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Section 5 – Definitions

London Building Act 1894

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires:

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(7) The expression “bressummer” means a wooden beam or a metallic girder which carries a wall.

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(9) The expression “foundation” applied to a wall having footings means the solid ground or artificially formed support on which the footings of the wall rest but in the case of a wall carried by a bressummer means such bressummer.

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(15) The expression “external wall” means an outer wall or vertical enclosure of any building not being a party wall.

(16) The expression “party wall” means:

(a) A wall forming part of a building and used or constructed to be used for separation of adjoining buildings belonging to different owners or occupied or constructed or adapted to be occupied by different persons; or

(b) A wall forming part of a building and standing to a greater extent than the projection of the footings on the lands of different owners.

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(18) The expression “party fence wall” means a wall used or constructed to be used as a separation of adjoining lands of different owners and standing on lands of different owners and not being part of a building but does not include a wall constructed on the land of one owner the footings of which project into the land of another owner.

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(20) The expression “party structure” means a party wall and also a partition floor or other structure separating vertically or horizontally buildings storeys or rooms approached by distinct staircases or separate entrances from without.

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(29) The expression “owner” shall apply to every person in possession or receipt either of the whole or of any part of the rents or profits of any land or tenement or in the occupation of any land or tenement otherwise than as a tenant from year to year or for any less term or as a tenant at will.

(30) The expression “occupier” does not include a lodger and “occupy” and “occupation” do not refer to occupation by a lodger.

(31) The expression “building owner” means such one of the owners of adjoining land as is desirous of building or such one of the owners of buildings storeys or rooms separated from one another by a party wall or party structure as does or is desirous of doing a work affecting that party wall or party structure.

(32) The expression “adjoining owner” means the owner or one of the owners and “adjoining occupier” means the occupier or one of the occupiers of land buildings storeys or rooms adjoining those of the building owner.

The London Building Act 1894