Party walls, shared roofs and semi-detached houses
In terraces and semis the roof rarely stops neatly at your title boundary, and the details at the join are where most disputes and most leaks start.
Where the shared risk sits
Parapet walls, secret gutters between properties, shared valleys and the flashing where your covering meets the neighbour's. Water crossing a boundary is a common source of a leak that isn't caused by your side.
Work touching a party structure
Cutting into, raising or removing part of a party wall can engage party wall procedures. Ordinary re-covering that doesn't touch the shared structure generally doesn't.
Coordinating with your neighbour
Where both sides need the same work, doing it together halves the access cost and produces a far better junction detail than two separate jobs a few years apart.
Different coverings either side
Half a roof re-covered in a different material creates a visible line and an awkward junction. It's workable, but the detail needs planning rather than improvising on the day.
Evidence when the leak isn't yours
Photographs and a written technical opinion of where water is entering are what resolve neighbour disagreements without it becoming personal.
FAQs
Not usually for a straightforward re-covering. It's the works that cut into or alter the shared structure that engage the procedure.
Get the entry point documented properly first. A clear technical report is the most useful thing to hand over.
Yes, and doing both at once is normally cheaper per side because the access is shared.
Related reading
More on process & paperwork and the jobs that usually come with it.
- What actually happens during a roof surveyProcess & paperwork
- What should a roofing quote include?Process & paperwork
- Roof warranties and aftercare: what's actually coveredProcess & paperwork
- Flats and blocks: managing a shared roofProperty types
Looking for something specific? See our roofing services, cost guides, common roof problems or the areas we cover.
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