Damage to ceiling

[flower1]

Some advice please guys, you were so helpful the last time.
Next door are having a loft conversion put in and my bathroom ceiling which is below and to the right of their loft has now developed a crack that runs the whole length of the wall and a bigger crack a third of the way across that is slight bigger and has dirt and other small particles falling down into my bathroom. Spoke to the foreman who said he couldnt see that it was anything they were doing next door and that he would not have had any reason to inspect my property before they began so he would just have to take my word for it, waiting for him to come and look at the ceiling. I also spoke to my neighbour who said the foreman would have to arrange to fix it as he knows that there were no cracks in my ceiling before the work began as he has been in my bathroom. What type of repair should I expect, would it be reasonable for them to put a bit of filler or silicone in, I have no idea.

 

[rjm2k]

Take lots of photos, can you see what's happening in your loft above the crack? You may need to speak to your building insurers, who should pursue your neighbour/builder or at least give some advice.

 

[^woody^]

Spoke to the foreman who said .... that he would not have had any reason to inspect my property before they began

Nonsense

If he is inserting anything in to the party wall (which most loft conversions do require a steel beam to be) then you should have been served with a Party Wall Notice, and surveyors involved to record before and after conditions.

The crack is a symptom of a bigger issue of disturbance or movement of the wall or the timber joists, and you really need to know what other damage has been caused above, or what work has been done which may cause on-going problems when the builders are long gone.

Demand that an independent surveyor (of your choosing) inspects the work now at the neighbours cost, or else seek an injunction to stop the work until the Party Wall Act is followed as it should be.

Don't delay, sort it out now while work is in progress

And no, a bit of filler is not an acceptable repair