Party Wall Agreements: 4 Tips To Get Your Neighbours Consent

Home renovations can be exciting endeavours. However, if you share a wall with a neighbour, the process might not be as seamless as you think. According to the Party Wall Act Of 1996, getting the adjoining neighbour’s consent is mandatory to start a home renovation. If you fail to reach their consent, you will have to engage with a surveyor to come to a resolution. 

When planning a home renovation, you wouldn’t want a Party Wall Agreement to halt your project. Conversing with your neighbours before the renovation can save precious time and prevent things from escalating. Before starting your renovation, you can use the following tips to convince your neighbours and avoid unnecessary conflict. Read more to find out.

Have A Casual Talk:

Receiving formal consent documentation can be daunting if it arrives out of nowhere. Especially when interpreting and understanding the contents of the documentation takes work. Before you send the agreement, have a friendly conversation with your neighbours. This will allow you to discuss their doubts and give your neighbours time to consider your proposal. Giving them a heads-up is also a great way to show you are willing to hear their concerns and work with them cordially. 

Share Your Design Plan:

Just having a friendly talk is unlikely to convince your neighbours. Promises without actions are just empty words. If your neighbour raises concerns despite your initial discussion, sharing the design plan with them could be a great way to ease their mind. You can show them in drawing exactly what they can expect out of the renovation and how it would affect their daily routine. 

Remember to use an easy-to-follow format instead of architectural designs for them to understand the plan. A professionally designed plan can intimidate and anchor them to refuse without understanding the details. On the contrary, they would be more open to your request if they knew how the project would affect them.

Keep An Open Mind:

Remember, a home renovation will take a toll on your neighbours too. So it’s essential to keep an open mind to avoid conflicts. Listen to their concerns from an objective standpoint and compromise where required. Consider proposing an alternative if your neighbour is particularly against a specific alteration. If needed, change your initial plans to incorporate their requests. 

This does not mean you have to let go of your initial design or re-do the plan all over again. But compromising in certain areas will ensure your neighbours are on board with the plan and remain amicable throughout the renovation. 

Engage A Surveyor:

While in most cases, neighbours might agree to your renovation, convincing them without professional help could be difficult. This is where engaging a surveyor could be beneficial. Not only can a surveyor help your neighbours understand the degree of damage better, but it can also help moderate the discussion. 

Surveyors can also arrange a Schedule Of Conditions to convince your neighbours to consent. Schedule Of Conditions provides a formal record of all the adjoining areas that would be affected under your renovation project. This can help you identify and rectify all the potential damage once the work is over. A Schedule Of Conditions can also prevent your neighbours from filing false claims against your project. 

Final Thoughts:

Convincing a neighbour to incur damage is often a difficult task. While you can do your part to keep things cordial, beware discussions can get sour. In cases of escalation, sending the notice way before the renovation and these tips can be helpful. It can buy you time to convince your neighbour and make alterations without additional costs.