The Party Wall Act requires you to serve notice on any neighbours that may be affected by your planned works either 1 or 2 months in advance depending upon which type of notice it is. The first decision you have to make to be made is whether to serve the notice yourself or get a Party Wall Surveyor to do it for you. There are no prescribed forms for the notice so there is no reason why you should not do it yourself (there are some sample letters in Part 5 of the Party Wall leaflet) although if you are going to be appointing a surveyor later it would be better to get them to serve the notice as well.
Party wall disputes? Here are a few advices: In most cases, if the adjoining does not respond within 14 days then a deemed dispute is said to have occurred and the person carrying out the work must appoint a surveyor to act on the adjoining owners behalf. If adjoining owners provide written consent to the works as set out within the notices, then there is no dispute to resolve and no further need for party wall surveyors or, indeed, the Party Wall Act. Assuming work proceeds as detailed within the notice and no damage is caused, then no further involvement is necessary. Resolving Disputes: If adjoining owners dissent to the works (or if no response is received and a deemed dissent has arisen) then a dispute has occurred which must be resolved under the requirements of Section 10 of The Act. It is worth reiterating that the Act is one of enablement, it is not there to prevent works from taking place and it offers a route to end disputes at every stage. Where written agreement is not given, the solution the Act provides is for both parties to appoint an ‘agreed surveyor’ who will act impartially or for each owner to appoint a surveyor who in turn appoint a third surveyor. The surveyors then work together to agree the terms under which work may proceed. The surveyor(s) will review the plans, notices and structural details of the works and, after considering the impact of the works, will draw up an agreement which sets out the terms under which work can be carried out (the Award).
Plants and any other large object present on windowsills should be removed, as these will also be assessed by the surveyor. This saves the surveyor from having to move things around themselves. Mould is one of the most obvious signs of damp in a home and must always be dealt with as it can thrive if left alone. Make sure you scrub away any mould that is present in your kitchen or bathroom, fix dripping taps by replacing the washers.
Likewise your property may be scouted by buy-to-let investors who are looking for a quick sale without too much trouble, or who are looking for a ‘ready’ home that they can move tenants into straight away. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your next potential buyer. Ask yourself these questions; can I move in here straight away? Will it cost me to make immediate repairs? Are these issues easily fixed? Am I willing to conduct any DIY or have repairs made by a technician?
In addition to the suite of RICS branded HomeBuyer Reports, we are able to offer the excellent jargon-free Home Condition Survey by SAVA. With its simple 1 -3 rating system which is also colour coded to indicate the risk level and the individual items rating it allows you to quickly determine the levels and not get held back by surveyor talk. In addition to this, it comes with helpful fact sheets on electrics, gas and asbestos as required. Read extra info on Party Wall Surveyor Herne Bay.
At Home Heroes, we endeavour to provide a competitive service while attaining the highest standards of professional practice. Home Heroes although we are experienced Party Wall Surveyors, we understand that to you our clients the party wall act can be a pretty daunting experience and you have already probably been left nervous and confused, with compliance of the act. We are able to speak to you in plain English using familiar terms and sayings helping you to be put and ease and more importantly understand your obligations and rights under the act. Home Heroes Limited has experienced surveyors who are well placed to help you with your party wall requirements, be you the building owner, adjoining owner or even as an agreed surveyor.
The most frequent question we get asked is, but we’ve had a survey the bank arranged it while it true that you can have a Level 2 or 3 survey through your mortgage provider. It is more likely a valuation report that has been commissioned and these are there purely to make sure the bank has the ability to get back from the property in resale what you’ve asked it to lend you. It doesn’t report on lots of things and in most cases, you never get to see it. A HomeBuyer Report with survey: Includes all the features of the RICS Condition Report and advice on defects that may affect the property. A HomeBuyer Report with survey and valuation: Includes all the features of the RICS Condition Report, plus a market valuation and insurance rebuild costs. As one of the most comprehensive surveys available, more often than not a building survey will be requested by potential buyers of your property. It is a wide range inspection of the entirety of a property done in more specific depth than a Homebuyers Report or a Mortgage Valuation. A Building Survey’s purpose is to give a detailed report of the condition of the property in question.
Home and building survey tips and tricks : Is your Home Cracking Up? Many cracks that appear in houses, new or old aren’t a major problem, just something that happens as properties settle on the ground they are built on. Some properties though suffer severe cracks which are structural problems, many of which can be easily fixed. Any cracks that take a 10p piece fitted in sideways, to should be checked by a local independent property surveyor. Electrical and Gas Safety, I don’t know why, but every home I’ve ever bought has had a really useless boiler! As a result I’ve had to fork out between 1,000 to 2,000 to get a new one fitted. So, after having this happen twice, I now make sure I ask the surveyor to have a quick look and then I get a Gas Safety Registered plumber to check it out – albeit at an extra cost of up to 75. However, this has saved me over 10,000 due to the number of properties I’ve bought over the years! Discover more details on www.home-heroes.co.uk.