Sloping floors in Tenement flat

MissCeltic

Hi

i have sloping floors in my tenement which I would like to get levelled. If I need repairs on the joists do I need to get permission from the other flat owners in my building. 

jennifernil

I would not have thought so.

You might like to let those below and on either side know that there will be some noise while the work is being done.

MissCeltic

Thanks I was just not sure what the rules are for tenement buildings.

LightFlare

Totally depends if you are ground floor or if there is a flat below you.

Having any type of joist work is very likely to cause them at least some nuisance 

Eldi_Dos

I know it is a important game for you tonight but try and get some sleep or you might miss it.

Concerning the work that may be required, if there is flats below you it is only common curtesy to let them know work will be ongoing. (and is a good excuse to introduce yourself). Quite often in older Victorian flats this type of work requires replacing wallplates which will be noisy for them down below.
If it is a older property with lathe and plaster ceilings make sure your contractors take care not to damage downstairs ceilings.

Edit; I am getting ahead of myself, should have said tomorrow night.

weeg

Word of warning: You are looking at a big, expensive, messy job. The only way to fix this is to lift all the floorboards and either put shims on top of the joists or nail new ones to the sides of them. That is going to disturb all the deafening (which is most likely ash) and the lathe and plaster ceiling downstairs. You absolutely should not be considering replacing the joists - just adding to them. If a builder tells you otherwise I wouldn't trust them.

But iirc you won't need permission from your fellow residents. Read up on the tenement act. Also there is guidance herehttps://www.gov.scot/publications/common-repair-common-sense-guide-to-managing-tenements/ and https://underoneroof.scot/floors-and-ceilings/

My advice: It's not worth it. Tenement floor often slope. Unless you have an overfull fish tank, it's unlikely to be a big deal. And I speak as someone who has been involved in work to tenements for over  a decade.

TELLIT01

If the OP is a leaseholder won't they require permission from the freeholder to do the work?

jennifernil

Leasehold properties are extremely rare in Scotland.

weeg

jennifernil said:

Leasehold properties are extremely rare in Scotland.

TELLIT01 said:

If the OP is a leaseholder won't they require permission from the freeholder to do the work?

Yeah, it's really not a thing here. You buy your flat plus a share of the ground and external structure. So, typically in a tenement you own a 1/8th share of the roof, ground etc. And for shared repairs you are equally liable, either by paying a factor an extortionate fee to manage the close, or by doing so yourselves. And if you want to knock through the bed recess, or replace the windows with upvc - that's on you so long as you don't destabilise the building. I've never been asked to look at a floor re-levelling but if it's entirely within your floorspace and doesn't affect the structure overall (which replacing the joists would) then it should only be the flat owner's concern.

TELLIT01

Thanks for that weeg.  Levelling the floor, as others have said, is a major task however it is done, and will be extremely disruptive and probably extremely expensive.

Eldi_Dos

TELLIT01 said:

Thanks for that weeg.  Levelling the floor, as others have said, is a major task however it is done, and will be extremely disruptive and probably extremely expensive.

If it is the wallplates that are causing the problem it will not necessarily be massively expensive as that would be the only material that needs replaced.