The Party Wall etc Act 1996 came into force on 1 July 1997.
It is largely based on Part VI of the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act 1939 and started life as a Private Members Bill sponsored by the Earl of Lytton.
An explanatory booklet is available for download from the Communities website
If you intend to carry out building work which involves:
- work on an existing wall shared with another property
- building on the boundary with a neighbouring property
- excavating near an adjoining building
you must find out whether that work falls within the scope of the Act. If it does, you must serve the statutory notice on all those defined by the Act as adjoining owners. (Remember that reaching agreement with adjoining owners on a project that falls within the scope of the Act does not remove the possible need for planning permission or building regulations approval.)
This Act is not administered by the Local Authority and any disputes between adjoining owners are a civil matter.
