Please Help - dispute over boundary wall - what do we do?

camper_1982

Selling my property and should be exchanging on friday. Buyer has come round and hass noted that the next door neighbours porch is built onto the party wall. This wouldnt be an issue, but our buyer wants to have a porch built and this will stop her.
Went to speak to next door neighbour, they are selling their house too and should be exchanging on monday.
Wont pull it down, our buyer is saying will need to go through solicitors or will walk away from sale.
Neighbour will ring their agent in the morning to see what they say advise.

what should i do now? what will happen. i dont want to lose the sale and the buyer wants to be in here asap.

thank you for any advice anyone may have in this situation.

Manual_Reversion

I don't understand why a porch built against a boundary wall is a problem.

After all, their house is built against a boundary wall isn't it? As indeed yours is.

If they want a porch so much, why can your buyers not build against the party wall as your neighbours have?

Apologies for answering you with more questions, but it doesn't sound quite right to me. If it's as straightforward as I'm thinking, then no doubt their solicitors will put them straight.

Perhaps there's more to it? Had any problems with your neighbours? On-going disputes, lack of planning permission if required etc?

Kind regards.

housebuyer_abc

camper_1982 wrote: »

Selling my property and should be exchanging on friday. Buyer has come round and hass noted that the next door neighbours porch is built onto the party wall. This wouldnt be an issue, but our buyer wants to have a porch built and this will stop her.
Went to speak to next door neighbour, they are selling their house too and should be exchanging on monday.
Wont pull it down, our buyer is saying will need to go through solicitors or will walk away from sale.
Neighbour will ring their agent in the morning to see what they say advise.

what should i do now? what will happen. i dont want to lose the sale and the buyer wants to be in here asap.

thank you for any advice anyone may have in this situation.

Well if its built up to the party wall there is not much you can do.

If it had planning permission there is probably little you can do

If it has been there for over six years again there is little you can do.

Negotiation and compromise all round is the best solution here

Paul_the_Painter

I'm thinking that by the phrase "Party Wall" what you are actually refering to is a shared dividing wall that separates the properties and runs into the garden. This was then used as a support for the neighbours porch, when in fact it should not have been.

Sounds to me like an ideal opportunity to get all 4 parties round a table/conference call. There is a potential party wall dispute between you and your neighbours, Your buyers want the house and to build a porch, the buyers of next door want to move in without a potential dispute hanging over the property, and want a porch.

How about the end result being two new porches creating a harmonius look across the front of both properties. The buyer of your property pays 1/2 the cost (ie the cost of a single porch) you pay 1/4 (to get rid of your problem) your neighbour pays 1/4 (to get rid of their problem). The end result is you and your neighbour get of your (unwanted) dispute, your buyer gets a porch for the price they wanted to pay, and your neighbours buyer gets a new porch, probably nicer/larger than the one already on the property.

Simples

Of course the lawyers may make it less simple

Framps

Paul_the_Painter wrote: »

Of course the lawyers may make it less simple

And more expensive, no doubt - but an excellent solution nonetheless