If you own a building and do not know about the Party Wall Act, it is a good time that you know about it. In case you are already messed up with the provisions of this act, Shore Engineering is there to bail you out. We are sure you do not want to mess anything further in the process of going through it all
What is the Party Wall Act and how does it work?
Consider a situation where you own a building. You then rent it out to somebody and remains unoccupied. Now if your neighbor has plans to execute work in his own property that will invariably affect their Party Wall, there is a danger that looms ahead! In case the neighbor did not know about the Party Wall Act of 1996 or chose to ignore it, for both you and your neighbor, the entire front elevation would be taken down. Now you and the tenant who you have rented your house will have to face quite some difficult times with lots of money to be given along with other costs and the neighbor shall have to pay for it. This is discomforting, to say the least, and could be easily avoided had precaution been taken.
If you are planning to carry out building work that you believe might affect a party wall or you become aware that your neighbor is planning to do so, it is imperative that you take the following action:-
- The first thing you could do is to speak to Shore Engineering who are solicitors in this field to take advice before doing anything. Be very cautious. Do not do anything before consulting them. It could land you in more trouble than you had ever expected.
- Make sure after speaking that all the notices that have long been pending being served with due effect and is binding on adjoining owners. You should never proceed if the notices have not been served.
- Wherever the work being done, ensure that the builder is aware of the clauses and follows the agreement from page to page. If possible, arrange a community meeting where everyone knows about the Party Wall Act and nobody breaches the act ever. This would not only educate people but save most from future troubles.
Shore Engineering has been in the construction business for years and knows very well as to how to help their clients dealing with such a mess. The Party Wall Act 1996 can be disturbing but once it’s proposals have been ignored there isn’t much you can do. The best you could do to avoid such extreme inconvenience is to talk to specialist solicitors, task their advice and then they shall be more than willing to guide you through the remaining process. Having been in the construction business for so long, they know which solution would work best for you. It is always best to proceed with caution, with advice from experienced professionals in the field. At the end meddling with a party wall, can be dangerous.