Neighbours adding extension (party wall): getting lots of letters: do we need to act?

dgerrard

Hi there,

Our neighbours have applied for an extension.  Pretty standard, adding a kitchen on the back, they've shown us the plans & measurements and we're fine with it.

Now that they've officially applied, we've started getting letters saying things like:  You are entitled to appoint a surveyor (fees paid by your neighbours) to conduct a survey of the relevant parts of your property, and produce a Party Wall Award, plus give final inspection after works are complete.  They also say that if we don't do this, the neighbours start the work & cause damage to our property, it will be difficult to prove that this was a result of the new works.

We only bought in 2019 and had a survey done then.  We spoke to the neighbours, they said they'll be getting a survey done anyway, they know about as much about all this as we do (which isn't much!)

So:  is this just scare-mongering & marketing by the surveyors?  Or is this something we should definitely request before things begin?  It's addressed to "The Homeowner", and I believe the neighbours the other side have had the same letter.

Thank you for any advice!

GDB2222

I’d get a PWA surveyor. Agree with your neighbours to appoint one to act for everyone, to keep the costs down. It adds to the cost of the work, but it saves arguments later.

 Try to find a decent local surveyor, who does this sort of work, rather than using the people who have written to you.

aoleks

these are commercial companies trying to sell you services. as planning applications are public, they know when a new one is submitted and automatically send standard letters to try to sell you things you probably don't need.

does your neighbour's extension stretch all the way to the boundary line? are they building foundations under your land? if so, they will have to get a party wall agreement at their cost, you don't need a company to do it for you.

GDB2222

aoleks said:

these are commercial companies trying to sell you services. as planning applications are public, they know when a new one is submitted and automatically send standard letters to try to sell you things you probably don't need.

does your neighbour's extension stretch all the way to the boundary line? are they building foundations under your land? if so, they will have to get a party wall agreement at their cost, you don't need a company to do it for you.

The problem is that the neighbours may go ahead without a PWA, even if they "have to get" one. It’s better to set the ball rolling now.

The surveyor will check whether a PWA is needed, before ploughing ahead, anyway.