Boundary question

[DickyC]

Between the houses, next door's plot is 300 to 450mm higher than ours. Further down, the gardens level out. It is their boundary and the foundation of their wall is being undermined by erosion.

Whose responsibility is it to shore up the foundation to stop the erosion?

When I showed them, the husband offered to help me fix it. No offer of help with paying for materials. This was twelve months ago and no enquiries about a commencement date. This I take to mean he's avoiding the subject.

They are not gardening folk and fences and walls are an irritation to them.





This is for interest rather than for pursuing next door for money as I suspect that, whoever is responsible, I will finish up paying for the materials and doing the work.

[No ideas for a name]

That looks like the ground on your side has been lowered after the wall foundations were done.
Maybe before your time at the property of course.
If that is the case, then 'you' have undermined their wall.

Otherwise, isn't it normally the problem of the person who's land is being retained.

[LimmerickLad]

Looks like your groundlevel has been lowered at some point and exposed the foundation?

[DickyC]

Yes, their wall foundation undermined by builders when levelling our plot is quite likely now you point it out.

Their boundary, their wall, their foundation, their responsibility except our plot undermined it all. That's good, I'll set about some remedial work.

The deepest section has some hefty concrete retention. I'll extend that. It will look a bit WW2 fortifications but it's not often seen.

Thanks!

[LimmerickLad]

If you are going to undertake some form of underpinning and / or digging down the side of the existing foundation I'd suggest you may want to consider doing it in "hit & miss" sections of perhaps 1 mtre at a time and put a little bit of steel bar to connct them.

[DickyC]

LimmerickLad said:

If you are going to undertake some form of underpinning and / or digging down the side of the existing foundation I'd suggest you may want to consider doing it in "hit & miss" sections of perhaps 1 mtre at a time and put a little bit of steel bar to connct them.

Good plan. I remember a story about a family in Slough whose house needed underpinning. They agreed with the builder that they would do the digging to expose the foundations but they exposed all the foundations in one go. The house suffered irreparable damage.

[Cow Corner]

How far is that wall from their house (or other outbuildings)?

If it’s close to then you should seek professional advice regarding any ‘repairs’. Given the difference in levels, underpinning may be notifiable under the PW etc Act.