Neighbour wishes to access our garage to cavity wall insulate their home...

paddy's_mum

Snow Dog has it spot on. There is little to be worried about if the firm is a well-known, reputable one but I would be wanting to see details of their insurance before I let them loose on my property.

You might also be wise to take date verified photographs (hold up that day's newspaper) before they enter. You may later need to prove that your property was in good order and that any damage is the responsibility of the cavity wallers to put right.

Having your own done at the same time is actually quite a good idea as your neighbours, having prevailed upon your willingness, could hardly refuse you the same courtesy.

McAzrael

Snow_Dog wrote: »

I would guess one positive would be staying friendly with the neighbour.

You could ask them if its a reputable firm and not a bunch of cowboys.

They need to drill holes not just at the base of the wall, its more like every couple of sq metres, holes are about 1-2 cm in diameter (big enough to get the tube in that fires the insulation in)

If you are concerned about insurance you are entitled to see proof of their public liability insurance before they start work on your property, though a larger firm is very unlikely to be trading without it.

The other positive is that they do have a right of reasonable access from your property to carry out maintenance work on theirs, and you don't really want to go to tribunal or court to find that out. Reasonable, of course, includes them seeking your consent first, providing you with details of the intended works, providing you with details of appropriate insurance cover, reimbursing you for any costs incurred and agreeing a convenient time with you. Try to agree everything with them before they are forced to issue a party wall notice.

globalds

There is one thing that may be worth finding out .
The work will be caried out all the way up the wall .Find out how they will be working above your garage.If it is a felt roof ,it is far easier for this to be damaged .
Maybe somebody else on this forum knows a bit more or will tell me i'm wrong ?
Hopefully they are not thinking of resting a ladder on your garage roof ...

Poppycat

Good point about the roof, make sure if roof is flat they put some boarding down so that the ladders dont make marks in the roof (it spreads the load) also they most likely be able to have access, it may make a small amount of mess (mortar, brick) etc when they drill the holes it shouldn't be that many in a garage though

rygon

Before asking for yours to be done, it may be worth checking with your council if they have any schemes going. NE lincs have one called SHEEP where you can get cheaper insulation for wall and roof.
I see no negative aspects with allowing them to get it done. Just make sure anything you dont want getting dirty is covered up or removed whilst the work is getting done

Tahiti

McAzrael wrote: »

they do have a right of reasonable access from your property to carry out maintenance work on theirs

I agree - mind you, right of access to the actual inside of the property (rather than just having access over the land) is very concerning.

Having done a lot of research online last night, there are some recent cases noted where there have been insulation problems which, while resolved by the CIGA guarantee if the problems are on the neighbour's property, might not be covered if the problems stemmed to mine.

I just wonder if I allow them access to the inside of my property and then things go wrong (aside from the mess that they will inevitably make), whether I will be left holding the baby for no benefit other than not putting the neighbours noses out of joint.

paddy's_mum

The Access to Neighbouring Land Act covers only maintenance of existing - the proposed cavity wall insulation is new work and the Act would not cover it.

I have to say that it occurs to me to wonder why they need or want to insulate the garage unless perhaps they plan to build above it or convert it at some time in the future. Have you asked them why they cannot access the shared wall from their own side and save you the hassle?

Tahiti

The garage is ours - linked to their lounge. They are asking to access the garage to pump the insulation through from our side. They have not as yet mentioned access onto the flat roof (which I would point out has only just been replaced - less than 6 months ago) to do the upper level, but if it was done properly, I would not have an issue with them using the roof for access.

The building is 1970s - brick bottom with tiled top section (I believe the material behind the tiles is concrete but I could be wrong). Our garage is home to the car (unusual I know!!), but it also has a lot of junk in there, as well as a huge (probably 4 metre by 3 metre) mirror attached directly to the wall. As such, it is not a simple case of letting them in, and allowing them to do what they want, and leave as if nothing had happened. I hate to think what the mirror weighs aside from anything else!

paddy's_mum

I think if I were in your shoes, I would be asking for a little more assurance than you appear to have sought so far.

For example, if the neighbours are able-bodied, are they willing to help you move and then replace the contents of your garage. I can't see that you should slog over it alone since what they ask is for their own benefit and for no gain to you except to please them.

I would also be insisting that the work is done on a day and at a time when you or your wife can be present to keep an eye on things. It is also, in my view, entirely reasonable for you to insist that if the workmen do need to access your flat roof, they must use proper crawling boards so as to avoid damage.

Again, I recommend that you take date verified photographs to protect your position in the event of a future dispute.

I'm quite sure that like 99% of such work, it will all go fine but perhaps better to protect yourself beforehand than fall out with them later because you failed to spot the potential for trouble. Hope it all works out well for you and that both sets of neighbours will feel that the other lot are 'great folks'.

PasturesNew

McAzrael wrote: »

The other positive is that they do have a right of reasonable access from your property to carry out maintenance work on theirs

... however, this isn't maintenance, this is improvement.