Question We have an old garage next door and have just had a notice of proposed development from the council that the owner wants to knock it down and build a detached three storey house. Fine. We were surprised to get a letter a few days later from a surveying company offering to act on our behalf, almost, but not quite, assuring us that it ... Read more >>

Question I am about to do a single storey rear extension that had planning permission refused as my neighbour contested I have now reduced the size of the extension to fall in line with the 3 metre rule and have a building notice in force. We are going to be using the existing foundations as the building inspectors are happy with them. Does this ... Read more >>

Question My neighbour tells me they want to build a conservatory which will be across the whole width of their house and length of our existing extension. They propose to use our extension wall as one side wall - plastering their side. What would be the implications of allowing them to do this?  Their builder has suggested they need to get ... Read more >>

Question My question relates to a party wall that was made of concrete blocks and has fallen down after 40 years - their were no footings for the wall and therefore insurance would not pay. Our neighbours who share the party wall live behind and slightly above us. Their garden is about 5 feet higher than ours so now we have a vertical drop with ... Read more >>

Question My neighbour has received planning permission to erect an extension to his property.  He intends to build his extension on the junction line. We have a wall (wholly on our side of our property and which is our kitchen wall) which also sits on the junction line.  He originally intended to incorporate our wall into his extension but has ... Read more >>

Question I am currently planning a side return extension and have served a party wall notice on my neighbour who has evoked her right to appoint a surveyor.  The problem is that the surveyor has begun by sending a “statutory notice and formal request” document. This says: that my neighbour: Does ‘not accept the validity of the purported ... Read more >>

Question As next door has already started building, we have had a good relationship and he showed me the plan and took me through the high's that i agreed on, thus not objecting to the plans, now a wall has gone up 3ft above the agreed height that is already 7ft high from ground level. I called the planning officer who said that was on his ... Read more >>

Question Our property is separated from our neighbour by an alleyway about 1meter wide owned by the neighbour. He has applied for planning permission to extend out at first floor level over the alley cantilevering from his side. The extension plans to have just a single skin wall and to use our wall as the second skin needed to comply with ... Read more >>

Question About 20 years ago, our then neighbours and us decided to build adjoining garages between our properties which the middle of the garages are on the boundary line.  Also at that time we decided to go for planning permission (and gained) for an extension above our garage.  We understand that the garages share a party wall,  but does the ... Read more >>

Question We live in a semi, in ex council housing both my house and my neighbours are now privately owned. The plans clearly show the dividing garden wall to be a party wall, adjoined to the wall is one pillar, the original since the house was built with both houses hanging their gates off it. Our neighbours asked could they build  a new wall I ... Read more >>