What Builders and Property Buyers Need to Know About Party Wall

A party wall is a shared wall between two properties that is set at the line of demarcation. For builders and home buyers, it is crucial to know everything about this wall to avoid disputes between neighbors in the future. As a matter of fact, many states such as the UK have the 1996 Party Wall Etc. Act (PWA 1996) that guides builders on what to do when they want to build a party wall or do other construction affecting a party wall.

The Requirements of the Builder

When carrying out work that will affect your neighbors, you are required to serve them with a notice. What you should know is that things like noise, dust, and other pollution are the cause of nuisance during and even after the construction work. However, they are not covered in the PWA, and hence you are required to discuss these with the neighbors to maintain a good relationship.

Assessing the Work

Each party might need to hire a surveyor or professional representatives. In such a case, the Humphreysandsons company is the ideal choice as they have experience in party wall representation.

Experienced surveyors come in handy when carrying out notifiable construction work, which can be overwhelming or even confusing. They should walk you through every step of the process and ensure that your neighbors do not sue you for anything.

Expectations from the Neighbors

When you serve a notice to your neighbors early, you give them time to assess the situation and how it will affect them. They have a right to agree or disagree with what you intend to do depending on how much it will affect them. Negotiation can be done and then an agreement will be drafted by a lawyer and signed by both parties.

When doing building work either to the party wall or buildings adjacent to the wall, you should stick to the agreement between you and the neighbors, failure to which they can sue you.

What to Do When the Neighbor is Building

Now that you know what to do when you want to carry out construction work affecting the party wall, it is time to learn your rights when your neighbor is doing the same. Well, the same case applies: the neighbor should serve you with a notice early enough and describe all the work they intend to do.

After this, you should negotiate, especially if there is some building work you do not agree with. It is also crucial to hire a qualified surveyor to take you through this, especially if you do not know a lot about party wall rights.

After that, both parties should get into a contract detailing the scope of work and the time it will take from beginning to completion.

Conclusion

Party wall issues are sensitive because they touch on your relationship with neighbors. Hence, every party should make fair decisions that will bring satisfaction. Above all, carry your building work in a cautious way, especially if you have neighbors on all sides.