Any of this sound vaguely familiar to you?

As we all know, building and renovation works in a neighbouring property can be noisy and inconvenient at the best of times.

But what happens when bits of dust, mortar and maybe even BRICKS start falling down your chimney?

It could be that your neighbours have started work on or near the Party Wall – the shared ‘boundary’ which separates one home from another. Many chimneys are built on party walls, and it’s commonplace for chimney stacks to be shared.

Many party wall chimneys tend to be ‘back to back’ – in other words, the way it was originally constructed on your neighbour’s side will be the same as on your side. They will normally be a ‘mirror image’ of each other.

This means that, if one side wishes to alter or amend the chimney, it means undertaking some serious structural work. And putting in place a Party Wall Agreement.

What Is A Party Wall Agreement?

Any major works involving a party wall, such as removing chimneys, should have a Party Wall Agreement in place. This is an obligation under the Party Wall Act 1996.

The person(s) undertaking the work are responsible for protecting neighbouring property from damage caused by the works, and are expected to fix or pay for any damage that is caused

Unfortunately, not only are there many occasions when Party Wall Agreements are overlooked – but even if they are in place, chimneys tend to get forgotten about!

This is madness when you consider that not only do many neighbours share chimney stacks, but the chimneys themselves tend to be old, fragile and susceptible to damage from the impact of heavy duty building works.

So What’s The Point of a Party Wall Chimney Inspection?

In short, they give a detailed snapshot on the state of your chimney at any one time. We strongly recommend two inspections – the first being carried out BEFORE any works are undertaken, and the second taking place AFTER the renovations are completed.

This allows you to see whether anything has significantly altered during the works which may or may not have an impact on your chimney.

What Does A Party Wall Chimney Inspection Entail?

This can vary depending on each individual circumstance, but it may involve:

⁃ A full clean of your chimney

⁃ A complete CCTV inspection of the flue serving your fireplace

⁃ A smoke draw test

– A chimney leakage test

⁃ A check on your chimney terminal and stack (access dependent)

⁃ Full maintenance certification/paperwork

– A full report which can be used to inform future works

But I Didn’t Get A Pre-Works Party Wall Chimney Inspection – What Should I Do?

You should still get a Party Wall Chimney Inspection done as soon as possible. If anything untoward has gone on in your chimney, it would allow you to raise the issue sooner rather than later.

In some instances, party wall issues have only come to light years afterwards, when one or both sets of neighbours have moved on. This can mean innocent parties are left with huge repair bills.

What Issues Can Affect My Chimney Through Neighbouring Party Wall Works?

There are numerous instances where we’ve seen inappropriate use of a neighbouring flue as a result of party wall works.

These include:

• Metal RSJs from a loft conversion protruding into a neigbouring flue

• Water/gas pipes and live electrical cabling running through a flue

• An entire party wall brick flue removed without any means of visible support

• Chimneys being knocked into for new wardrobe and cupboard space – with the wood touching the chimney liner in a neighbouring flue

What Sort Of Redress Should I Seek If I Believe Damage Has Been Done To My Chimney Through Party Wall Works?

You should always take professional legal advice from a suitably qualified person on this. More information is available from the Government website.

How Much Does A Party Wall Chimney Inspection Cost?

Prices around the UK can vary. But having an indepth inspection should be seen as an investment to help protect the integrity of your chimney and character of your home.

Because of the concealed nature of chimneys, many party wall incidents have, historically, gone undetected because of a lack technology to inspect them thoroughly.

Happily, that is no longer the case and companies such as ours have an array of CCTV and flue testing equipment.

And we have qualified sweeps and technicians who are highly trained and experienced in picking up party wall chimney issues.