts, it will be best if you directly communicate with the adjoining owner. In this friendly way, you can make him/her understand the entire work plan before you issue the written notice. Here you should be honest and respect the relationship you have with your adjoining owner.
Recognize the legal owner or owners of the property- you should start the process by identifying the legal owners or owners of the adjoining property. The occupier may be the owner. But if you check the entire thing from the very first move, it is going to save your time. And later, you will not also face owner related issues. There are a lot of websites where you will get the entire details of an owner just by entering the property location.
By following these ways, you can easily avoid any kind of disputes. But if any problem arises and you cannot continue the work, we will suggest you hire a Party Wall Surveyor and solve the issue. This is the easiest as well as an effective way to solve such a problem. Until the dispute is resolved you will not be able to continue the work and that’s why you should take the help of an expert professional and fast settle down the disputes.
You should always be honest about your work plans. If you try to do anything additional that is not mentioned in the notice or you did not mention verbally to the adjoining owner, it can bring a lot of legal troubles for you. So, try to be honest always in such cases. You can hire the best Party Wall Surveyor from the very first move and easily deal with the legal procedures. If you do not want to hire a surveyor, you can contact anyone who can police the situation. But that person should be a party.
