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Hello - Hopefully someone can advise!
Our neighbour, in the maisonette on the end of a terrace row has converted her loft space to include a kitchen, living room and bathroom. The work was completed Summer 2015. She came to see us while I was away with work and my wife signed a document - unfortunately she can't remember the content and despite asking for a copy on numerous occasions, our neighbour keeps making excuses. Assumption is that this was a partywall notice...but may not have been!
Following completion of the work we've begun suffering water ingress into our bedrooms. We've raised this with the neighbour once in person - she promised a response but none received - and latterly in the form of 2 letters. We've since had a response by way of letter claiming harrassment and threatening to involve the police with absolutely no acceptance on her part that anything is amiss because she went through the correct building regs etc! I've had the roof looked at by a builder who believes that the water ingress is being caused by water draining off the fibreglass cladding directly onto our roof and water gathering on the stone at the section of the parapet wall that wasn't raised in the conversion.
I've also recently noticed that the new soil pipe servicing the bathroom in the conversion is running along the raised party wall on our side with the join above the problem area which may be adding to the problem. Also are they allowed to run a soil pipe above our property? I've also spoken to a RICS surveyor who says it's remiss that our neighbour is ignoring the issue - his view, without seeing the property is that the builder is probably correct and our neighbour is liable but obviously can't guarantee this.We're really stuck now with what to do - surveyors, lawyers? Keen to avoid huge costs as my wife is about to give birth so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Richard
Our neighbour, in the maisonette on the end of a terrace row has converted her loft space to include a kitchen, living room and bathroom. The work was completed Summer 2015. She came to see us while I was away with work and my wife signed a document - unfortunately she can't remember the content and despite asking for a copy on numerous occasions, our neighbour keeps making excuses. Assumption is that this was a partywall notice...but may not have been!
Following completion of the work we've begun suffering water ingress into our bedrooms. We've raised this with the neighbour once in person - she promised a response but none received - and latterly in the form of 2 letters. We've since had a response by way of letter claiming harrassment and threatening to involve the police with absolutely no acceptance on her part that anything is amiss because she went through the correct building regs etc! I've had the roof looked at by a builder who believes that the water ingress is being caused by water draining off the fibreglass cladding directly onto our roof and water gathering on the stone at the section of the parapet wall that wasn't raised in the conversion.
I've also recently noticed that the new soil pipe servicing the bathroom in the conversion is running along the raised party wall on our side with the join above the problem area which may be adding to the problem. Also are they allowed to run a soil pipe above our property? I've also spoken to a RICS surveyor who says it's remiss that our neighbour is ignoring the issue - his view, without seeing the property is that the builder is probably correct and our neighbour is liable but obviously can't guarantee this.We're really stuck now with what to do - surveyors, lawyers? Keen to avoid huge costs as my wife is about to give birth so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Richard
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