Party Wall Notice is the last part of the Jigsaw to start the work on the site. There are specific time provisions within the Party Wall Act especially when it comes to starting construction work. But the process can get delayed due to any number of reasons. Those reasons can be appointed surveyor’s holiday arrangements. Experts suggest starting the work as soon as possible but it is also important to know when is the right time to start the work by serving the party wall notice.
Based on the type of the proposed work, the Party Wall Act stipulates a specific notice period. Generally, one month is fixed for adjacent excavation or making new wall at the line of Junction. On the other hand, two months are fixed for the works that directly affect a party structure. It has been noticed that the noticed periods are not as critical as the consenting adjoining owner feels happy to waive the notice period. And the appointed surveyor should do the task as soon as possible after the disputed matter has been resolved and the award is served.
But it is still important to serve the notice as early as possible. Actually, the entire time span of the process cannot be guessed early until the adjoining owner sends a response. Let’s know how early the process can work-
Among the three types of Party Wall Notice, only one type needs to be included by drawings unless the work includes excavation. Actually, excavation is notifiable under the Act. The notice should be served just after decision making.
Here maintain a loft conversion would be effective comparatively. It has been noticed that in all cases it is necessary to cut beams into the wall to enable proper support for the new floor and carry the weight of the rear dormer. The nature and specifications of the proposed work should be included in the notice. You can skip precise details to save time.
The start date can be stated as two months after the date of the notice or even earlier according to the agreement.
If your neighbours are friendly, you will get consent easily and the notice period can be waived much earlier even before the architect puts pen on the paper. If the task includes excavation, you can make it easier with ‘plans and sections’ of the proposed excavation. You can sketch a simple floor plan and highlight the dashed line together with a typical foundation section.
It has been also noticed that adjoining owners prefer to show consenting to a wall notice when the drawing includes detailed information. It may seem a little problematic with the above work style.
But the entire process can be fast and less-problematic if you follow the combination of an informal approach as soon as possible with the notice to follow as detailed drawing needs some time. It also helps to create a good impression that the future neighbour is taking both kinds of ways to get consent.
You can start the informal chat process with an initial sketch from the architect. You should also explain that the work falls under the Party Wall Act and they are going to get formal notice later. In this way, you can properly explain the plan and process so that adjoining owners do not get confused between planning and party wall process.
To perform properly, sometimes it is necessary to under a section of the foundation. It is also a general fact that digging a trial pit can take place prior to notice being served. Actually, this kind of information is also required to draft the notice.
Once the award has been agreed and served properly, adjoin owners help to waive the notice period. There may be exceptional cases also. Due to some reasons often it needs to push the work back and that is their right. But surveyors cannot waive notice period unless they have permission from the authority.
If you are going to face this kind of phase, you can contact a Party Wall Surveyor to get more details and complete the task easily.