A party wall or a boundary wall is a division wall among two properties of separate parties. If you are considering extending your building work or any property that might cause any hindrance or affect an adjoining property or shared wall.
Go through the article to get all the related guidance and knowledge about the things involved.
What is a party wall dispute or boundary dispute?
The problem arises when two parties, mainly the property owners, develop a conflict related to the location, ownership, width, or maintenance of a boundary line.
Generally, the boundaries are set by considering the features like walls, hedges, fences, trees, driveways, stone markers, or posts. But with time, occupants and property owners can be diverted, adjusted, moved, and even overgrown.
The Land Registry Title Plan indicates the legal boundary line, sometimes up to a tiny scale of 1 to 1,250.
The Party Wall Act, 1996 helps to prevent the party wall’s conflicts and protects the owners of adjoining localities.
Walls and Boundaries
There are four kinds of walls in the context of boundaries:
- Boundary wall – a wall present within a garden, used to separate land of two land parcels of different owners.
- Party wall – wall present inside a building used to join two lands and creates a boundary between them
- Building faces – a boundary line that runs along the front or side of the building.
- Retaining wall – it is also a boundary wall that helps support land higher from one side compared to another.
What exactly is a Party wall?
A party wall separates the boundaries of two joined properties or buildings. It is a wall present inside the building. The main party walls are:
A wall is present between the owner of the building and the adjoining owner’s land. This wall might share one building or two buildings.
What exactly is a Boundary wall?
A wall that helps you separate your property from others, providing security and protection. It is also called a perimeter wall. Boundary walls create boundaries across your property, depending on the property owner to maintain these walls.
A boundary wall is to secure your property, and there is a wide range of boundary wall designs or barriers of fixed property. Boundary walls can be constructed using stone, brick and solid compounds.
Boundary wall vs Party wall:
Purpose:
- The boundary wall is an impenetrable wall to secure your property; if someone wants to start the construction, then the first thing he does is to construct a boundary wall because this enclosed wall helps protect your place.
- The party wall is used to divide the building between two owners. It is used as the boundary between ownership and is situated at the center of the wall.
Berths of walls:
- All of the berths of the boundary wall can be built only on one side, which means keeping the whole wall on the owner’s property.
- Compared to berths of party wall expended from both sides of the wall, it means party wall keep on both owner’s property.
Maintainer:
- The land owner can be responsible for maintaining the boundary wall if it’s damaged.
- On the other side, both the building owners can be responsible for maintaining the party wall if it’s hearts and damaged.
Use:
- A boundary wall is used to secure and protect your place, depending on the owner’s choice if he wants to build the boundary wall.
- Compared to a boundary wall, a party wall is used to separate one building from another.
Conclusion
We hope you have gotten the complete details of the difference between a party wall and boundary wall. Being the homeowner you need to know the rules about walls and your responsibilities to manage and maintain them.