The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is a UK law designed to prevent and resolve disputes between neighbors when building work affects shared walls, boundaries, or nearby foundations.
In simple terms, it:
- Gives building owners the right to carry out certain works
- Protects neighboring owners from damage or surprise
- Sets out a clear legal process to follow before work starts
When the Act applies
The Act applies if you plan to do work that involves:
1. Party walls or party structures
These are walls or structures shared by two properties, such as:
- The wall between terraced or semi-detached houses
- Shared floors or ceilings in flats
The Act covers work like cutting into the wall, raising it, thickening it, or removing parts of it.
“This Act makes provision in respect of party walls…”
2. Boundary walls
If you want to:
- Build a new wall on the boundary line
- Build a wall astride the boundary (half on each property)
Then the Act applies.
3. Excavation near neighbouring buildings
The Act applies if you excavate:
- Within 3 metres of a neighbour’s building and deeper than their foundations
- Within 6 metres in certain cases where deeper foundations are involved
“…excavate, or excavate for and erect a building or structure, within the distances specified…”
This is very common with extensions and basements.
Totum 