Told by Surveyor that our home insurance is invalid.

We are selling our house, and today we have the buyers surveyor round to do the Homebuyers Survey.

He looked in the loft (tiny) and said that as we don’t have a party wall between us and next door, our home insurance will be invalid, and the buyers won’t be able to get insurance unless we get the party built before exchange of contracts.

The house is an end terrace built some time in the 1890’s

I can see how building a party wall would be a good idea for fire/security measures. But it can’t be true about the insurance surely ??

I can see how building a party wall would be a good idea for fire/security measures.

What else do you insure for?

Fit this

But it can’t be true about the insurance surely ??

Check your documents…

What else do you insure for?

Lots of things are a “good idea” to improve security, top end deadlocks and remotely monitored cctv for example, but not having them doesn’t invalidate your policy or make a property uninsurable. .

Check your documents…

Not mentioned anywhere.

Phone insurer

Edit: then report the surveyor to the RICS if he’s just **** a potential sale

One of the questions/assumptions will that your home self contained. It is not, and from the sounds of things, your neighbours could gain access.

To call your insurance invalid is a stretch but you need to sort it, sharpish.

Beware of loft insulation salespeople.

There are many thousands of terrace houses with similar attic/loft arrangements, whereby there is only one wall to the pitch of the roof every 2nd house, and even then it may not be a full wall.
I’ve seen them with just 3 or 4 pillars holding up the roof, to a full wall but with only half the bricks – every second brick was missing.
More common is a full wall, including chimney, but with 2 window like gaps either side of the chimney stack, large enough for anyone to get through.
Thats why the loft hatch has a sliding bolt or padlock on it underneath – people have known since they were built that the attic are open, for sometime the length of the terrace.
The Surveyor doesnt sound to be well informed.

Speak to your insurer.

Even if they’re alright with it, others might not, and the surveyor is right to draw it to the attention of your buyer as a potential problem.

the surveyor is right to draw it to the attention of your buyer as a potential problem.

I agree with this. Of course he is right to draw attention to it.

However, if he’s telling them that they won’t be able to insure it, which is what he said to my Mrs this afternoon, then he’s giving them false information (in my opinion)

Beware of loft insulation salespeople.

I’ve seen that film 😆

nealglover – Member
Beware of loft insulation salespeople.
I’ve seen that film

Shooting fish?

Bulk buy expanding foam. Stab and throw, stab and throw eventually the neighbours lift will be full and your problem is solved.

Your insurance company will be the only one who can tell you if you are insured in exchange for all the information – do they know you can get into your house from next doors loft?

Can the OP actually get into his house from next door’s loft though?

do they know you can get into your house from next doors loft?

You can’t.

The loft hatch opens from the inside only.

The Surveyor would have known this obviously, because he opened it.

Suspect he hasn’t been into most elderly semi’s then. Almost universal way of knocking them up.

Shooting fish?

That’s the one. Was racking my brain trying to remember.

Suspect he hasn’t been into most elderly semi’s then. Almost universal way of knocking them up.

Phnarr Phnarr

A few yerarsva go major dfire in chester in a street of terraced houses the fire spread through the lofts, no dividing wall, also a thief can go from house to house via the lofts.

A “few years ago” there was a certain street, in a certain area of Coventry that had an inconceivable number of “persons” staying there.
Tuned out that all but 3 of the houses were owned by the same “family” (shall we say) and they were charging lodgings….
In shifts……
to sleep in the dorms they’d set up in the attics…
the entire length of the street on both sides/!

In 17 years I’ve never been up in the loft, the space is tiny and the loft hatch only just big enough to fit a “modern” human through. so I’ve Just been up and had a look for myself,

Next door doesn’t even have a loft hatch, so we are fairly safe on the security issue at least 🙂

Sounds like next door doesn’t have a loft and you have a big loft then.

Fair point 😆

Sounds like next door doesn’t have a loft and you have a big loft then.

Bring on the Flying Freehold…

Countless properties all over the country!

Technically possible.

More often bricking up the party wall is a mortgage condition imposed at sale.

The reason is fire can spread easily from house to house in a terrace row and has in the past lead to several houses burning down/damaged due to fire from a neighbouring property. It’s not so common in modern times due to having a proper fire service, many being bricked up/partially bricked up, decline of fire causing habits and incremental legislation which has meant homes are much safer now than they were in the past.

Many terrace houses, turn of the century and older didn’t have fully bricked up party walls, I’ve seen them where they run an entire blocks length.

You can brick it up yourself. It doesn’t require decent brick laying skills as said masonry is not on show! It is common to use the cheapest blocks concrete or aerated, single skin, especially aerated as they are easier to handle/lay, cover a larger area per unit and can be easily cut to the pitch of the roof with a sacrificial hand saw! You can use other methods as long as it is fire proof.

It is not unknown for it to be hidden by rooms in roofs and or getting rid of the loft access trap so it can’t be inspected in the first place 😆

…or getting rid of the loft access trap so it can’t be inspected in the first place

Wish I’d have thought about that 🙂

(Probably why next door doesn’t have a loft hatch!)

A proper surveyor or someone simply doing home valuations? Big difference in skills and knowledge

Not just a street in Coventry 😆
My end terrace was like it 1/2 brick wall. I finished the rest just before we sold as I knew the survey might pick up. They guy that did the survey had no ladder so did not go in the loft….

A proper surveyor or someone simply doing home valuations? Big difference in skills and knowledge

Doesn’t really matter does it though, he tells the buyers something, and they will believe him.

My parents had this many years ago and shared the cost to get the loft space divided so that they could sell the house.

I can remember as a kid going into the loft and being able to see all of our neighbour’s junk on the other side of the loft.

We once got locked out of the house and got back into our house through their loft!

More often bricking up the party wall is a mortgage condition imposed at sale.

I had this first house I bought. We got the seller to sort it.

In our last place ours and the neighbors loft was just one big space. No, wall, divider, markings or anything. We both had loft hatches.

Didn’t have any trouble with mortgages, insurance or surveys.

Rang the insurer this evening and they said it makes no difference as far as they are concerned.

I asked if they thought other insurers would be the same, and they said that obviously they couldn’t speak for others, but if it was ever seen as an issue, then they would all pick up on it pretty fast and blanket change all policies going forwards.
And obviously that’s not happened.

So it looks insurance is a non issue at least.

If it becomes a problem following this confirmation then what is access like to built a stud partition?
You’ll get a fire rated partition using the right materials and it’d be a lot easier, quicker and potentially cheaper than bricking it up.
Hopefully passing on the confirmation you’ve received from your insurers will do the job though.

Surely bloke just reports there’s no partition, and it’s up to buyers to make a decision?

I’ve lived in a village where long rows of terraces have no partition.

I can remember as a kid going into the loft and being able to see all of our neighbour’s junk

Pervert

Surely bloke just reports there’s no partition, and it’s up to buyers to make a decision?

That’s what you would think.
But if he reports to them that the house is “uninsurable” as he said to us. Then it becomes more of an issue.

They are likely to trust his opinion, as they have paid a “professional” £500+ To inform them of the facts.

They are likely to trust his opinion, as they have paid a “professional” £500+ To inform them of the facts.

I did the same when I bought my house. The “professional” decided the house had rising damp. What it actually had was a leaking shower tray. Those home buyer surveys aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.