Party wall questions...

[MaggieW]

I've looked at various websites but am a bit bamboozled with information and not sure if it applies. Our neighbours are planning to convert their loft (I've only found out because a surveyor has written speculatively saying there's a planning issue that may affect us.) We have already converted ours.

1. Can we prevent them building on the party wall that we've put up?. (This may seem strange but they have a house full of dogs and I really can't bear to have another shared party wall which means we'll be disturbed in our loft bedroom by the barking that goes on day and night).

1. Having had ground floor extensions done by ourselves and both neighbours either side, I would want to have a surveyor do a condition survey before work starts. Can I insist on this? (We ended up with a massive crack in our living room wall which required the plaster to be taken off, mesh inserted, redecoration etc etc when next door did their extension and it was a massive hassle for all concerned. These neighbours are less considerate than those ones, so am keen to have a third party involved to verify/rectify things.)

TIA.

If you built an extension and created an extra bit of party wall then it will now be shared and they have the right to use it for support.

Yes, the party wall process allows for you to have a surveyor to make a condition report and read over their plans - they have to pay for it.

Rather than stop their building work, have you tried notifying the environmental team of your LA about the constant barking?

Thanks lala - that's explained the two questions. I don't want to stop their work but just want to minimise the disruption and disturbance we already experience from their dogs. We've talked to them about it, and things improve for a week or so, but then it's back to dogs barking at 6am, 10pm or throughout the day when they're left at home on their own. I haven't gone down the LA route yet, but it's my next option.

Another question, if you don't mind please? When they did their ground floor extension their surveyor told us we could claim back part of the cost of the foundations/wall that we'd already extended ie the party wall. We didn't as thought it wasn't partic neighbourly but asked for the fence their builders wrecked to be reinstated but they didn't, so this time, does the same apply? Can we ask for a contribution to the cost of the party wall they'll be building on that we put up? Thanks again.

I've never heard of that but I'm not an expert. Perhaps take advice from the surveyor you engage for the condition report?

Good idea - thank you again.