To deny neighbour access to render extension?

Permitted development or not there must be one.

Dear Neighbour, I would like a party wall agreement with immediate effect, as this has not been done to date, and I am concerned.

That's all it needs.

the builders may be dodgy, they know one is needed and would have advised their client as would their architect

Ask for one now, then piss them off by dissenting and INSISTING on your own surveyor - do not share one - and employ a company that specialises in party walls; they are awful for the neighbour to deal with - really unnecessarily pernickety to deal with.

Free to you and will cost the neighbour about £1500 for yours, the same for his. All within your legal rights, they are obliged to pay for both and should have done this before foundations were started.

Then agree once a formal agreement is in place, and you have in writing, with photos, the before-and-after. It will be retrospective for the entire extension and should have been before. Foundation depths will be checked, the whole 9 yards. They will be a) furious b) scared, they have deliberately ignored it to date c) nice to you because if there is the smallest movement in your house they will need to get it rectified.

It will give you security and be a PITA for the neighbour, but is a totally legal request, and they think they have got away without one atm - which is naughty of them.

PS, you can still refuse access after this!

Any idiot knows you leave enough room
when building for maintenance to your property! I’m sure it’s actual law? Their problem to solve not yours! Just tell
them you’ll think about it but it won’t be this summer as you and your children have had enough disruption already with the building works and want some peace to enjoy the good weather and garden

She's being petty and nasty.

My neighbours rendered their extension over 6 years ago and haven't had to touch it since.

Unless there is a massive back story, just let them.

Our neighbour has no access to his back garden, apart from through the house, and so he needed access to our garden to build a new extension. It meant our adjoining garden wall being broken down, a skip in our front garden and months of building work. It was totally fine, we got a new (better) wall out of it, they took down our old lean to which had an asbestos roof and disposed of it safely and built a new one for us.

You’d be mad not to let them, you’ll get a nice new wall to look at.

Does it need rendering if you fence blocks it. Can they not just leave the bare brick/blocks

No she's not bu , rendering makes a mess and takes more than a few hours,then rendering needs yearly painting, I'd definitely say no

But they are building close to the boundary so there should be a PWA.

if they are so close to your boundary and there isn’t one then they are in the wrong.
https://www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works/work-tell-your-neighbour-about

This should be covered with a party wall agreement. There needs to be laid out what happens if they damage your property, how long for access, is it needed in the future etc.

I can see why you aren’t keen but let’s hope you don’t need their cooperation in future….

also thinking the lack of a nice finish will impact you more than them

How long is it going to take - a few days or longer?

if it's just a few days - I’d let them do it. I prefer to get on with my neighbours.

if it’s longer tell them they have to wait until October so that they aren’t preventing you from enjoying your garden

bit make sure there is an agreement that they have to ensure that your garden is returned to normal after and the make right any damage

You don't have to allow access, OP, and I would be very wary, especially if they will require scaffolding as scaffolding firms are notorious for not removing scaffolding at the end of a job until they want it again.. I would definitely not do it without a legal agreement, paid for by them, including your own independent legal advice.

Things to put in the agreement - the dates they can have access (which could be after the summer if you don't want to lose use of your garden during that time), the hours and days fo the week they can work, a penalty clause that means they pay you a set amount for each breach - in particular for each day over the end date that it is not completed. A requirement to restore the fence and garden to the state it is now by the end date (if your garden has mature plantings, an explicit requirement for a set amount of compensation per plant should they damage them). Alternatively to the requirement for them to restore, a set amount so that you can make the garden and fence good as you wish - which would allow you to make changes if you have been thinking about doing so.

Also consider requiring them to use a firm that is a a member of the Considerate Constructors scheme and follows their Code of Considerate Practice if you're concerned about builder behaviour. And for them to put an amount as security with whichever solicitor draws up the agreement, along with photos taken of the house, fence garden, to show its condition before the work.

I do think it would be a bit unreasonable to deny them the opportunity to do it at all (though you don't have to and they have been dicks about it). But I also think it's perfectly reasonable to ensure any disruption to your life is minimal. And that includes not letting them take the best days of summer just because of when they chose to build without consulting you.

Edited: Actually Merlot makes a good very point and saying no seems far more sensible.

I would say no. Once you grant access for the render you will then need to grant access in future years for them to paint/maintain it. A brick wall is less likely to need any maintenance, especially if protected from the weather by your fence.

Another consideration is how respectful their builders have been to the OP during the process to date, i.e. have they been a pain in the neck with their parking, noise, swearing, loud music, etc. If so, I think it gives a fair impression as to their general attitude and they won't suddenly improve when it comes to the rendering.

However, if the OP has barely noticed them, and they've politely moved their van if it's blocked them in, then again, probably a fair impression of how they'll be to do the rendering.

I think there's a lot of truth in "you reap what you sow" and "respect has to be earned" etc. If the builders have been a pain in the arse, then they can't really expect any "goodwill" when it comes to them wanting favours in return!

While you can't grow anything up their wall you can get a trough with trellis. I have several and currently they are full of roses. One is up to first floor window in nothing more than a 3 foot wooden trough. Neighbour? I'd probably let them but I'd be present and watching like a hawk.

If I were you, I'd agree to it but only after both parties sign a party wall agreement, all done professionally by a surveyor who acts independently of both parties but that your neighbours have to pay for. That way you're fully covered.

if they don't want to go down the PWA route, then they don't get their rendered wall. You'll then see how much they actually want this wall rendered - money talks.

I think you want them to have a rendered wall otherwise it will look an eyesore

You just know all the let them people have been fucked over by their neighbour.

Neighbour should have done a party wall agreement and had all this hammered out prior the fact they haven’t shows they are the type that just do what they want regardless.

Says someone who's not suffered the way some builders leave chaos and mess behind them and took weeks to do some work they claimed would take a couple of days!

My neighbour allowed us access - it took less than two days in total to prep, render and get the fence back up. Request it’s done when you aren’t home. Don’t be a pain just for the sake of it.

Just let them get on with it , you will then have a nicer wall to look at rather than a dogs dinner
Think of the long term

Yr perfectly entitled so say No, am sorry but removing my fence and well established plants is not an option.

They should have had this conversation with you before building so close to the shared fence....Doesn't mean you have to fall out.

You can make up all the rules you want. They can and probably will be ignored.

I’d let them apply for a court order. If the rendering is non essential then they probably will give up.

If not at least then you have everything in writing

Do you want to look at an unfinished wall for the rest of the time you live in your home?

I've had this exactly, yes. We did allow it as it would have looked awful from our side if they hadn't rendered it. They killed lots of plants then refused to pay. We moved in the end, I hated living cheek by jowl with such cunts.

If you do it draw up an agreement and make them pay for a solicitor. It