You must first define whether the works you are proposing effect a party wall or party structure.
Party walls stand on the land of 2 or more owners and:
- form part of a building
- don’t form part of a building, such as a garden wall (not wooden fences)
- Walls on one owner’s land used by other owners (2 or more) to separate their buildings are also party walls.
Party structures can be a floor or other structure that separates buildings or parts of buildings with different owners, eg flats.
You must tell your neighbours if you want to carry out any building work near or on your shared property boundary, or ‘party wall’, in England and Wales.
Including if you want to:
- build on or at the boundary of your 2 properties
- work on an existing party wall or party structure
- dig below and near to the foundation level of their property
Examples of this type of work include:
- building a new wall
- cutting into a party wall
- making a party wall taller, shorter or deeper
- removing chimneys from a party wall
- knocking down and rebuilding a party wall
A homeowner has to give two months written notice on building works which affect a party wall or boundary, or one month's notice for excavations. Once notice has been served, the homeowner has up to a year to start work.
Party wall agreements are different from planning permission or building regulations approval.
The government has an explanatory booklet which you may find interesting the link of which is included below:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance
If you would like more information on the subject or would like to discuss your own project please do not hesitate to contact us for all Building Surveying services. We are based in Rochdale but cover the North West and the rest of the UK.