Party wall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Party wall is a dividing partition between two adjoining buildings (or units) that is shared by the tenants of each residence or business. The wall is sometimes constructed over the centre of the property line dividing two terraced flats or row houses so that one half of the wall is on each property. When renovations or additions are made that affect the party wall, or walls, the owner is often required by law to notify neighbouring property owners and gain their approval for the new construction work.

Typically made of two or three rows of brick (double or triple wythe) with a thickness of eight to twelve inches. The wall starts at the foundation of the building to support the weight of both structures. The beams or joists that support each floor of the building often sit in "beam pockets" within the brick. The party wall is also a barrier to fires by extending above the roof as a parapet wall to prevent flames from spreading from one building to the next.

The term can be used to describe the division between separate units in an apartment complex.

This building term which, in England, apart from special statutory definitions, may be used in four different legal senses. Very rarely, it may also be spelt Parti Wall.

It may mean:

a wall of which the adjoining owners are tenants in common;
a wall divided longitudinally into two strips, one belonging to each of the neighbouring owners;
a wall which belongs entirely to one of the adjoining owners, but is subject to an easement or right in the other to have it maintained as a dividing wall between the two tenements;
a wall divided longitudinally into two moieties, each moiety being subject to a cross easement, in favour of the owner of the other moiety.

In the United Kingdom, the legal rights and obligations governing work to or adjacent to a Party wall are governed by the Party Wall, etc. Act, 1996 and Party Wall Surveyors specialise in managing the negotiation process between adjoining owners and resolving disputes.

In the USA, the term most commonly refers to the wall within a condominium complex that separates two neighboring units.