People often find that implementing the Party Wall Act can be frustrating and expensive. It is not unusual for a building project to be delayed by a couple of months and surveyor’s fees to run to a couple of thousand pounds just for the Party Wall aspect on what might be considered to be a fairly straightforward alteration to a domestic property. To help you navigate your way through the Act we will take a look at the most common problems from the point of view of the party planning the works.

Party wall disputes? Here are several advices: What is not covered by the Act? The Act relates only to certain specific types of work and is permissive in nature. It should not be seen as a method of objecting to or preventing works and it is not intended to be applied to minor jobs that do not affect the structural integrity or loading of a party wall. It is generally agreed that works such as fixing plug sockets, screwing in shelving or replastering walls are minor works and do not require a notice. Notices: The workings of the Act are always instigated by the of issuing notices. This is the first stage of the process and, without the issue of valid notices, no further action can be taken under the provision of the Act. Written notice must be served on adjoining owners at least two months before starting any party wall works (one month for works to the line of junction or excavations). All adjoining owners must be served a notice and there are likely to be instances where there is more than one adjoining property and more than one owner of each property (ie: if the adjoining property is split into flats and owned on a leasehold basis, notices will be required to both leaseholder and freeholder of all flats affected by the works). Works to a party wall, or those affecting a ceiling or floor, will also require a notice to adjoining owners living above or below.

Plants and any other large object present on windowsills should be removed, as these will also be assessed by the surveyor. This saves the surveyor from having to move things around themselves. Mould is one of the most obvious signs of damp in a home and must always be dealt with as it can thrive if left alone. Make sure you scrub away any mould that is present in your kitchen or bathroom, fix dripping taps by replacing the washers.

A potential buyer can also request for a specific focus to be made on certain areas that may cause concern within the property. So say for example one of the walls within your home is bowed slightly and the potential buyer notices this, they can request for a specific focus to be made on that wall to elaborate on the possible causes for the bowing. This is why it is crucial that you keep your home in good shape if you plan to sell it on for a reasonable price.

Our Director Nathan Foley is a degree qualified building surveyor with over 20 years of construction experience starting out as a plumbing and heating engineer and then moving on to construction and building surveying. Having worked within the construction industry covering a number of different disciplines including project management and contract management, this wealth of experience working at all levels of the construction industry is backed up by educational standards including a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying and NCRQ health and Saftey Diploma in addition he has also achieved the following technical levels of recognition. See more details at Party Wall Surveyor Canterbury.

At Home Heroes we provide a professional service, we are very competitively priced and you can be sure you award will be handled by qualified and experienced Party Wall Surveyors. We are a small company with a dedicated and qualified team of building surveyors on Party Wall Matters. We can deal with all types of project no matter how complicated and are able to offer a service that is both efficient and meticulous.

The Party Wall Process: This process is all based around the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. The main purpose of the Act is to provide a framework for amicably preventing and resolving disputes between neighbours in relation to Party Walls, boundary Walls and Excavations near neighbouring buildings. Building owners are given statutory rights that did not exist in existing common law when undertaking certain types of construction as defined by the Act. You can have your property surveyed at any time, but you will most likely hire a surveyor when you’re buying a home or constructing something. … However, the property survey is not always legally required. Some mortgage companies will be satisfied with title insurance. As one of the most comprehensive surveys available, more often than not a building survey will be requested by potential buyers of your property. It is a wide range inspection of the entirety of a property done in more specific depth than a Homebuyers Report or a Mortgage Valuation. A Building Survey’s purpose is to give a detailed report of the condition of the property in question.

Home and building survey tips and tricks : Check the Roof First! It might seem an odd pastime, but next time it rains, don’t stay indoors, put your waterproof coat on, take the kids to help you if you can, and play ‘spot the hole in the roof!’ Check for things like missing tiles, cracks near chimneys etc. Check the Guttering! While you are out and about checking the roof, also check the guttering for leaks which will either be from the joints or because there is a blockage, in which case get the joints sealed and/or the blockage cleared. Make sure Windows are Doors are Water and Wind Tight, If you have wooden windows, check they are painted properly, sealed and there are no cracks in the windows that would allow any wind or water to get through. If they are plastic and double glazed, check they are well fitted and there are no draughts coming through. Make sure that the glazing meets current standards. See extra details at https://www.home-heroes.co.uk/.