Neighbors loft conversion, party wall.

Phil4432

Evening all,

The attached house next door (semi) is about to have a loft conversion built.  The owners are abroad, and are having work done to the house before they arrive.
No party wall notice has been served, so hopefully that's because the party wall wont be altered. 

Not really concerned with the building work, we all have to work on our homes from time to time.

But would like to know if anything they are doing will affect the party wall, shared chimney or our roof.  Have written to the loft conversion company, asking for any details of work to the party wall, shared chimney, roof that would be affecting us.  Wondering if there's anything else that should be asked?

Thank you. 

grumbler

Phil4432 said:

No party wall notice has been served, so hopefully that's because the party wall wont be altered. 

Hopefully? The project has to be available online in your council. RCJs resting on a party wall are pretty common for loft conversions.

sevenhills

Is it a well known loft conversion company? Some loft conversions need planning permission, but the simpler ones do not.

Phil4432

grumbler said:

Phil4432 said:

No party wall notice has been served, so hopefully that's because the party wall wont be altered. 

Hopefully? The project has to be available online in your council. RCJs resting on a party wall are pretty common for loft conversions.

Yes, I've found it on the councils website.  No party wall notice has been served to us.  I'm asking what the best way to proceed would be.

Phil4432

sevenhills said:

Is it a well known loft conversion company? Some loft conversions need planning permission, but the simpler ones do not.

They're on checkatrade, insured and have a website.  That's all I can tell you.  Planning permission has been applied for.

grumbler

Phil4432 said:

grumbler said:

Phil4432 said:

No party wall notice has been served, so hopefully that's because the party wall wont be altered. 

Hopefully? The project has to be available online in your council. RCJs resting on a party wall are pretty common for loft conversions.

Yes, I've found it on the councils website.  No party wall notice has been served to us.  I'm asking what the best way to proceed would be.

Yes found or yes RSJs? The notice is needed for RSJs.

FaceHead

I wouldn't get too worked up over the PWA. The act is a complete nonsense. Yes the neighbour should comply with the law (which they may I need be doing), but not doing so really doesn't change anything.

Notice or no notice, PWA applicable works or not, if the neighbour damages your property during their works they are liable for it. Take photos of the current condition of your property and let them get on with it. If there is damage, ask them to fix it. 

Rosa_Damascena

FaceHead said:

I wouldn't get too worked up over the PWA. The act is a complete nonsense. Yes the neighbour should comply with the law (which they may I need be doing), but not doing so really doesn't change anything.

Notice or no notice, PWA applicable works or not, if the neighbour damages your property during their works they are liable for it. Take photos of the current condition of your property and let them get on with it. If there is damage, ask them to fix it. 

That may well be true, but playing nicely and offering one offers a bit of assurance that the neighbours intentions are honourable. Sticking to the rules is the decent thing to do.

Doozergirl

grumbler said:

Phil4432 said:

No party wall notice has been served, so hopefully that's because the party wall wont be altered. 

Hopefully? The project has to be available online in your council. RCJs resting on a party wall are pretty common for loft conversions.

It doesn't have to be online. Most loft conversions fall under PD and the details of Building Control Applications, which is where any juicy detail might be, are not in the public domain. You're not going to gain any meaningful information from the council.  

OP, you've done the best thing you can do, which is contact the builders in the absence of the neighbours being around.   As long as you're not confrontational about it, they should be perfectly willing to show you what's going to happen.  

GDB2222

The advantage (for both parties) of a PWA surveyor is that a detailed survey is made of the condition of the OP's house. Then, if the works cause problems, or are alleged to cause problems, it's clear what was pre-existing.

Also, the PWA surveyor should specify how the work is to be carried out, so as to minimise damage. 

If it looks like the works are likely to involve RSJs being attached to the PW, the op can get an injunction to stop the work going ahead, although that's a last resort. I'd speak to a solicitor now about this. A letter from him to the loft conversion company will have far more weight than one from the op, and they'll probably make sure the owner appoints a PWA surveyor, if one is needed, as they won't want to get stuck into the work, only to be ordered to stop.

You don't want to end up litigating, and a letter now from a solicitor is the best way to avoid that.

Phil4432

Thank you for the replies.

The loft company got back to me promptly, and sent me the building plans.  He's informed me that the only work to the party wall will be to accommodate one pocket, for one steel.

There will be no other work to the party wall, nor chimney.  Going by the plans, the wall of the dormer will be inside of the property boundary/party wall and inside of the shared chimney with no overhang into our airspace. 

Though I'm not familiar with plans for a loft conversion, there is nothing that is causing me alarm.

Really, I should have been given 2 months notice that they intended to do something with the party wall, however in the interests of neighborly harmony its not an issue for me, providing there is no damage to our side of the house.