Owning your own home

Quite hard to discern exactly what's going on in that section diagram, to be honest!

it'd be nice to just say yes

Er, no. Get a proper agreement. Maybe let their surveyor do the work for it.

You don’t need a cavity when your gaff is a massive cavity.

Agree. There's every chance the build could be a mess or they could be awkward in future with your planning. Assume nothing.....

I found this guide quite informative:

https://collier-stevens.co.uk/faqs/boundary-wall-questions

just say yes, hopefully making the same process in the opposite direction equally as pleasant.

Have you met people?

Just talk to them. Such a lot is lost in emails and veiled threats over texts and formal correspondence.

You'll get a feel for whether they are chancers or not. If they're using good builders and you have your arms around exactly what they are proposing to do, why be difficult? Keep things nice, save them money on a surveyor but infer one hand washes the other and they'll do the same for you.

Imply, no? And I think I’d rather a quid pro quo with a paper trail than a casual whatever on the day and a demand for a surveyor when it’s your turn to party.

Well you can't force them to do anything. You might fall out with them or they turn out to be lunatics. If you keep it nice and try to help them it's likely they will do the same for you.

Ive had lots of extensions done over the years and not once have the neighbours asked for a party wall surveyor to be appointed because I'm a bloody nice bloke. And I've involved them from the off with the plans and been very open about the work and what the plans are. And whenever they have done work I've done the same for them.

You start getting formal with them and asking for reassurances and they might think you're a piece of work and a pain in the arse and it's not worth trying to be nice and help.

My neighbours had an informal with their neighbours. We know both. They are good folks. Neither are qualified to pick a good builder or make sure they aren’t stiffing their neighbours by design or accident.

The result was mostly fine, but suspect my neighbours will be in for a surprise if they want to further extend.

My other half had an informal agreement in her old place.

It did not end well.

Get a proper agreement, and, depending on your attitude to risk, and independent surveyor.

Otherwise it's wishful thinking that could cost you many thousands.

They're still liable if they fuck your house up whether you have a formal agreement or not.

You're just absolutely catapulting your relationship with your neighbours from the off if you cost them 2k or whatever it is for a surveyor.

Ive had lots of extensions done over the years

Golf club?

hey what can i say, i've not lost faith in humanity just yet

Thanks all for the input everyone, I'll talk to the guy in person, and try and get an agreement put together, even if relatively informal or maybe by their surveyor

Paging @chrisbmx116

You don’t have to cost them 2k. Just get professionals involved and agree on the work (which can be discussed).

Lolz. Actually replied before your reply.

I’m so zen right now I don’t even care about burning 5k.

1860's terraced house, solid party wall, and they're doing a full-width extension up against ours (the arrow points to our bathroom to be).

If they're making use of your existing extension wall I think they should be liable for enclosure, i.e. they're saving money on building the outer leaf of the wall by using yours to form the cavity/or new space then so should compensate you. Or they build their own wall, i.e. blockwork or brickwork up to the line of juncture.

^this in spades

also worth keeping an eye on any potential subsidense if they’re excavating 1.2m right up against the wall of your outrigger.

The point of this is that if you decide to demolish your rear extension at some point in the future then they will be in a bit of a tricky position as their nice new extension will suddenly be al fresco.

It's extraordinary unlikely they will want to use his wall to build off. Obviously check the plans. They wouldn't be able to easily tie it into the extension for a starter.

Chrisbmx how much did that lunatic next to you cost you in party wall fees and how fucked off were you?

It's extraordinary unlikely they will want to use his wall to build off. Obviously check the plans. They wouldn't be able to easily tie it into the extension for a starter.

The drawings aren't clear as it doesn't show the joists, either way it looks like it will be enclosure as they're building a plasterboard lining up against it.

I thought was that by the time they've built up to and used that wall, it will be a party wall, and you cannot then knock it down, at least, not with the freedom you might have now.

tl;dr immediately knock down teh wall to spite them

The bathroom wall is a shared party wall isn't it? That's what the dash-dot lines on the drawings are suggesting and if it's in line with shared wall between the houses that you can see in the roof it probably is. So they can use it to support their extension roof just as you're using it to support your bathroom roof.

Personally I'd get a surveyor even if it's theirs. In case anything happens eg cracking or movement on your side, which is not totally unlikely even with a good builder. You don't have to be a dick about it or ruin your neighbourly relationship. They should understand that it gives you both reassurance. But IANAPWS.

This is the correct answer.

True, party wall line on main house looks like that's the case. If you want to be nice you can always agree to appoint a shared surveyor. In theory they should act impartiality for both parties. Should cost them circa £1,500-2k.