It is a point of law that prior to carrying out any work close to the boundary wall, you must inform your neighbor of the work to be done. This is governed by the Party Wall Act.

A Brief Outline of the Party Wall Act of 1996

The Party Wall Act 1996 is a piece of legislation that helps to make sure one person’s building work does not unfavorably disturb a neighbors property in any way. An agreement has to be signed between neighbors if a party wall is to be installed, which is known as a Party Wall Agreement. In this agreement, the construction work that can be done legally is specified in advance and the progress is monitored to ensure that the work is being carried out according to the agreement.

It is mandatory by law to give the neighbours a notice before starting any work within 3 meters of the boundary of their property. Getting this wrong could delay the building process and it may make the project more expensive.

 How sidereturnextension.co.uk can help

We offer a Party Wall service to help clients get this process right the first time and ensure that their project is not unnecessarily delayed. We have a qualified Party Wall Surveyor who takes clients through the process and serves notice to the adjoining owner(s) before carrying out any construction. A detailed Schedule of Condition is also produced; this records the state of the premises prior to any work being done.

Your neighbor can not prevent you from building along the boundary, but it is possible that they may have some reasonable objections.  If this is the case, then a full Party Wall Award becomes necessary and must be obtained by your Party Wall Surveyor. Please contact us for more information about our Party Wall Service.