Are your or your neighbour carrying out building works? There is a good chance that you or your neighbour will have responsibilities under the  Party Wall etc Act 1996.

 

What is a party wall?

The main types of party walls are:

• a wall that stands on the lands of 2 (or more) owners and forms part of a building – this wall can be part of one building only or separate buildings belonging to different owners
• a wall that stands on the lands of 2 owners but does not form part of a building, such as a garden wall but not including timber fences
• a wall that is on one owner’s land but is used by 2 (or more) owners to separate their buildings

The Act also uses the expression ‘party structure’. This could be a wall or floor partition or other structure separating buildings or parts of buildings in different ownership, such as in flats.

What the Act covers

The Act covers:

• new building on or at the boundary of 2 properties
• work to an existing party wall or party structure
• excavation near to and below the foundation level of neighbouring buildings

This may include:

• building a new wall on or at the boundary of 2 properties
• cutting into a party wall
• making a party wall taller, shorter or deeper
• removing chimney breasts from a party wall
• knocking down and rebuilding a party wall
• digging below the foundation level of a neighbour’s property

 

If any of the above applies to you, please give us a call.

If you would like to learn a little more about the Party Wall Act and how it applies to you, please find a link the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Explanatory Booklet here.