Help Advice needed on Boundry Dispute

[Anonymous]

got back from work to discover 6 large holes in the wall and a rawplug sticking out into our sitting room.
The builders working on the neighbouring property for a property developers had drilled straight though the adjoining wall.
We immediately went round to complain, they were unable to give us the phone number of their employer and by 7:50 this morning work had recommenced (hammering this time not drilling!)

We had been reading up on the party wall act and are in the process of getting in touch with the council and finding a solicitor and have started a written log and photographic evidence of all disturbances from the building work (we have also them tearing into a lath and plaster wall upstairs that we had just finished plastering our side of, and have had 2 floods since work commenced)

Any advice on how to proceed would be grateful received.

Also any recommendations of solicitors in the Oxfordshire area accustomed to dealing with this type of dispute?

Charlie

 

[Anonymous]

Charlie,

I'm in Oxfordshire at the moment, although buying just into Berkshire, and using Dexter Montague & Partners for the conveyancing. They are based in Reading so not too far, I can't vouch for them outside of conveyancing, but have found them to be the most pleasant and down to earth solicitors I have dealt with. There tel. is 0118 939 3999

Good luck—it sounds a 'mare!

Pete

 

[Anonymous]

Gardenlaw.co.uk is a good site. I would advise writing to the employer, or if they won't identify who they are, leave it pinned to the door of the property, advising that work must cease immediately, they are in breach of the Party Wall Act and that if they do not cease works, you will apply for an injunction and damages.

That should do the trick!

 

[Anonymous]

To be totally cynical -
Are they really employing bad workmen or are they trying to Hiss you off so much that you will sell up (at a low price because your house is battered by their "development" next door ) so they can snap it up.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh God Hazel now you have terrified me!!!
it is our dream property so it will take more that a few holes in the wall to drive us away.
it is heartbraking to see them tearing out lath and plaster walls when we are trying to carfully restore and preserve all of ours. the up side is they are doing such a botch job that it is mainly a cover up and conseal rather than replace.
have delivered a letter to the builders in person requesting them to cease work on that wall (they are still hammering away) and posted one to the developers (asked the builders for a phone number but they gave us the wrong one its)
the neighbours on the other side of us were told that the builders would only be in for 3 weeks since we started complaining work has really steped up - I recon that they are trying to finich and be out before we can contact the developers or take matters further.
thanks as ever for all the suport from everyone on this site

 

[Anonymous]

Speak to a solicitor now - you need to get them to stop this work. They can then present you with a scope of works & method statements, witha ppropriate drawings.

Contact a Party Wall surveyor too - they will be able to advise on courses of action in this position.

 

[Anonymous]

Get a solicitor pronto - and treat with a bargepole any offer to send their blokes round to make good any damage!

 

[Anonymous]

Check your house insurance, make sure you have help with legal cover - most insurances have this now... and get in touch with the insurers asap.

They will put you in touch with their legal bods.

You need an injunction.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you - but that sort of skullduggery has happened in the past. Fortunately not to me and there's 99% chance it won't be the case for you either
Get them stopped. get your professionals on the job and then get your lads in to repair your side properly.

 

[Anonymous]

after much seaching have managed to trace the property owners - a couple from out of the area with a young baby. It seems that they didnt know what was going on, and are now moving to deal with the matter.
It also seems that the builders are in just to make the kitchen bathroom and one bedroom livable in prior to owners moving in next week so things might not be as bad as we feared. it is just unfortunate that those are the rooms adjacent to us. at all points we were, and still are, hoping for the best, but we felt it wise to expect and prepare for the worst.
so just in case we still have our solicitor standing by, the phone number of a well recomended survayor experinced in period houses as well as party wall disputes, our insurance company forwarned and prepared to back us and the council informed!

the main problem in this case was finding the owner, the property had been bought and resold in a matter of months and the paper work for the new owners had not reached the land registry office, everyone we spoke to had a different part of the story so it was hard to workout what was going on.
just in case anyone is in the same situation we got the most infomation from
the estate agents (these were the last people we called - I would recomend phoning round all the estate agents in the area if you dont know who dealt with the property)
the land registry web site
company house - to track the property developer.
Keep a log of everything that happens and everyone you talk to - it is easy to miss an obvious point of contact in the panic!
Everyone we spoke to council, solicitors, neighbours etc have been very sympatetic and helpful - thankyou
and thanks again for all the advice and suport from this website
Oh and if anyone is planing on buying a propery and letting the builders loose on it with out much supervision, do give your neighbours a contact number it could save a lot of aggro.

 

[Anonymous]

oh and thank goodness for understanding an boss!!

 

[Anonymous]

Good news - I take it that their insurance will pay to put your property right?