The wall is 150mm thick Bath stone ashlar Party Wall. How much plaster would need to be removed to see if the stonework is cracked....? Worried....

Thanks steampowered! Yes, the main worry is having him in our house arguing over the extent of the damage – just don't want the conflict! Part of the problem is that he is only admitting liability for the hole that was drilled through our wall, but not for the cracks and damaged plaster caused by their heavy hammering/chiselling against the single-skin wall – so there is bound to be some argument. Also, because the damage is to the wall of our stairwell (and adjoning ceiling) , this is a continuous single wall that runs through from the loft to the front door. We anticipate that he will want to just patch up the holes/cracks and paint over the patches with a close colour match – leaving us with a patchy paint finish on the wall and ceiling. The quotes we have got are to repair the damage and repaint the continuous space. Is this reasonable? Many thanks!

Thanks reallymadwoman I thought that Public Liability insurance is compulsory...? It would be so much simpler and more civilised if we could allow the insurers to do what they are paid to do... Unfortunately, we don't have legal expenses cover on our household insurance, but it does provide free legal advice.

Thanks reallymadwoman Ideally, we would like to go through their public liability insurers, but the builders are refusing this until they have inspected the damage. I suspect that either they don't want to affect their premiums or they think their negligent work would invalidate their insurance. Unfortunately, our building insurance doesn't cover damage by a 3rd party.... We have provided photographic evidence of the damage and have had professional quotes for the work (which they are claiming are inflated). We just don't want the builder in our house questioning our requests for the reinstatement of our property to its former condition. Can we legally insist that they provide their Public Liability insurers details...? We're anticipating that this may eventually become a matter for the small claims court.....any views on how to prepare for this eventuality would be very welcome. Thanks!

Hello – I hope this is the correct place to seek advice regarding a Party Wall dispute. Any help greatly appreciated! To cut a long story short, our neighbours recently employed a loft conversion company to build a dormer conversion. We expressed some concerns about the nature and timing of the work but they went ahead anyway, without a signed Party Wall Agreement (PWA) and without allowing the 2 months notice etc. Because we raised concerns, the builders decided that they would change the structure of the conversion so that there would be no need for the PWA (even though it had already been issued for us to sign). The building work began and shortly afterwards, after very heavy drilling and chiselling on the Party Wall, the builders drilled through the wall into our property. Apart from the drill hole and plaster damage, there are cracks extending from the drill hole and cracks in the wall and adjoining ceiling caused by their heavy hammering on the single skin wall. The builder has admitted liability for damaging our property but is now disputing the quotes we have provided for the repairs and repainting but he seems reluctant to go through his Public Liability insurers as we have requested. He now wants to enter our property to inspect the damage but we do not want him in our home. My question is: are we legally obliged to allow him access to our house? We would prefer to go through the insurance claim process with loss adjusters etc We don't want anything more to do with the builder himself. Many thanks!

Please help... The 12 month term of the contract with our tenants finished a few months ago and the contract became a standard 'rolling' shorthold tenancy. We decided recently that we'd like to sell the house and served 2 months notice to the tenants as required. In conversations with the tenants we informally suggested that if they hadn't found somewhere to move to before the end of the notice period, we might be able to allow them more time than the two months notice (trying to be flexible and generous). However, they have become quite awkward in allowing access to the property for tradespeople to go in and do boiler checks, repairs etc. and we are worried that this will continue with the estate agents and potential viewings. We now want them out of the property asap so that we can get on with selling the house. My first question is - how do I enforce the moving out date (after 2 months)? Secondly, if we agree to give them a couple of extra weeks, do we have to go through the process of formally serving notice again or can we give them this extension in writing with an agreed definite day for moving out? Thanks for your advice. All best wishes, Gandolfi

Hello All If any of you can offer advice on how to take this forward, we would very much appreciate your help. After a pretty terrible holiday this summer, my wife and I wrote a detailed letter of complaint to Thomson asking for compensation. We sent a PDF including our complaints and images of the sub-standard accommodation. Their offer of compensation was just £160 of vouchers (to spend on one of their holidays!!!), which doesn't compensate us at all for a miserable holiday. I'll try to sum up the complaints: 1) There was a large area (more than a square metre) of damp, efflorescent mould growing out from the wall next to my bed. Smell of damp in bedroom. Asked rep for something to be done but all they did was to scrape it off and paint over it. It had grown back within a couple of days. We asked if we could move but were told this wasn't possible. 2) Large cockroaches coming from drains in bathroom and through hole in ceiling 3) Apartment was not clean - mould in bathroom, on shower curtain, dirty toilet, hole in ceiling (from where cockroach came), woodwork on doors up to knee height was damp/rotten, smell of drains 4) Had to leave key in apt door if we wanted cleaner to come in - no security 5) Booked a car through the rep which didn't turn up - wasted whole day of holiday. 6) Tried to use Thomson's 24hr customer service line because we had no way of contacting rep directly, but received no response 7) Owner came straight into our apartment unannounced while i was putting sun tan lotion on my wife's back - could have been VERY embarrassing - no respect for our privacy. We have holidayed in Greece for the last 20 years. We understand the difference between simple/basic accommodation and an apartment that is a potential health risk. The rep said that their Health & Safety inspector was coming in the following week to check the apartment - we requested a copy of the report (for our own health concerns) but were refused by customer service. As you can imagine we are pretty fed up. Our only holiday of the year completely ruined. We declined Thomson's offer of voucher compensation. They have written back saying that they think it's a fair offer. What should we do next....? All help and advice appreciated. Thanks! Gandolfi

Please could you explain what this refers to? Or is there a link to the information? Thanks! Gandolfi

Hi Supasta Wondering how you got on in court....had everything crossed for you. Let us know what happened. All best, Gandolfi

does anyone have a definitive answer....

Hi supasta1 Subbing to your thread.... Any progress this week? Gandolfi

It would be great to get any historic NatWest T&Cs if you have them.... I've tried to get them from Natwest via a CPR18 request for information, but Cobbetts just refused while the test case was on. Would it be worth me seeking an order for this when I ask to amend my Counterclaim...? I need them for every year from when the accounts were opened (20 years!) I also need to prepare my argument for amending my claim. What would be the best way? My thread http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/business-bank-accounts-charges/81525-gandolfi-natwest-14.html is very long and complicated and buried in the (rather quiet) Business Claims section of the forum. It's a big case with c£25,000 at stake, from both Personal and Sole Trader current accounts. Eager to get on, but not sure how.... All help much appreciated. Meanwhile, best wishes, Gandolfi

bump

Where is NatWest...?

Those would be very useful. Thanks Bankfodder! How can I get to see them? All best, Gandolfi PS - I'll get the statement examples/letter scanned in and sent asap.