Neighbour's builders have smashed through MY wall!

t1redmonkey

Very angry as I have just got home from work, only to find in my middle bedroom, the neighbour's builders who are currently renovating their house, have smashed through part of the adjoining wall leaving a huge hole, and with rubble scattered all across my bedroom floor.

I can't do anything right now since I believe the builders finish each day at around 5pm, and I don't think there is anyone actually living in the property at the moment anyway while the property is being redone.

My first thought was to put a letter through the neighbours door, telling them to get it fixed for me ASAP or I'll begin legal proceedings. However I don't think I would be happy with them simply fixing it - I mean there was nothing wrong with the wall in the first place, so shouldn't I also get some sort of compensation from them? Would it be wrong to state something like this in my letter? Are they likely to give me any compensation, or would I have to go through my solicitor to have a chance of getting any? It's all very frustrating, I shouldn't even be on here now worrying about this, but because of their incompetence and/or negligence, I am.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

marleyboy

The fact they never even bothered leaving a note tells me more. Maybe they were hoping you would get home and simply not notice a gaping hole through your wall.

Doozergirl

I know it's not very nice and possibly distressing, but getting angry, demanding and threatening lawyers and asking for compensation isn't going make you happy or inprove the situation.

If you are nice, they will be nice, I am sure, and be happy to fix it. Don't antagonise them; you will destroy good will. Recognise that it was probably an accident and talk to these people like an adult. It's even possible that they didn't know - if they've put something into that wall.

Neighbourly relations would be more important to me than a bit of cash. Any solicitor fee would cost more than whatever you think you might be entitled to.

Take a few deep breaths!

Tigsteroonie

Take photos immediately of the damage and debris from your side (before trying to make it habitable for overnight)

Not sure whether you have a claim for compensation beyond fixing the repair, cleaning & redecoration. Possibly for loss of earnings if you have to take a day off for them to reinstate it from your side.

Have you told your insurance company? If it has effectively created an unsecure access into your home, that might impact on insurance.

bigjoe

Get STRAIGHT on to your insurance company - assuming you have buildings insurance - and ask how to proceed. A forum shouldn't be your first port of call in situations like this tbh. You need professional advice.

Kernel_Sanders

Next thing to do is invite BC at your LA to inspect the damage. This won't cost you anything because it's the neighbour's work that he'll be inspecting, and I suspect that such an incompetent builder would not have bothered with BC.

Jonesya

You need to read up and understand the 'Party wall act', it covers exactly this sort of issue and what your rights are - see below and the guidance booklet.

https://www.gov.uk/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance

System

Do you have any photos?
Sounds like a nightmare tbh, first things first I would ask them to rectify the damage - you would hope that somehow they have not noticed the damage to your side rather than just trying to ignore it!
I would speak to them directly in the first instance, they are likely to want to repair it without you claiming their insurance.
I'm of the opinion that the first thought isn't for compensation but rectifying a mistake and from previous experience trying to sort it with legal action and insurance will take a long time and cause a lot more inconvenience in the long run

globalds

On a positive note ..

If you have one of those old huge CRT TV's sitting around you could push it in the hole and it will look like a smart new flat screen TV

:beer:

t1redmonkey

Thank you for the advice so far guys.

I don't want to come across as if I care about compensation that much, but you have to understand that as far as I am concerned, this morning I had a perfectly good bedroom wall with no defects. Now this evening, I'm faced with a bedroom wall that has a huge amount of damage, and I'm not even sure it's completely structurally safe anymore.

Yes hopefully they will fix it (I have put a letter through their door now, so hopefully I get to speak to someone tomorrow), but then I don't know how long it's going to take them to fix it and I don't know if I can even trust they'll do a good job seeing as they've already caused this damage.

I have got in touch with my buildings insurance provider as well, and they basically agreed with what I have done so far, saying I should get the building company to fix the damage, and as a last resort, I could claim for it through my buildings insurance (though there is no way I would settle for doing that seeing as it's completely the builders fault).

t1redmonkey

Jonesya wrote: »

You need to read up and understand the 'Party wall act', it covers exactly this sort of issue and what your rights are - see below and the guidance booklet.

https://www.gov.uk/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance

Also thanks for this, I thought it was quite interesting to read some of it. Seems I should've been asked for my consent for them to work on the wall, 2 months prior to them starting on it, and I most definitely have not been asked about it at all!