What You Can and Cannot Do with a Party Wall

One of the things that can be considered a big roadblock with renovation is the fact that your house has a party wall with the one next door. Of course, you can’t just start cracking the walls and pulling out the worn-out insulation. You’re going to need a party wall surveyor to check on the condition of the party wall and give you professional advice on the things to do and what not to do when working on a house that shares a party wall with another house.

Did you know that every country has a list of laws meant explicitly for dealing with situations regarding party walls? Well, one of the things that you have to remember when it comes to party walls is that every country defines party walls a bit differently but agrees on a singular point. That the party wall falls flatly at the boundary of the two estates it is dividing, and as such, is co-owned by both owners of the two estates it splits. This means that you cannot just openly do whatever you want with the wall and neither can the co-owner. Here are a few things that you can and cannot do with a party wall:

1. You can’t take down a party wall, or be obligated to build a new one if it is damaged accidentally.

One of the critical things about party walls is that it is a boundary used by two parties at all times. Hence party walls cannot be taken down by either of the co-owners on each side of the boundary. That means that during a renovation, you cannot, under any circumstance destroy any part of the party wall.

There is an exception, however. If the wall itself becomes damaged and useless to both parties, through "a fire or other cause," then the wall can be removed. They are also not obligated to replace the party wall should the wall be damaged through no fault from either owner. And should both houses be destroyed and the wall remains erect, you can rebuild your home differently. If one of the two co-owners opted to continue using the party wall as part of the reconstruction, then the wall shall remain erect.

2. Adding, altering or repairing the wall.

Unless under contract that disallows you to do so, you can repair or alter the party wall. Be mindful, however, that the wall’s strength must not diminish when making changes.

3. You can do anything with the wall, but only if it doesn’t put the other owner at a disadvantage.

Say you started renovating the house and decided to use the party wall for something, like a fireplace. You can do so but also remember to mind if the heat will go through the other side and cause problems for the other owner. And even if it doesn’t put the other owner at a disadvantage, you cannot build beyond the wall or extend the wall’s thickness beyond the other party’s boundary.

With extensive research and study, Simon passionately creates blogs on divergent topics. His writings are unique and utterly grasping owing to his dedication in researching for distinctive topics.