Sharing an outer wall or a floor with your neighbor is remarked as a party wall or party structure. Party wall matters are complex and shared in England. Due to the point being legal, any conflict and unsolved dispute can easily attract action from the law against you.
Handling your party wall matters with the help of a professional advisor or a party wall surveyor can help you a lot in the short or long run. You can easily avoid the matters from getting complex by following the actions portrayed in the Party Wall Act 1996.
What Is Party Wall Notice?
The party wall matters arise when one party starts or is about to start a construction or renovation project that involves a party wall or party structure without the consent or knowledge of a second party. You can easily be involved in a legal pitfall if you ignore the importance of seeking your neighbor’s approval regarding any structural changes to the party wall you share.
Party Wall Notice is a legal notice you should send to your neighbor to inform them about the construction project you want to start involving the party wall and seek their consent.
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- What happens when there is no party wall agreement?
- Party Wall Disputes
- PARTY WALL PROCEDURES DURING LOCKDOWN
Party Wall Notice Response
In return for your notice, the second party is bound to submit the Party wall Notice Response to let you know about their consent regarding the whole project. Without getting a party wall notice response, legally, you cannot start the project.
After getting the response, you can design your next step. A party wall notice response holds three types of response, including,
- Agree
- Dissent & Want To Hire Party Wall Surveyor
- Dissent & Want To Hire A Mutual Surveyor
Tips To getting neighbours to consent
According to the response to the party wall notice, if your neighbor agrees and offers you consent, you can easily start your project with complete privacy. On the other hand, if they want to hire a party wall surveyor London, mutual or individual, the process is supposed to be dragged for months, and so is your project. To make it easy and reliable, you can follow the following tips to get your neighbors to consent in response to the party wall notice.
Build A Friendly Communication
A Party wall notice is a legal requirement and a way to inform your neighbors about the changes you want to make involving the party wall. But it is good to get them in your trust by having a free and friendly chat with your neighbor to tell them about your plans beforehand. It helps to put your neighbor at ease when they get the notice. On the other hand, it can push them into a bad mood if they’ll get a party wall notice, cover letter, and acknowledgment form out of nowhere. You can have informal and friendly seating and talk to them as soon as you have your first drawing.
Consider Their Objections
It is infrequent that the second party offers your full consent without having any objections regarding party wall matters. The easy way to get them by your side is to listen to their objections. This will help you understand what can be done to get their consent regarding your project.
You can also inform them of the possible amendments to smoothen their concerns and objections.
Share The Drawing
The best way to let them know about the full concept of your project is by sharing the first drawing. The critical point to remember here is don’t forget to let them know about the complete risks of the project. This will help you to avoid conflict later during the proceeding of your project. You don’t have to explain or share the precise architectural plan but make it into an easy-to-understand format and how it might affect their home.
Keep Reading
- Who pays the Party Wall Surveyor Fees?
- What to do when a neighbor ignores the party wall notice
- What happens when there is no party wall agreement?
Serve Notice Early
If you want your neighbor to offer consent to your party wall notice, it is highly recommended to serve it early. Waiting for the last minute to serve your party wall notice can cast an impression that you want them to rush to a decision. As a result, they can consult a surveyor that you have to bear the cost.
Schedule Of Condition
If your neighbor has no concerns about your project plan but is still anxious to make a decision, you can offer a Schedule of Conditions to them. By hiring a surveyor, you can carry a Schedule of Conditions that records the current condition of your neighbor’s adjacent home area. This can put your neighbor at ease because, at the end of the project, they can compare and pinpoint the damage to their home.
Bottom Line
Involving your neighbor in your project before serving the party wall notice is a great way to win their trust that can lead them to offer you consent without going to a surveyor.
