Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A party wall is a wall that is shared between two properties owned by different people. It can be owned equally by both parties, divided with separate ownership, or owned by one party subject to an easement. If there is a dispute over the wall, the court will determine who owns it and what actions need to be taken. An example of a party wall dispute is Pile v. Pedrick, where the court ruled that a wall encroaching on the plaintiff's land was not a party wall and needed to be destroyed and rebuilt without trespass within a year.
A party wall is a wall that is shared between two properties owned by different parties. There are different types of party walls, including:
However, unless there is evidence to the contrary, a party wall is generally considered common property owned equally by both parties.
For example, in the case of Pile v. Pedrick, the parties disputed the boundary line between their properties and the subsequent building of a wall that encroached onto the plaintiff's land. The plaintiff rejected the defendant's offer to convert the wall into a party wall and instead demanded that the offending part of the wall be removed. The court ultimately ruled that the wall was not a party wall and ordered the defendant to rebuild it without trespassing on the plaintiff's land.