Party Wall Notice - During a House Sale/Purchase

[dahokolomoki]

I'm about to complete on a property at the end of this month. Part of the works I am envisioning involves the removal of an extremely large chimney breast in a small bedroom. The chimney breast is on a party wall with the neighbours next door.

As I'm quite keen to get works started immediately after getting the keys after completion, would it be possible to get a party wall agreement with the neighbours next door before completion? Could the current owners (and vendor) of the property serve the party wall notice now, detailing the works, and will that transfer with the property to myself after completion?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sounds like a nightmare, probably a hellovava lot easier to just wait a while. How you gonna organise the structural drawings etc without access for one thing?

 

[^woody^]

You can't serve notice as you are not the building owner

Also, depending on what part of the Act you are serving notice, you may need to provide other information with the notice, which you wont be able to provide (detailed schedules etc)

And you certainly wont be able to deal with any dispute and the associated rigmarole

 

[dahokolomoki]

Good points - and I guess the current vendor doesn't want to take the risk either.

I guess now I should just try to get in touch with the other party involved informally, float my plan of removing the chimney breast just so that they know that it is coming, hopefully get their verbal agreement, and then the day I get the keys to the house I can go through the formality of serving notice and they can agree.

Does that sound like a good plan?