Potential Party Wall Issue

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by nikkid, Jul 11, 2018.

  1. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    Hi there,

    I am having some work done in my house to make it more open. There are stairs running across the house and I am having part of one of the walls to the stairs removed to make access for furniture going upstairs or into the living room easier as there are tight turns. My builder mentioned that one of the steels would need to go into the party wall. I am assuming these are double brick construction. There is no way we will get a party wall agreement with next door - we have had to have the police involved with the owner as he is a violent and aggressive drug dealer (stabbed somebody 7 times for asking him to stop swearing and threatening somebody on his phone loudly enough to cause the other person's family to be witnesses). Do we need a party wall agreement as if so I am going to have to rethink the whole thing?
     
  2. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    Had to go through this process almost 2 years ago now.

    Is the house owned by him or is it council owned? If its council you need to get permission from them. He may not be the owner, so need to check who is.

    Will need a party wall agreement, need to give at least 2 months notice, can become very expensive if person not co-operating.
     
  3. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    I used a PW surveyor I found online, used him after I saw the review.

    He was very professional and up to date. It may be worth speaking to someone as some will offer a free consultation, as they may have a solution.
     
    KIAB likes this.
  4. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

  5. Jitender

    Jitender Screwfix Select

    Going to be the person who is registered on land registry for house for who the notice goes to. So may be worth checking first.
     
  6. Dr Bodgit

    Dr Bodgit Super Member

    Yes you need a PWA. As Jitender says, there are levels of escalation if the neighbours do not respond in order to proceed, but it can involve 3 surveyors and you paying for all of them.
     
  7. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    He is definitely the owner so think I will have to change the job - definitely not worth the aggravation and potential for him to be violent towards me
     
  8. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select


    If he were to be violent towards yourself he'd be stupider than he already sounds. Stupid question but why on earth don't you move?
     
  9. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    Not a stupid question but would you buy a house where the tenants were selling drugs and it frequently stinks of cannabis? I would be required to divulge the issues and I doubt anybody would consider buying and if they did the value would be badly affected - I cannot afford to move under those circumstances - rest of the street is lovely just next door
     
  10. PhilSo

    PhilSo Screwfix Select

    You did!

    PhilSo
     
  11. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    I did not know and there were no HIP packs then so although I asked the question - and the problems started much later - the answer was vague and I had no redress - problems only started about 4 years after I moved in then escalated after he got out of prison
     
  12. PhilSo

    PhilSo Screwfix Select

    Sell up. Move on.
    PhilSo
     
  13. egon999

    egon999 Member

    google 'pyramus and thisbe club' Its the best online resource for party wall issues I've seen. Set up by specialist party wall surveyors. info given on tracking down local surveyors who could act for you and yes many give 30 minutes free advice to see if they can help you
    (apparently pyramus and thisbe were the 2 characters that shakedpear ripped off for romeo and Juliet...two lovers living next to eachother whos families hated eachother. separated by a wall that caused the problems)
     
    Jord86 likes this.
  14. stevie22

    stevie22 Screwfix Select

    Use a post to support the steel something like a 50 deep PFC will support a huge weight and all your doing is drilling a couple of fixings into the wall
     
    KIAB likes this.
  15. Ronan Lang

    Ronan Lang New Member

    You better try to move somewhere else as staying there won't help you for a long time he will create issues for anything in future if he is what you say so. Life is more precious than PWA. LOL, Nothing is impossible you will get a good buyer or maybe you can put it on rent. Good luck and take care :)
     
  16. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    Thanks for all the various comments - post sounds possibly a way to go - the police are dealing with him and it is to be hoped he will realise that he is generally not going to get away with his way of life on a nice village street All other neighbours are lovely - I cannot afford to move - have put up CCTV - there is also a right is way issue which he has been a pain over since he realised he was not getting away with all his activities but the Council are looking at that and anti-social behaviour - there are rules and eventually you have to get that - I will be continuing to ignore him as I have done for some time just needed a way round the party wall issue but my builder is calling me tomorrow with options which do not affect the party wall
     
    Allsorts likes this.
  17. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    What a dreadful situation.

    I don't think suggesting that Nik moves is a good solution as he is bound to lose out massively. If the rest of the street is good, then fair chance time will resolve the next door neighbour issue - perhaps with a concerted effort from other neighbours in reporting every case of drugs being sold, anti-social conduct etc. I'd have thought that, by now, you'd have a contact at your local PC who is recording such complaints? If not, I'd suggest you set this up - and you keep a detailed log of everything you know is going on. Build a case for the future.

    As for solutions to this PW issue, I think a specialised forum like the one Egon mentioned is a good place to start.

    Yours won't the first case of its kind, so there will be proper 'answers' out there. I suspect it'll come down to one of two outcomes; one, you build a support pillar fully within your own property as Steve says - I'd have thought it would be easy to knock up a beam and support to suit which is simply bolted together at right angles on site? - or, two, you tackle this PW issue using whatever the given process is when you have an disagreeable third party. Since this bunch are aggressive as well as disagreeable, I'd be inclined to explore the first option.

    Or, just go ahead with the second option, what you know is your entitlement, and pursue it using the rules set out. Presumably it'll cost you in all sorts of surveyor and solicitor fees, and you will also antagonise the bunch next door, but perhaps that's not a bad thing; keep the police on fast dial and call them up with the remotest threat issue by them. It'll be hellish - I can't begin to imagine how bad it must be to live next door to folk like that - but, ultimately, the law is on your side and you should be protected. Ultimately, they can be evicted.

    It'll be uncomfortable, but you'd simply need to adopt a 'zero-tolerance policy' towards them; record everything, and report all that is remotely threatening.
     
  18. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    That sounds positive - I'm pleased the police are aware and also the council is on board concerning the right-of-way issues. Since you are now doing the right thing - basically not letting them get away with it - crank that up a notch and record and report every single breach. Push it. Complain to the council about every example of them parking where they shouldn't or blocking your access or whatever else they are doing. Write down everything, timed and dated, even if it's a 'dirty look'. That horrible bunch will be careful not to get caught on CCTV, but will instead likely resort to sly intimidation, passive-aggressiveness etc. Don't rise to anything, but equally show you are not intimidated (even if you are :) ) Meet their gaze, reply reasonably to anything daft they say. Don't get drawn in to a slanging match or argument. Let them rant, if rant is what they do. Then smile benignly and walk away - and write it down.

    Report report report. If your neighb is making your life unpleasant, you do the same to the council and the police.

    Are the other neighbours doing the same?

    Meanwhile, I guess the best way to proceed with your work is to avoid the PW issue and keep it all internal.
     
  19. nikkid

    nikkid New Member

    I agree and am keeping daily log sheets going - he is not bothered by CCTV though - he damaged the gate across the right of way which has always had a bolt on it since the time of the houses being built but because I had acquired some land with planning permission to erect a fence around it to the side of my property he was unhappy so kicked the gate whilst it was bolted and then stole the bolt - the right is way is there for the use of others in the row of terraces and not a general right of way so the bolt kept the general public out of all our gardens. He did this in full view of the CCTV and it is criminal damage and theft. I do not speak to him at all and do not encroach on his property or use my right of way across the back of his property I just report him for everything as do some of the neighbours.

    Am going to keep this internal and avoid him altogether.
     
    Allsorts likes this.
  20. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    Good luck.
     

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