Property Dispute
The freehold owner of a flat engaged a builder to partly remove a wall separating the kitchen from the living room area.
The work was carried out without Building Regulations approval and observance of the requirements of the Party Wall etc Act.
The occupier of the flat above complained that the alterations to the structure in the flat below had resulted in distortion of the floors and cracking in the walls of his flat.
Both parties had engaged the services of lawyers and consulting engineers to advise them.
Agreement was reached after some ten hours of mediation whereby the owner of the lower flat agreed to pay for repair works required to restore the flat above to its original condition and for the two engineers to agree on whatever additional strengthening works were required to restore the building structure to the strength that existed before the wall had been removed.