Hi, very good advice from Seb, we also have a useful Insurance check-list I can send if helpful, just email me mike@ensoul.co.uk and i will forward. All the best, Mike

Hi
You need a party wall agreement and lots of photos of your walls. The good news is that in the long term it’s not s problem but it’s a bit inconvinient in the short term.

What you may find is that as the next door house “settles” it causes issues with yours.

These are perfectly normal and nothing to worry about but they do need keeping an eye on.

So quick checklist...

1. Party wall surveyor - get your own and your neighbour has to pay. You can use theirs but it’s a potential conflict of interest.

2. Check their builders and architects insurance details. Ask to see the certificates, take copies and then call the insurance firms. Check that you are covered if there is a structural failure. Get this in writing.

3. Take photos/videos of your own home internally and externally. Clearly state the dates on the photos. Wallpaper may stretch and cracks appear. It’s your neighbours job to fix and pay for these.

4. Agree the working schedule. It can be noisy. There are rules and make sure that they’re not excavating at 7am on a Sunday!

It sounds scary but it’s not - just get a bit organised!

My neighbour is planning to do a basement extension under the house and the garden. Does anyone have experience of how the neighbour’s under garden excavation can affect one’s own back garden and garden room? It’s a bit worrying!