Advice on wall please

[Tigercubrider]

Do you have copies of the reports?
Any way of confirming that the surveyor/ engineer is legit?

 

[^woody^]

Do you have copies of the reports?
Any way of confirming that the surveyor/ engineer is legit?

No competent bone-fide surveyor or engineer can make that assertion which has been mentioned.

 

[Dicky mint]

He has already said he is going to get the work done with or without our input then bill us for half

Yes I have a full report here but it's full of name and address

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

He has already said he is going to get the work done with or without our input then bill us for half

Yes I have a full report here but it's full of name and address

As I suggested, you and/or your brother need to warn him that if your wall is touched there will be dire and expensive legal consequences for him as a result. His letter already admits it is not his property, so he should not be interfering with it at all, but I do wonder what his motives might be on wanting to decrease the height of it, though he seems desperately keen to find some excuse to reduce it.

 

[Dicky mint]

The engineer /surveyor turned up ( approximately aged 65) with a spirit level with a Wilco’s sticker on it . Did nothing but look at the wall from the ground lvl .

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The engineer /surveyor turned up ( approximately aged 65) with a spirit level with a Wilco’s sticker on it . Did nothing but look at the wall from the ground lvl .

Was he a real surveyor, or someone acting the part of?

The proposed date of the meeting on the letter was 10th November, is that the meet which has just happened?

 

[Tigercubrider]

My suggestion was to check that the “surveyor” is one. If he claims to be, and is not, he’s in trouble.
(Depending on what he claims)

 

[Dicky mint]

 

[Dicky mint]

The above photo is from either side.of the neighbours who have no problems with the wall. Only the guy at the rear seems to be bothered I think he just wants a nice pretty new wall

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The above photo is from either side.of the neighbours who have no problems with the wall. Only the guy at the rear seems to be bothered I think he just wants a nice pretty new wall

He wont get a prettier wall than that, it has character and patina.

 

[KenGMac]

Just a consideration [up here we do not have PWA]

Is the house in any way "listed" anywhere? If so the wall will also be subject to the same constraints as to what can and cannot be done with the property?

Ken

 

[blup]

What did the people who sold to your brother say about ownership of the wall when he purchased?

Blup

 

[Dicky mint]

The previous owner passed away and it was a auction property

 

[oldbutnotdead]

First job (if not already done) is written cease and desist notice to neighbour- wall is not his property, leave it alone.
Second job- land registry, your deeds and neighbours deeds (cost you £3 per address). If you're lucky the land registry plans will show the wall within your boundary and outside neighbours boundary.
Third job is local history - look for pics or plans predating the neighbour house going up, hopefully they'll show wall is there. If there's a local paper, have a look in their archives for any pr shots of the council estate going up. Also drag yourself to the town hall, have a look for the planning drawings for the council houses.
Once you've proved ownership you can get on to the unlawful attachment to the wall.

 

[Dicky mint]

Got a update on the history of the wall which was actually a malthouse .see below

Dear Mr********

I am now in a position to shed more light on the rear wall at the house -24 ######## Sedgley, As i have received the deeds to the property from my solicitors and further research from archive materials regarding ######## when it was actually a public house known as Vine Inn.

Our records so far trace the property back to 1830, but a dwelling house was on the land prior to this. In 1857 the Vine Inn was run as a public house with William Hill as Innkeeper, In November 1865 the Birmingham Journal advertises:

'To be sold at auction, old licensed house known as Vine Inn, consisting of Bar, Smoke room, tap room, kitchen, good cellaring, two chambers, large clubhouse, Brewhouse with Malt Room over, gig house, stabling for horses, out offices and yard. This property adjoining the large nailhouse owned by Mrs Tinsley.'

Two years later in 1867 Dudley Herald advertised at auction:

'Sale of roadside public house, Vine Inn - comprising of front parlour, front tap room, bar parlour, large club room, 3 good chambers, extensive dry cellaring, large and commodious brewhouse with malt room over, four stalled stables, coach house, coal house and piggeries.'

1880 licencse was abandoned and property up for sale again.

Along with our deeds is an Indenture dating from 1917 which described ########## as being sold to Arthur and Emily Small. The detached property bounded to the front by the road leading from Wolverhampton to Dudley and bounded on both sides by other parts of Perks Furlong - a piece of land, The sale included all the messuage or dwelling house and outbuildings erected and built on the plot of land known as Vine Villa. At this time Perks Furlong was grazing land according to historic Ordinance Survey maps of the area.

When the property became residential in 1917 and no longer used as a public house the outbuildings and large nail workshop were demolished from the plot of land leaving their outside walls which created a boundary. They are tall due to being originally a 2 storey building - a large brew house with malt house over the top. This was never built as a dividing garden wall between properties but actually the existing buildings external walls built on the boundary of the plot next to the open grazing land.

After seeking professional advise on this matter, It is our opinion that the wall that bounds the property is actually the remains of existing outbuildings from its previous use as a public house. It would have enclosed the yard from the grazing land long before any other properties were built, so cannot be considered a party wall.

When we purchased the property we were notified by Mr. Hyde by letter and emails that the wall was our responsibility according to his deeds, Our own deeds and Indventure confirm this ownership. Our offer of getting the wall repaired facing ####### Road still stands, we will take responsibility in getting this existing wall repaired in due course.