I think my downstairs neighbour has removed a load bearing wall

[Tok]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice please.

I live in a block of flats that was originally an old Victorian building. It was converted into 5 flats decades ago. My downstairs neighbour has started to do some serious build works. I was in helping her carry something in and I noticed a number of worrying things: she’s removed a fire door, she has live electric cables hanging from the ceiling but most worrying is she’s removed the wall between the kitchen and the living room. I worry this wall was load bearing as there are big metal cables jutting out from the roof where they’ve been cut off and where the wall was at the side was rather like a pillar concrete. I’m not a builder so I’ve no real idea.

I’ve checked party wall information but as the wall isn’t touching us at the sides (just the ceiling/floor) I’m not sure it applies.

Any advice would be so much appreciated!

Thanks
T

 

[sxturbo]

what way do the floor joist run?

draw a quick sketch of the layout of the flats.

 

[Notch7]

Anything structural falls under building regs, so the local council should be involved - go on to your local authority website and see if there's anything listed against the property.

It's hard to know from your post if it's structural. If it is and it's not done correctly you can contact local authority building control and they will visit.

 

[Tok]

Thanks for the reply. Her floor is ground so it’s concrete but I’m 2 floors above and I think it’s parallel with the wall.

 

[Tok]

Thanks for the tip on the council. I know she didn’t run it by them because she took the wall down herself with her son and hasn’t had a builder involved.

 

[^woody^]

The wall might not be structural but the council would be more interested in the implication for fire safety, as would the fire service, as would the landlord but more so if the block might burn down if someone removes walls and doors.

 

[Tok]

Sorry for my terrible sketch from the phone. I am flat 5 in the loft and she is flat 2 but I’ve been chatting it over with flat 4. The red line is the wall she removed.

 

[Tok]

Good point about council and safety. I’m worried about the electrics she’s done (live wires hanging free) and the fact she removed a fire door into the hall.

 

[Tok]

65F01ADC-9434-4AA5-BD87-FC12E552B548

• Tok
• 21 Jun 2021

 

[sxturbo]

Doesn't seem like the wall is structural, but need an se to go round there.

As per woody and noseall posts, speak to council and or landlord

 

[Nakajo]

If it was structural, I suspect flat 4 would now be part of flat 1, but joist direction will confirm

 

[Old Salt]

Surely flat 4 would be part of flat 2, flat 1 looks as if that same dividing wall has already been removed. If 3 and 4 do drop through it will save having to climb one flight of stairs as you will become the second storey not third

 

[Tok]

There are multiple walls within each flat (most of them are 2 or 3 bedrooms) but I didn’t have the dexterity on my iPhone to draw all the walls

 

[Tok]

There are walls above in flats 4 and 5 that are in the same place as the wall that was removed in flat 2 - if that makes sense?

 

[sxturbo]

But do the joists run front to back, or left to right?

I'd be tempted to say they run left to right, but you never know really without looking