{text removed by MSE Forum Team} party wall

Heroine007

From experience - Adele Bonham at Bonhams is a classic example of ambulance chasers/cold call scammers desperately scouting for work - who scaremonger homeowners into thinking that something terrible will happen to their home if their neighbour renovates. They sift through council websites searching for planning applications, and then write to adjoining neighbours claiming that they must force their neighbours [the building owner/renovator] to pay all surveyor costs for their property to be surveyed in case armaggedon occurs.

Basically they fleece building owners/renovators into paying for their flawed services. They charge ridiculous, unnecessary fees and leave relationships between neighbours in tatters.

Protocol is for the building owner/renovator to serve their neighbour [adjoining owner] with notice that they are about to renovate. Then ONE/JOINT surveyor can be used to check that plans are OK to renovate. However, Bonhams do not do that. They ensure they ruffle the feathers of the adjoining owner and serve notice to the building owner/renovator [when it should be the other way round e.g. the adjoining owner waits for building owner/renovator to serve notice of works], thus forcing their services on the building owner/renovator to use them if they wish. Since Bonhams are dubious - the building owner/renovator has no choice but to find their own trusted surveyor to protect themselves from invalid advice, which means they have to pay for TWO surveyors. Very costly, unfair and shows the loopholes in this act.

Unfortunately the Party Wall Act 1996 has opened the flood gates for dubious surveyors like Bonhams who are not experts in Party Wall matters to take advantage of unsuspecting home owners. Adjoining home owners who do not get on with their neighbours [building owner/renovator] take advantage of this act to force their neighbour [building owner/renovator] to pay unnecessary fees for Party Wall surveys. The adjoining owner does not have to pay a penny for their home to be surveyed. The burden of cost falls on the building owner/renovator because s/he is having the work done. This act can also be used as an excuse to delay renovation start dates.

They seriously cause strife between neighbours. And surveyors like Bonhams do not care because once they have fleeced the building owner/renovator - they are off searching for their next victim - leaving neighbours [adjoining owners and building owner/renovator] with a toxic relationship.

As another post said on this thread: Avoid these cold callers like the plague if you want to maintain any kind of relationship with your neighbours because they are out to fleece them [fleece the building owner/renovator who is doing the work since they are unfortunately obliged to pay for all surveyor fees concerning Party Walls - their own and the adjoining owners].

Instead, neighbours should reach a compromise that works for both sides by finding ONE/JOINT reliable surveyor who comes highly recommended to avoid unnecessary fees and bad relations.

Happy29

I hope someone can help as I have stupidly instructed them as I was not aware what this was.

I am so stupid and going mad thinking about the ramifications.

Can anyone advise what I can do now?
Thanks

theGrinch

My neighbour had an extension and we had one too. Both needed PWA. We visited each other, looked at the plans and discussed it.

We had architects draw it up, structural calculations and reputable builders. All open and in the light.

All these PWA companies writing thrive when the fear of God is in you.

teneighty

Happy29 wrote: »

I hope someone can help as I have stupidly instructed them as I was not aware what this was.

I am so stupid and going mad thinking about the ramifications.

Can anyone advise what I can do now?
Thanks

Appointed them to do what? Are you the person doing the work (building owner) or the neighbour (adjoining owner)..

What is the work? Does it actually fall under the Party Wall Act.

Your best bet is to reveal that the works are not covered by the Party Wall Act or that your instruction to the surveyor is invalid.

Heroine007

Happy29 wrote: »

I hope someone can help as I have stupidly instructed them as I was not aware what this was.

I am so stupid and going mad thinking about the ramifications.

Can anyone advise what I can do now?
Thanks

Regardless of what they might say - you do not have to use them even if they have been in touch and want to issue a notice letter to your neighbour on your behalf.

You can unappoint them because if you are the adjoining owner - you should wait for the building owner/renovator neighbour to serve you notice... not the other way round. Until you have been served notice - how can they be appointed?

Just say that you would rather start off the Party Wall process discussions [if there is a Party Wall matter] with your neighbour and take it from there. Your neighbour probably already has all the right people involved to renovate/start their work e.g. architect, structural engineer, surveyor. They are likely waiting to speak to you once they have planning permission in place before kick starting conversations. And if they were not aware of Party Wall matters - they will be now with your prompt.

Plus to help your neighbour reduce their surveyor costs - if a Party Wall matter is on the cards, instruct a JOINT surveyor - find a trusted, reliable one that has great online reviews. Not a cold caller desperately scouting for work.

And even if you are the building owner/renovator [and not the adjoining owner] - you do not have to use them. Best to find a reliable surveyor with great reviews.

Main thing is to keep the relationship with your neighbour civil, open and constant since once the surveyor is gone - you have to live with them for years to come.