Neighbour’s built a garden wall of very low quality

Yorkie1

I agree with the others that it looks as though it might not be sufficiently robust. I wouldn't touch it with pointing etc. from your side, for reasons that others have said - it's not your wall and you leave yourself open to allegations of damaging it / affecting its structure.

On the one hand you don't want this to escalate to a neighbour dispute. On the other hand, you might want to consider making it clear to your neighbour that you think there is a risk that the wall may fall into your garden and cause damage. 

Have you got legal protection on your home insurance? They may be able to suggest the best way forward

Jonboy_1984

I would be asking building control out to assess if it is a hazardous structure (they will assess garden walls if this is a concern and issue notices to correct).

ThisIsWeird

FtC, I presume you witnessed the foundations that were dug for that wall? What can you recall about it? Depth and width of trench in particular. It must have come into your land to some degree? Can you measure this?

(Prob not worth doing, but a wee hole down the side would soon indicate the quality of the foundation.)

feedthecat

ThisIsWeird said:

FtC, I presume you witnessed the foundations that were dug for that wall? What can you recall about it? Depth and width of trench in particular. It must have come into your land to some degree? Can you measure this?

(Prob not worth doing, but a wee hole down the side would soon indicate the quality of the foundation.)

When they dug the trench it was probably 3-4 bricks deep.  In terms of boundary, while they did not get a surveyor, the builder built the wall by marking an inch or so inside the old fence to avoid boundary dispute.

feedthecat

An update to this saga, while the neighbour saw no issue in it, the builder off his own accord decided in fill in the gaps and render upto to the third brick level to cover the bad work and give it a more aesthetic look.

I will be checking my home insurance and adding legal cover if I dont already have it as that wall is likely to come down and cause damage.

poppellerant

I can't see how your neighbour would be entirely happy with the workmanship on his side of the wall, let alone yours.  I suspect it's a mate's mate who is an amateur and did the job in a rush, just look how unlevel the bricks have been laid.

Is the wall built on the boundary line? As your neighbour is protective over the wall, I'd assume it's built on their side and not your side.  Either way, I'd build a fence against the wall, but not attach anything to the wall itself.  This way you don't have to look at that ugly sight and you can't be accused of tampering with the wall when it comes tumbling down - if nothing else, the fence might help protect you and your property when it starts crumbling away.

Mistral001

Jonboy_1984 said:

I would be asking building control out to assess if it is a hazardous structure (they will assess garden walls if this is a concern and issue notices to correct).

You can ask Building Control, but since garden walls do not come under the Building Regulations, they are unlikely to help you much.  

DullGreyGuy

Has your neighbour seen the finish on your side of the wall? Not from the purposes of you being left with an eyesore but just the quality of the workmanship and therefore the likely durability? 

casper_gutman

Mistral001 said:

Jonboy_1984 said:

I would be asking building control out to assess if it is a hazardous structure (they will assess garden walls if this is a concern and issue notices to correct).

You can ask Building Control, but since garden walls do not come under the Building Regulations, they are unlikely to help you much.  

It's true that the Building Regs don't apply to garden walls, but the Regs are not the only thing Building Control are supposed to take an interest in. 

They also have a remit to get involved in the public interest when an existing structure is a danger to public safety. This is separate from Building Regulations. See, e.g., Dangerous structures | LABC

Years ago I did some work experience with a structural engineer, and one day we were called out to advise a building control officer about a Victorian church hall with a wall that was bowing dangerously adjacent to a road. The BCO was on the scene and had had the road closed off. Nobody was suggesting that the structure, which had been there for 150 or so years, needed to be assessed for compliance with Building Regs.

Now, personally I'm not sure the OP's neighbour's wall is enough of an immediate public safety risk for building control (stretched and under funded as they doubtless are) to take an interest, but it's not daft to ask them to take a view.

Jonboy_1984

This, when I was looking at a property we wanted to offer on last year I looked on the building control register, and it entries for a dangerous structure notice for their garden wall a few years before.