Is our house now unsaleable ..Help!

Marktheshark

Hoploz wrote: »

I would monitor the next few days and see if they fix it. Re the debris in the cavity, not much can be done about this and it probably isn't a huge amount. I suspect they will fix the hole with a new block pretty soon. If no change after a few days and it looks like they've forgotten it then I would talk to the neighbour

It does not need to be a huge amount, just enough to clear the damp course and they have a rising damp issue up the wall.
I suspect they will put a bodged block back or dollop of cement once they have used the OP loft to thread the rsj through, which means they are doing a structural alteration and need building regulations and survey.

With the hole the OP now has a vented opening and if next door has a fire, they are going to have a fire as well, very quickly indeed.

I would have the council out, get the worked stopped until they have the correct regulations and to **** with the neighbour who has not even bothered top tell you the builders have knocked a hole in you wall to save a few quid getting the beams in.

The risk is as the OP describes, wait and see and they could end up with an unsaleable house.

SailorSam

Marktheshark wrote: »

It does not need to be a huge amount, just enough to clear the damp course and they have a rising damp issue up the wall.


Although that's true, i'd be surprised if there's not lots of houses where the brickies have accidently dropped bricks & mortor down into the cavity as they've been working.

Hootie01

Thank you all so far for your replies. We have looked at the GOV. links and so on and been deciding what to do. The house is a 1950's terrace and they have also gone through the other side.
I went round to the other side and asked them if there dad (who is a builder) could pop round and the chappie said they had heard them go through the wall as well but Dad wasn't there.


My hubby has just gone round to see them and the Dad is going to look tmrw as he's away.

I'm going to go to council tmrw and see what they say. If they say why haven't you talked to your neighbours Im going to say its because they are not approachable in our opinion.
Im so upset about this. As for many people we work hard and live frugally. Then this happens and its like now what!
Hootie

WeAreGhosts

chris_m wrote: »

They can if the cowboys have knocked a hole in both gable ends.

what, a builder armed with a wrecking ball?

chris_m

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

what, a builder armed with a wrecking ball?

Nothing that extreme necessary. For example there's a row of detached houses near me with only something like a 6-9" gap between each pair. A hamfisted cowboy builder could easily knock a hole in one of those whilst working on next door.

That is why I was asking for confirmation that this issue is with a semi-detached or terraced property, which the OP has now confirmed, so the PWA definitely does apply.

lonestar1

Breaking and entering is a criminal offence - has anything been taken from your attic ?

Daerve

lonestar1 wrote: »

Breaking and entering is a criminal offence - has anything been taken from your attic ?

I keep saying the above in an American accent and then it makes sense.

Hootie01

Im just reading all your helpful comments before I go to council this morning.
All the other neighbours find them very false and they are not approachable and tend to get very defensive over nothing as though they generally are hiding something. Or they just laugh at you..?


We just wondered if the council can actually stop the work or do we have to do that by getting an injunction. Also going to call insurance company as I do not have the money for paying a solicitor before payday and hopefully they can do something
Hubs is going to work from hm today as Iv had no sleep. I just do not need this right now especially in the school hols as well when we normally would be out at play parks having fun.


My other concern is that we have just had central heating put in. The boiler is at the back where they might try and put another hole. In the room below that corner. Its all sealed and legal and up to regs as were v hot on gas safety having probs in prev house. But Iv had a worrying suspicion that if they use the force they used the other day the gas pipes or boiler will move or the pipe going out through the wall.


I have a horrid feeling we wont we able to sell our house and will have to borrow money to pay for a solicitor. Oh joy!!
A cup of tea is surely the answer.

moneyistooshorttomention

Good luck at the Council offices.

Let us know what they say about it.

A different thought on this = do you have legal insurance as an add-on to your household insurance? If so, could you phone their legal advice line and see what they have to say. Maybe other avenues could be if you are in a union with a legal advice helpline.

HHarry

You can speak to the Council but I'm not sure they'll do a lot. They may give some advice on the Party Wall Act, but they have no enforcement powers. They may have a word with your neighbours.

If you want the work to be stopped you'll need to get an injunction.

One of the purposes of the PWA is to protect neighbours against damage when work is being done. In essence a Surveyor records the condition of your property before work starts, so that if problems arise during or after construction there is no arguing about whether they were pre-existing.

If your Neighbiurs had served a PWA notice and surveyed, and this damage occurred, then you'd have no problem getting it repaired (even if you had to go to court).
If you highlight the issue and it gets fixed satisfactorily then not having been served won't actually matter.