Telling the neighbours about a roof replacement

1Why the chat comes before the scaffold

Expect a re-roof to be loud for several days and messy for a few more. Tiles come off, old battens are stripped and rubbish is lowered into a skip. On a semi or terrace all of that happens a few metres from the people next door, with their windows, gutters and washing line within reach of the poles.

Friction usually comes from surprise rather than from the work itself. A neighbour who hears hammering at eight with no warning feels ambushed, while one told the dates a fortnight earlier shrugs. An early word also turns up things you may not know: someone sleeping after a night shift, a car normally parked under the gable, a conservatory the crew should keep clear of, or a bird box on the shared wall.

Once the survey is done we can give you a likely start and a likely length, so you have something definite to pass on. Treat it as the courtesy you would want if the roles were reversed.

2Scaffold on shared paths and the pavement

Scaffold is what neighbours notice most. If the poles stand on your own ground, that is your call. If they have to cross a shared passage, a side return or an access path belonging to someone else, ask first, in writing, and include the dates. Never assume consent. Scaffold resting on a neighbour's path or reaching over their garden is on their property.

Poles and boards on the pavement or the road are a highways matter. The council that looks after the road must licence them in writing, and the scaffolders arrange that themselves rather than you. For Worthing and Adur the road authority is West Sussex County Council; across the Brighton border, that falls to the city council. West Sussex asks for notice of at least 10 working days, so a start date waits on the licence. Pass that on to the street as well, because it explains why a stretch of footway may be partly closed for a few weeks.

3When a party wall notice comes into it

Semis and terraces often share a chimney stack, which stands on the dividing wall. On GOV.UK's list of work that needs notice is removing chimneys from a party wall, with the notice served on the adjoining owner. The notice has to be served at least 2 months before the planned start and no more than a year, and GOV.UK warns that you cannot read silence as agreement. Taking out a chimney breast inside the house also always needs Building Regulations approval, according to the Planning Portal, since a breast carries part of the structure.

A plain re-roof that keeps every chimney is another matter, and whether any notice applies to your own house is a question for a party wall surveyor or a solicitor. If a stack is coming down as part of the job, raise it at the survey so the notice period fits your timetable. A neighbour who receives a formal letter with no friendly word beforehand tends to read it as a threat, so speak to them first.

4What to tell them, and when

A fortnight ahead gives people time to arrange their own week. Catch them at the door if you can, and post a note with your number through the letterbox if you cannot. Cover these points:

• The start date and the likely number of working days, with a line saying that weather can shift both.
• Where the scaffold and the skip will stand, and for how long.
• The working hours, and which day will be loudest, which is usually the strip-off.
• A name and number to ring if something worries them.

Ask them to bring washing in, move cars away from the gable and shut windows on strip-off day, because dust and crumbs of old mortar drift. If weather forces a delay, send a one-line update. People forgive a slipped date far more readily than silence, and a tidy site makes any later conversation easier. Say thank you when it is done.

5The line where your roof meets theirs

On semis and terraces the two roofs meet at the dividing wall. Along that line sits flashing, the metal weathering that stops water running down the join between roof and wall, or an older cement fillet. Work there touches both sides, so it is planned with the neighbouring covering in mind and finished so neither house is left with a weak joint.

Sometimes the survey shows that the other side is tired. Mention it kindly and leave the decision with them. Our page on whether to repair or replace a roof sets out how that choice is made, and how to tell how old a roof is helps a curious neighbour judge their own. More about the job itself is on our roof replacement page. Anyone who watches a careful, tidy job next door is far more likely to wave than complain, and that goodwill outlasts the scaffold.