Party walls in flats and converted houses

What counts as a party structure

The Act defines a party structure as a wall, floor partition or other structure that separates buildings, or parts of buildings, reached by separate staircases or entrances. In a Victorian house split into flats with their own front doors, the floor between the ground-floor flat and the one above usually qualifies.

Work in flats that can need notice

• Cutting into or strengthening the floor between flats, for example to fit new steels.
• Removing a wall that holds up the flat above.
• A loft conversion by the top-floor flat, which may affect the party walls with the houses either side as well as the roof.
• Lowering the floor or digging a basement under a ground-floor flat.

Who gets the notice

Every owner affected: the leaseholders of the other flats and the freeholder, or the management company that holds the freehold. Your lease will probably also require your landlord's written consent for alterations. That is a separate permission under your lease and does not replace party wall notices.

South London conversions

Large Victorian and Edwardian houses across Streatham, Brixton, Brockley, Crystal Palace and Norbury have been split into flats over the years, often with different owners on each floor. These buildings need care: several owners, shared roofs and shared drains, and a freeholder who may be hard to find. We untangle who owns what before any notice goes out.