Boundary issues

smudge_72

FreeBear said:

TheJP said:

How certain are you that the extension isn't encroaching over the boundary line?

Unless it was built as a party wall, there is a very good chance that the wall is inside the OP's boundary.

When my neighbour built his extension to the boundary, we gained a ~200mm strip of land over the top of his foundations.

How would I find out if it was a party wall?  I don't remember anything being said when we bought the place.  But that was a long time ago

Doozergirl

smudge_72 said:

FreeBear said:

TheJP said:

How certain are you that the extension isn't encroaching over the boundary line?

Unless it was built as a party wall, there is a very good chance that the wall is inside the OP's boundary.

When my neighbour built his extension to the boundary, we gained a ~200mm strip of land over the top of his foundations.

How would I find out if it was a party wall?  I don't remember anything being said when we bought the place.  But that was a long time ago

Is your house attached to your neighbour's house? 

If you are, then presuming that the boundary line through the house sits halfway within that building and the dividing wall, then before any extension gets built: 

Measure the outside of your nearest window reveal to their nearest window reveal = a

Measure the inside of your nearest window reveal to the inside of the party wall. Account for any difference between the reveal inside and outside, because of render/plasterboard and even it up = b 

Neighbour measures the same inside their house = c 

a-(b+c) = depth of party wall known as d.

The singular boundary point for you is b+(d/2).  If the extension wall straddles that point, it is a party wall.   It's how any properly considered extension should be built in attached properties, but some people get territorial about inches on a party wall that they would ultimately benefit from, but that is another conversation.   

For you, the extension is up so it's hard to be exact with it if the extension wall is out at all, which it probably is.  

You've gotten very angry about this, but you don't know all that much about your house.  That anger is already misplaced.  

There's an argument for just accepting that you haven't currently got a clue and that is is exceptionally hard to work out where any true boundary is, so you may as well leave it that way if having the knowledge is going to make you angry about 'theft'. 

Same for any tiny boundary dispute.  Pointless.  

comeandgo

Your neighbour may be putting the main support wood in your garden but the panels may be placed on his side of them allowing the neighbour to do all the fencing work while he is in his own garden rather than being in yours to do the work, which you are not happy with anyway.

smudge_72

FreeBear said:

TheJP said:

How certain are you that the extension isn't encroaching over the boundary line?

Unless it was built as a party wall, there is a very good chance that the wall is inside the OP's boundary.

When my neighbour built his extension to the boundary, we gained a ~200mm strip of land over the top of his foundations.

@free bear thank you,  you are indeed correct.  I just remember I had the architectural drawings somewhere for the extension.  And you are right the outer wall of my extension in the plan lines up with the inside of my internal walls.  So the fence before it blew down was already on my side of the boundary and they have moved the line even further in to my property. 

So I guess someone is going to be moving their fence posts off my land.