DAGENHAM
THE PARTY WALL PEOPLE
We are experts in implementing the Party Wall Etc. Act 1996 in the Dagenham area. We prepare and serve party wall notices for you,
we will undertake schedules of condition and we will produce and serve party wall awards as needed (sometimes called party wall agreements).
Our 100% 5-star rating on Google speaks to our professional, personal and expert service
​We hold memberships with the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
We carry Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
​The Party Wall People are based in Chelmsford, Essex and travel to client’s premises all over the southeast of England.
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If you have any questions about the party wall act, please feel free to contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.
The Party Wall Etc. Act 1996 sets out to protect property owners' interests when a project is required, while at the same time ensuring that the project can continue in a timely manner.
The Act requires that when an owner of a property carries out certain works such as digging a foundation within 3m of their neighbour's property, removing a chimney from a party wall, cutting into a party wall for steelwork or building a new wall on the boundary (line of junction), they inform all affected neighbours of their intention by serving the correct notices.
The architectural identity of Dagenham is dominated by the Becontree Estate, once the largest public housing scheme in the world. The vernacular consists almost entirely of 1920s and 1930s brick-built terraces and semi-detached homes.
In Dagenham, party wall issues often arise from the fact that many of these properties were built with shared chimney breasts and relatively thin party walls. When a homeowner plans a loft conversion, the "cutting into" works to the party wall for steel beam supports requires professional oversight to ensure the fire integrity and acoustic insulation between the two homes aren't compromised.
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The ground conditions here are characterized by the Taplow Gravel Member and Alluvium near the Thames. This means that while some areas offer firm gravel for foundations, others consist of softer silts and clays. For Dagenham residents planning extensions, this often results in the need for "stepped" foundations or reinforced concrete. Our role is to ensure that the vibration from breaking out old concrete or digging new footings doesn't cause decorative cracking in the neighbouring 1930s plasterwork, which is notoriously brittle.
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Please do contact us if you need assistance with any party wall matters.
QUESTIONS WE ARE ASKED
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CAN I START WITHOUT A PARTY WALL AWARD?
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You can’t start any of the notifiable works without a consent from your neighbour or until a Party Wall Award has been served. However, you may be able to do some works related to the project which have been approved by planning approval for example. Lots of people serve the notices and even get an award in place before planning is approved to save time.
WHO WILL PAY THE FEES?
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Most of the time, the Surveyors fees are covered by the Building Owner. The cost of two different surveyors will usually be higher than that of an Agreed Surveyor. It is worth knowing that the time to agree the Party Wall Award might also be longer.
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CAN I JUST SERVE MY OWN PARTY WALL NOTICE?
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Yes, you are able to produce and serve your own notices… But if they are served incorrectly they are invalid, and you will need to start all over again which could delay the start of your project. Having this done early on by a Party Wall Surveyor will deal with this potential risk.
WHAT ABOUT BOUNDARY LINE ISSUES?
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The Act is not the tool to resolve boundary disputes and party wall surveyors have no powers to do so… The Act cannot be applied until a boundary dispute is resolved. In the case of a section 6 notice, which deals with excavations within a certain distance of the adjoining owner's property, the boundary location is not relevant.
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WHEN SHOULD I NOTIFY MY NEIGHBOURS?
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Timing is really important, so reviewing your project with a Party Wall Surveyor to run through your project and check if any elements will require serving notice removes stress from the project early on, allowing you to concentrate on the rest of the job. We would recommend getting in touch as soon as a planning application has been submitted, if you intend to begin works promptly.
CAN MY NEIGHBOUR STOP MY PROJECT?
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Your neighbour can’t stop you carrying out the project by not responding within the required timeframe. If this happens then the Act allows you to appoint another Surveyor on their behalf so that a Party Wall Award can be served. You can’t have an Agreed Surveyor in this scenario.
WHAT IF I JUST DON’T SERVE A NOTICE?
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It is illegal to begin any notifiable works without a notice. Your neighbour has the right to serve an injunction and stop the work.
If you have done some work which might hinder your neighbour’s ability to have a project of their own, without serving the correct notice, you will be liable to compensate for any remediation or damages caused under common law. You will have to cover the cost for undoing this work and any related design fees.