Party Walls

The Party Wall etc Act 1996 gives building owners rights to do work to the party wall (shared wall) and when excavating or building close to the boundary line. The Act sets out the procedure that needs to be undertaken before work starts. The main obligations are to tell the neighbour that the work is to be done and to repair any damage that might be caused by the work.

Under the Act the person carrying out the work is known as the ‘Building Owner’ and the neighbour is known as the ‘Adjoining Owner’. We can act for either or both owners to ensure that the provisions of the Party Wall etc Act are complied with.

SJ surveyors Ltd specialise in Party Wall work and we can advise whether the proposed scheme falls under the Act, whether notice is required and prepare the relevant notices. We also act for adjoining owners who have received notice.

We assess the scope of the work and advise on the Notices to be issued and the need for any further drawings or information that might be needed. We can also identify the Adjoining Owner should this be necessary. The necessary Notices are then prepared and submitted to the Adjoining Owner.

If required we will prepare an Award and schedule of condition of the neighbours’ buildings, party walls and adjacent areas. We will agree the award with the adjoining owners surveyor or we can act as agreed surveyors.

Should any problems arise during the work, we will re-inspect the property and advise on the appropriate action to be taken.

We will examine the Notices served by the Building Owner to ensure that they are valid and respond on the Adjoining owners behalf. We will explain the procedure of the Act and what rights the Building Owner may have to undertake work. Contact will then be made with the Building Owner’s Surveyor, we will visit your property, examine the building to prepare a record of the condition and then negotiate the Party Wall Award.

On completion of the work, if required, we will re-inspect your property to ensure compliance with the Award and if notified of problems during the course of the building work we will inspect and take the appropriate action.

Often a neighbour wishes to protect his property, but does not object to the proposals and will be happy for us to act as the Agreed Surveyor after receiving the Party Wall Notices. This involves the preparation of a record of condition and also the preparation of a Party Wall Agreement.

For an evaluation of the party wall matters that may affect your property, please send a set of proposed drawings or email them in Auto cad format, or, if you are an Adjoining Owner, forward copies of the Notices and any accompanying drawings and we will advise on the best course of action. Dependent on our advice, a fee may of course be chargeable.