Help with neighbour/law/liability

gavvallance

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

This is a curious situation and I can't help but think that there is more to this than meets the eye :rolleyes:

I belive this may be a reaction to us residents objecting(unsuccesfully, but delaying) a prison extension.

:rolleyes:

ben500

I would suggest you contact your insurers and make them aware of this quickly, under the party wall act they can given the right criteria {health and safety will do} carry out repairs and bill you and your neighbours so best to check with your insurers for some sound advice, your building insurers will instruct a structural engineer at no cost to you. let them know that the contents of the letter are of a health and safety nature.

gavvallance

ben500 wrote: »

I would suggest you contact your insurers and make them aware of this quickly, under the party wall act they can given the right criteria {health and safety will do} carry out repairs and bill you and your neighbours so best to check with your insurers for some sound advice, your building insurers will instruct a structural engineer at no cost to you. let them know that the contents of the letter are of a health and safety nature.

will do..........:T

silvercar

do you have legal insurance with your home insurance, it may be worth a phonecall.

Of course if you told the prison that the wall was fit for purpose but it would be there decision as to whether it was safe to continually pound the ground immediately adjacent to the whole, it would throw the ball back into their court. After all, they choose to send their officers walking around the perimeter, so it has to be their decision if it is safe to do so. If they feel the wall is in anyway a danger they need to redirect their officers patrol.

Addiscomber

gavvallance wrote: »

I will being meeting the prison governer and maintenace dept tomorrow and I don't want them to run rings round me......I have to admit I will be a bit out of my comfort zone!:D

Best of luck. I am sure that they will be reasonable if they want your co-operation. Also they will know that you can complain to your MP and the press if they try to railroad you.

ben500

It's highly unlikely the detention unit authorities have any ulterior motive here, this action is probably the result of their own risk assessment procedures, having identified the risk they are duty bound to ensure they do all in their power to reduce or eliminate it, this is just part of the process ie it's your wall and you should be advised of the danger and given due opportunity to rectify it, if any of your neighbours refuse to comply (assuming of course a s/e confirms the risk) then things may get a little complicated, obviously the cheapest option will be for one contractor to deal with the entire wall but that will all come out in the wash, most likely if any of the work is insurable then a loss adjuster would be instructed to co-ordinate between the various parties, your insurer should be able to set your mind at ease for you.

silvercar

If it is your wall and your boundary you could decide to remove the wall alltogether and replace it with a single wire or some leylandii or nothing at all if you desire. The prison may then decide that they want to build a wall just inside their boundary and would be responsible for further maintenance!

maninthestreet

"the wall is 8 ft high concrete vertical posts with about 7 horizontal gravel boards at the end of peoples gardens, then footpath, then prison boundary. They save the gravel boards are loose. They aren't. You could probably make 1 or 2 over a few hundred feet move if you waggled them - but obviously that would be touching someones property! I'm going to get the deeds out the loft to try and confirm responsibilty."

Are the posts slotted, with the ends of the gravel boards inserted into the slots? If so, a small amount of movement ,'fore and aft in the slot', of the gravel board, is expected, and perfectly acceptable, and would be virtually impossible to 'remedy' - the boards are slighly narrower than the slots in the post they fit into, otherwise they wouldn't fit in. There is no danger of the boards falling out - they are held in place by the very fact each end is retained in the slot of the post by at least 1 inch.

Addiscomber

gavvallance,

how did things go at your meeting?

prudryden

Addiscomber wrote: »

gavvallance,

how did things go at your meeting?

He may have never returned from his meeting.