Party wall
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 center of the property line
dividing two terraced flat
s or row houses so that one half of the wall is on each property. They are sometimes two abutting walls built at different times.
Party walls are typically made of non-combustible material. Where required by code, the party wall could be a fire wall
. The wall starts at the foundation and continues up to a parapet
, creating two separate and structurally independent buildings on either side. The term can be also used to describe a division between separate units within a multi-unit apartment complex. Very often the wall in this case is non-structural but designed to meet established criteria for sound and/or fire protection between residential units.
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 Surveyor
s specialise in managing the negotiation process between adjoining owners and resolving disputes. Apart from special statutory definitions, the term "Party Wall" may be used in four different legal senses.
Less commonly, it may also be spelled Parti Wall.
In the USA, the term most commonly refers to the wall within a condominium
complex that separates two neighboring units or the wall between two adjacent rowhouses. Additionally, "Parti Wall" is not an acceptable spelling in the USA.
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
of each residence or business. The wall is sometimes constructed over the center of the property line
Property line
Property line describes the legal boundary of a parcel of land. The boundary is established by a professional surveyor using a transit and or modern Global Positioning System technology...
dividing two terraced flat
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s or row houses so that one half of the wall is on each property. They are sometimes two abutting walls built at different times.
Party walls are typically made of non-combustible material. Where required by code, the party wall could be a fire wall
Firewall (construction)
A firewall is a fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.- Applications :...
. The wall starts at the foundation and continues up to a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, creating two separate and structurally independent buildings on either side. The term can be also used to describe a division between separate units within a multi-unit apartment complex. Very often the wall in this case is non-structural but designed to meet established criteria for sound and/or fire protection between residential units.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 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 Surveyor
Party wall surveyor
The term party wall surveyor is frequently used to describe a person who specialises in resolving disputes arising under the Party Wall etc Act 1996...
s specialise in managing the negotiation process between adjoining owners and resolving disputes. Apart from special statutory definitions, the term "Party Wall" may be used in four different legal senses.
- It may mean:
- a wall of which the adjoining owners are tenantsLeasehold estateA leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
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 easementEasementAn easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
or right in the other to have it maintained as a dividing wall between the two tenementTenementA tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
s; - a wall divided longitudinally into two moieties, each moiety being subject to a cross easement, in favour of the owner of the other moiety.
- a wall of which the adjoining owners are tenants
Less commonly, it may also be spelled Parti Wall.
In the USA, the term most commonly refers to the wall within a condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
complex that separates two neighboring units or the wall between two adjacent rowhouses. Additionally, "Parti Wall" is not an acceptable spelling in the USA.
See also
- Rights of LightRights of LightRight to light is a form of easement in English law that gives a long-standing owner of a building with windows a right to maintain the level of illumination. It is based on the Ancient Lights law...
- Architectural acousticsArchitectural acousticsArchitectural acoustics is the science of noise control within buildings. The first application of architectural acoustics was in the design of opera houses and then concert halls. More widely, noise suppression is critical in the design of multi-unit dwellings and business premises that generate...
- Property lawProperty lawProperty law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property and in personal property, within the common law legal system. In the civil law system, there is a division between movable and immovable property...
- Semi-detachedSemi-detachedSemi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
housingHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...