The instruction
Where an owner plans excavation or works to a shared wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 protects the neighbours. Across several matters I carried out the schedules of condition recording the adjoining properties' exact state before any work began.
The challenge
A schedule of condition is only worth anything if it is thorough. Anything missed — an existing hairline crack, a tired render patch — can later be blamed on the works, turning a straightforward project into a contested claim.
What I did
After a desktop study of each property and the notifiable works, I inspected and recorded the condition of the adjoining owners' properties in detail, photographing and describing existing defects room by room, to give both the building owner and the adjoining owner an agreed, evidenced baseline.
The outcome
With a clear, agreed record in place, the works could proceed with both owners protected and far less room for argument if damage was later alleged.