Hi,
I am wondering if anyone has some advice or guidance for some issues which are causing some serious stress for us!
We have got permission for a loft extension and since that date the our previously good neighbours have just become so difficult with us. We went to the expense of a party wall award which has been agreed. On day one of scaffolding going up they took photos and sent them the party wall surveyor. We had not even started any work and this is not planned until next week. The surveyor replied charging a 150+vat for an hours work stating the scaffolding didn't conform to tg20, one pole was in the wrong place and the ladder had not been secured overnight (based on their photos). The company came the following day to put a tin hat on. However he has been out again snapping photos and measuring the distance between windows. His argument is the boundary line is marked by a soffit board and is exactly in the middle between the windows. We previously said this is the PARTY WALL line and not the boundary line. We have also said the garden is not square and wider at the top indicating the boundary line actually goes at an angle. He won't have any of it and we now await the next stressful email. Its worth pointing out the scaffolding does not obscure any of their windows.
What do we do? Am I right in thinking he would have to take us to court for air space tresspass (despite all of his overgrowing trees and items he fixed into our boundary wall). I think I've done all I reasonably can do but that is not enough for them. In our mind we are now entering a boundary dispute not a partywall dispute?
One thing in the Award said we can have access to weathering and we must protect the party wall when its exposed. I don't see how we can do that if we can't put up the scaffolding to it.
I am wondering if anyone has some advice or guidance for some issues which are causing some serious stress for us!
We have got permission for a loft extension and since that date the our previously good neighbours have just become so difficult with us. We went to the expense of a party wall award which has been agreed. On day one of scaffolding going up they took photos and sent them the party wall surveyor. We had not even started any work and this is not planned until next week. The surveyor replied charging a 150+vat for an hours work stating the scaffolding didn't conform to tg20, one pole was in the wrong place and the ladder had not been secured overnight (based on their photos). The company came the following day to put a tin hat on. However he has been out again snapping photos and measuring the distance between windows. His argument is the boundary line is marked by a soffit board and is exactly in the middle between the windows. We previously said this is the PARTY WALL line and not the boundary line. We have also said the garden is not square and wider at the top indicating the boundary line actually goes at an angle. He won't have any of it and we now await the next stressful email. Its worth pointing out the scaffolding does not obscure any of their windows.
What do we do? Am I right in thinking he would have to take us to court for air space tresspass (despite all of his overgrowing trees and items he fixed into our boundary wall). I think I've done all I reasonably can do but that is not enough for them. In our mind we are now entering a boundary dispute not a partywall dispute?
One thing in the Award said we can have access to weathering and we must protect the party wall when its exposed. I don't see how we can do that if we can't put up the scaffolding to it.