Party Wall Agreement Help!

[JorisBonson]

I'm mid terrace, with my next door neighbours being end terrace. Their landlord wants to extend into the end terrace space.

We've had the attached through the post today. It's all Greek to me!

As you face the house, they're our neighbours to the right and there is a gap of about 4 metres between them and their neighbours, which is where the extension will go. We share a wall on the other side.

Do I need to do this survey? I've literally no idea what to do!

Thanks hive mind.

This is a letter from an “ambulance chaser” party wall surveyor.
Basically they will scan local planning applications looking for any proposed building work where the party wall act might apply, then send letters like this to neighbours. You don’t need to and IMO absolutely should not reply to them.

What you should do is ask your neighbours what they have been advised by their architect/builder about Party wall matters, and if they will be sending you a party wall notice.

From what you say, it sounds as if they will need to send a party wall notice to their other neighbours but not you. If the extension is all on that side.

But if they are doing anything that affects your shared wall with them (like a structural beam into your shared wall), or your garden boundary with them, or is within 3m of that shared wall/boundary, then they will need to send a party wall notice to you too.

If you do get a party wall notice, you can choose to either 1) agree fully to the work which means no surveyor will supervise the work 2) “dispute” the work and share your neighbour’s surveyor or 3) “dispute” the work and appoint your own surveyor to supervise (your neighbour pays their fees). If you end up appointing your own, find a recommended one not the ambulance chasers!

Thanks so much @minipie! I'd never have known.

We've seen the plans and it doesn't affect us in the slightest (noise while WFH aside) so I will throw this letter straight in the bin.