Chimneys and parapets

If a stack is shared with next door, what should you ask before anyone repairs it?

Ask the surveyor which parts they believe are shared, and ask your solicitor who the legal boundary and the party wall position actually are. A shared stack can need the neighbour’s agreement before it is opened up or rebuilt. The survey does not serve a party wall notice.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

On a terrace the brick stack often sits on the party line and serves both houses. Damp on your breast can come from a crown that also covers the neighbour’s flue. Rebuilding “your half” is sometimes impossible. Government guidance on party walls explains when notice is required for certain work. It is a legal process, not a line in the survey.

Get the condition clear first: flaunching, pots, flashings, lean. Then ask the solicitor whether the repair you want is notifiable. Costs of scaffold on a shared stack are often argued between neighbours. There is no official split. Do not assume half the quote is yours.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which flues serve this house, as far as you could tell?
Is the stack leaning as a whole, or is one flue damaged?
What did you not inspect because it sits over the neighbour’s roof?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not instruct a rebuild until the solicitor has said whether notice is needed.
Photograph the defect. You may need to show the neighbour the same thing the surveyor saw.
Separate weatherproofing, which might be urgent, from a full rebuild, which might be a party wall matter.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Does the Party Wall Act apply in Scotland?

The Party Wall etc. Act is an England and Wales statute. If you are buying in Scotland, ask a Scottish solicitor. Do not copy an English notice across the border.

Can the surveyor talk to the neighbour?

Only if the instruction includes it, which it usually does not. Neighbour discussions are for you and your solicitor.