Wall of neighbour's extension - what can we do to it?

System

ds1980 wrote: »

they cant say no.

On what basis do you say that?. At best it's a party wall and therefore both sides need to agree any action.

JimmyTheWig

TrixA wrote: »

I'd like to know what the neighbours' attitude is, but thought it might come across a bit pushy to knock on their door when we haven't even completed the purchase yet!

I don't think it's a problem to knock on a neighbours door when buying a house. I've never done it myself, but wouldn't have a problem if someone buying a neighbour's house knocked on my door.

The problem with this plan, though, is that you can't hold them to anything they say.
If the vendor says something is the case, and it is important to you, then it can form part of the contract when you buy the house.
If the neighbour says something to you that they later go back on then there's nothing you can do.

societys_child

ds1980 wrote: »

they cant say no as its a boundary wall.

You know that for a fact?

If it's their wall, you cant touch it without permission.
Painting, attaching anything, growing anything up it (which clings) just might be criminal damage.

JustinR1979

Just paint it, you'll be protecting it for them, and they can't see it.
Wish my neighbours would have painted the side of my house, would have saved me doing it.
Was in a right mess peeling off, but they had to look at it not me.

Mojisola

JustinR1979 wrote: »

Just paint it, you'll be protecting it for them, and they can't see it.

You can't paint it just because it's on the boundary. If the neighbour had a fence in that position, you wouldn't have the right to paint it or attach anything to it or grow clinging plants up it without the neighbour's permission - as societys child said.

Starting off in a new house with a neighbour dispute is not good!

You could have a row of pots with tall plants in front of the wall if you really want to hide it.

JustinR1979

If a fence is my neighbours, I can't paint my side?
Just painted the lot, and my neighbour is a policeman. Should I be worried?
World's gone mad.

Mojisola

JustinR1979 wrote: »

If a fence is my neighbours, I can't paint my side?
Just painted the lot, and my neighbour is a policeman. Should I be worried?
World's gone mad.

Not if your neighbour is happy with you doing that.

Why do you think you have the right to paint the side of his fence that you can see? Unless you paid half of the cost of the fence, it doesn't belong to you.

(And the world hasn't gone mad - the law has always been the same - you can't arbitrarily do things to someone's else's possessions without their agreement.)

JustinR1979

I don't know if he is happy, I didn't ask him.
It's me that's got to look at it, I don't see how they could have any issues.
Would never occur to me to question someone painting my fence that I can't see, and they have to look at. Same with the house, I don't see that side, they have too look at it.
I'm not arguing with you, I'm sure you're right, but to me at least it seems mad

moneyistooshorttomention

JustinR1979 wrote: »

Just paint it, you'll be protecting it for them, and they can't see it.
Wish my neighbours would have painted the side of my house, would have saved me doing it.
Was in a right mess peeling off, but they had to look at it not me.

Having had this situation from both angles in my last house (a terrace) I'd say its acceptable to just go ahead and paint it, but anything attached to a wall would have to be "asked about" basically.

It's very much the norm in these Victorian terraces for the neighbour that sees the wall concerned to paint the wall (ie as they see it and the wall-owner doesn't). These walls are usually painted white (presumably in order to maximise the amount of light reflected in what would otherwise be a darker area of the garden/yard. I guess this is the case because you/or previous owner of the house blocked in someone else's yard by putting up a wall along one of their boundaries and/or the next door neighbour has done the same to you.

Hence its sort of an unspoken agreement that its reasonable to paint the wall if you see it, but the owner doesn't.

Of course, if the surface of wall (or a coating the owner has applied to it) projects at all into your garden/yard, then you are, in effect, painting what should be clear airspace within your yard iyswim and its up to you what you do with your airspace (even if its "filled by building") I would say as regards painting.

NB: A fence is, of course, rather different (because paint might go through the slats to the other side and spoil the look of it for the owner).

Doozergirl

No one's really answered your question about party walls. It is a party wall because it sits directly on the boundary. If you wanted to extend along the boundary, you'd have to use that wall, essentially.