Avoiding Party Wall Award

Joined
17 Dec 2018
Messages
524
Reaction score
9
Country
United Kingdom
What's the best way to avoid this?

I plan to undertake a loft conversion and extension. However I have two neighbours and I want to avoid the time wasted and the expense of obtaining a party wall award

What strategies/ advice can you guys give in order to avoid going down the Party Wall Award?

Inviting them over for tea and buscuits is out of the question as the place has been gutted and there is a slight language barrier with one of the neighbors

Also if i post the notice, it will definitely be ignored, thus triggering a dispute

I believe that the neighbours are not familiar with Party Wall Awards.. So this could potentially be an advantage?

Please advise
 
Sponsored Links
Design it so the PWA is not involved

Just do the work and ignore the PWA
Oi cheeky! :D

As a law abiding citizen I would never do such a thing.. However my friend wants to know, that once the relevant building works has been done e.g. beam in party wall, then neighbours cannot insist on a Notice nor can they get an injunction to stop works?

So assuming the builder doesn't cause any actual damage, then my friend is safe from action down the line?
 
Sponsored Links
I needed a PWA for my loft conversion as the steels were going into the party wall (but only on my cavity side) and they were a right PITA and tried their best to disrupt the build.
They literally spent a month saying "don't worry, we'll sign it" before I paid a surveyor to sort it out. They didn't know they could appoint their own at my expense, so that was lucky (if they knew that I know they would have!).

A friend did a loft conversion and the neighbour objected and complained etc and refuse to sign the party wall, so they designed it so it did not touch the PW. She got in a right hump and complained, and was made to look pretty stupid when inspectors saw it that the loft room was several inches from the PW with nothing touching.

Another advantage of avoiding PW is better sound insulation - you could probably shove sound insulation slabs in the space without invoking PWA?
 
If you don't touch the party wall then you can avoid it. Even if you abut the wall....

But if you can't get round it then don't ignore it - you could end up paying thousands in compensation for things that are not your fault.
First, encourage your neighbours to consent - informing them that if they have no dispute now, then there is no need to have an award beforehand; and if you damage anything then the consent protects them. If they are concerned about recording the condition, then get a schedule done independently.

If they decide to dispute it, then get them to appoint a surveyor first - then you choose the same one - ensuring you only pay for 1 surveyor.
It may cost you £500 but it is well worth it.
If there are ANY problems with the award, then appeal it - mark it as stayed and then negotiate with your neighbours.
Ultimately, if you can get them to consent without an award, then if there are any problems downstream you can avoid court.

I know someone who flouted the PWA 3 times on the same party wall and is facing a £15K bill plus legal costs....
 
It may cost you £500 but it is well worth it
It wont cost £500 if they appoint their friend and you agree it - in fees or work

BTW. There is no qualification for a "PW Surveyor", my spaniel could probably be appointed.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top