Works on a Party Wall

[mchugp]

Hi,

I live in a terrace house. The end terrace (next door) has been completely demolished for quite some time and the party wall on the neighbours side has only a scratch coat of plaster. With the recent snow and cold weather we have now gotten some damp seeping through to our side of the wall - approx half way up the wall on the ground floor (the wall is a cavity wall with block on their flat).

I am looking some advice as to whose responsibility (and cost) it is to get this wall finished plastered to weatherproof it. It is a 3 storey terrace so I'm assuming it will be quite expensive to do. I have had some limited dealings with the owner of the site in the past and they are a little unapproachable so I would like to be armed with as much facts / info before I go anywhere near him.

Many thanks.

[tony sayer]

In article , mchugp scribeth thus

FWIW If it were me I'd ask the local building inspector for his opinion as to where you stand on that, seems a rather odd instance?.

And if I think thats how you describe it a structural surveyors opinion wouldn't be a bad idea either!.

Either way I reckon another external skin of brickwork or a very good render is called for!.......

[John Williamson]

The Party Wall Act may well apply. The site owner has effectively damaged the wall by removing the weather protection afforded by the building that used to be there.

Are there plans to rebuild? If so, then maybe you could ask the Building control office and the site owner about a temporary weatherproofing solution. Otherwise, you need to negotiate with the owner of the site about a permanent solution.

[The Natural Philosopher]

yes. don't 'complain' exporess 'concern about the safety of an interior wall'

Another poss is the insurance company. They will have a legal team to pursue yer man as well.

+1

Definitely a properly tied in cavity insulated external skin Could even done with wood, celotex and building paper and cladding,. or the same but meshed and rendered.

[Bill Wright]

What are the plans for the plot where the house has been demolished? Maybe something is to be built that will solve your problem.

Bill

[Andy Champ]

I suggest you ask this in uk.legal.moderated.

Andy

[mchugp]

Thanks to all for the responses / advice. It's a long story but the house we now live in and the house next door we derelict buildings for almost 20 years. The council actually demolished next door as it was in a dangerous condition.

Our family owned the site and when I moved up to the area we got the house completely renovated stripping down the party wall and building a new cavity block wall (in place of a single brick internal wall) with the neighbours full agreement but no formal Party Wall Contract in place

- he did make a partial contribution.

This was then scratch coated as the owner of next door had planning permission passed to build on the site and was going to tie in to the front and rear walls. However, 3 years have passed and the site still lies derelict.

The local Building Control office has commissioned a builder to tidy up the site as part of an Urban project - I was talking to someone from the BC office but the weren't very forthcoming with any advice or info on what we could do to rectify this.