Wall collapse- neighbours fault?

Section62

Twopints said:

Er, yes, that's how walls usually work, they have to be supported by plants, not by bricks and mortar 

Folks might be surprised.

http://rootlok.co.uk/vegetated-wall-system

Roots can damage traditional walls, but equally roots can be used to lock structural elements together.

Exactly how any wall gains its strength and stability can vary over time.

stuart45

I've repaired and rebuilt a lot of masonry walls, especially stone, damaged by Ivy. Once it's got well established and grown into the centre of the wall and wrecked the joints it's removal is a waste of time without a rebuild. Always best to get rid of it while it's still on the surface.

Section62

Rosa_Damascena said:

Get the point about the ivy but lets not pretend it added to the structural integrity of the wall.

It might have damaged the motar joints over time, but it could be argued that the ivy was binding the wall together prior to collapse, and that removal of the ivy was the immediate cause.

Rosa_Damascena said:

The bricks have fallen onto your side which would suggest the force came from her side of the boundary.

Pressure from behind - or pulling from the front - could cause the bricks to fall in that direction.

I'd suggest that the ivy being removed and the collapse of the wall being simultaneous makes a strong case that pulling on the ivy was likely a significant contribution the the collapse.


No matter. The wall appears to have a ground retaining function, so whoever is responsible for the wall is now responsible for replacing it with something suitable to restore that function.

If not set out in the property deeds, the owners of the two properties need to agree how the responsibility should be split, or let a court decide.  The cheapest overall approach would be to come to some kind of agreement without the need for legal action.