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Neighbour's Guttering - Is it my Problem?
Comments
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That will add to the cost then.
My understanding is that the leak is witin the neighbours boundary according to the drawing.
How long does it take to get a party wall act drawn up and how much does it cost?
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AIUI, party wall act does not include minor works - almost like a 'de-minimis' consideration. Let's be honest, if party wall notices were required for every gutter repair, bit of painting , shelf put up or such like everything would just grind to a complete standstill.
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Or people just wouldn't bother to get/apply for one and just carry on with the job.
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Not my area of expertise, but I think the gutter/downpipe counts as a shared service, not a party structure. So it falls outside the PWA.
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Some good advice and knowledge here, just my 2p worth.
It may be a case of just heaving the gutter along a bit towards the joint and re clipping, you have to inspect the next joint to see if this can be done without causing more problems.
If the neighbours gutter is too short now a very simple, effective and cheap solution is to add an extra joint (called a straight union) Trade price £2 for standard guttering. A union adds about 25mm (an inch) when you cut a length of guttering and stick one in. It can be anywhere on the length of guttering - wherever looks best.
As to accessing from neighbours side when the work was done, from a ladder you can easily reach a meter over the boundary and work on guttering.
Oh and £400 for new fascia and guttering FITTED is an excellent price.
I have to admit I quite like doing a gutter fix :)
Mr Generous - Landlord for more than 10 years. Generous? - Possibly but sarcastic more likely.1 -
It might be possible that the tradesman has a suitable length of gutter and can just get the job done - either way one length of gutter is cheap.
If it is just bog-standard black 4" roundline gutter then a 2m length is currently £7.20 at Wickes.
If 2m would replace the section between the running outlet and the gap then I'd be tempted to buy a piece myself (keeping the receipt) and have it ready for when the trader comes round to inspect. If he's got a ladder and tools with him then it would probably be quicker for him to fit the piece of gutter rather than argue the toss with you, and he wouldn't have the excuse that he didn't have the materials with him.
If that didn't work out then you can take the gutter back for a refund.
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If the neighbours gutter is too short now a very simple, effective and cheap solution is to add an extra joint (called a straight union) Trade price £2 for standard guttering. A union adds about 25mm (an inch) when you cut a length of guttering and stick one in. It can be anywhere on the length of guttering - wherever looks best.
This would be a cost-effective way of adding an inch, but needs to be done with caution. The more joints you have the more points of potential failure and leakage, and short lengths of gutter betwen fittings have a habit of allowing the gutter to sag (it is much harder to get the correct fall with short lengths compared to longer lengths).
If the straight union is used with a short length of gutter and starts to leak then the neighbour wouldn't be unreasonable in complaining that the 'repair' was defective - unlike the current situation where the cause could be argued either way, a repair that a professional would likely condemn as a 'bodge' would leave little room for argument. For the sake of a few quid extra in materials (to replace a length of gutter) it isn't really worth taking the risk.
As to accessing from neighbours side when the work was done, from a ladder you can easily reach a meter over the boundary and work on guttering.
Overreaching out to the side when using a ladder is very dangerous. Very few people have arms long enough to reach a metre whilst keeping their centre of gravity within safe limits, and even if they have exceptionally long arms, only one hand might be able to reach that far safely… clipping gutter fittings together is usually a two-handed job.
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That's an excellent idea - thank you.
I can get the length of guttering easily (and might get a union as well, just in case).
The issue about the tradesman leaning over sideway from the ladder is moot as the neighbour will allow access to their garden to allow the gutter repair to be done.
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The issue about the tradesman leaning over sideway from the ladder is moot as the neighbour will allow access to their garden to allow the gutter repair to be done.
Yes, if access had been refused then I think the advice to you here would be different - you could confidently respond to the neighbour saying their refusal had preveted the trader ensuring the adjacent length of gutter was in good order and therefore the neighbour was now wholly responsible. Legally that might not be the case, but if things ended up in court the neighbour would be less likely to have as much sympathy from the magistrate/judge.
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Ah, I'd forgotton about this thread and the neighbour's guttering so thanks for bumping it.
After the tradesman returned from holiday, he just agreed to sort it. I was a bit piggy in the middle initially trying to arrange a date that worked for the tradesman and the neighbour. The first agreed date did not happen for whatever reason. Only after that did the neighbour agree to talk directly with the tradesman.
I assume they got this done between them and its all sorted.
I will go and have another look and check with the neighbour when I see him next.
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