Received a Party Wall Notice?
You have rights under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. We can help you understand them and protect your property.
You do not have to simply agree
Receiving a party wall notice can feel alarming, especially if you are not sure what it means for your home. The good news is that the Act gives you clear rights - and you do not have to simply agree to whatever your neighbour proposes.
A party wall notice is a formal legal document. How you respond to it determines what protections are in place when the works start. Taking a few days to understand your options is time well spent.
If you appoint us, you'll know when your property is being inspected, when your Schedule of Condition is complete and when the Award has been served, so you're never left wondering what's happening next door.
Three ways to respond
Your rights as an adjoining owner
- The statutory right to appoint your own surveyor. Your neighbour can only appoint a surveyor for you if you fail to appoint within 10 days of a formal request (section 10(4)), and you are not obliged to accept theirs
- An award determining matters in dispute under the Act, where the dispute procedure applies
- A useful pre-works schedule of condition, commonly prepared during the surveyors' process; the Act does not expressly require one for every project
- The right to compensation if the works cause damage to your property
- Working hours set by the surveyors in the award, to keep disruption to your household reasonable
- The right to require your neighbour to make good any damage caused by the works
Protect your property with clear advice
The building owner normally pays reasonable surveyor costs. Under section 10(13), the surveyors determine who pays reasonable costs arising from the dispute; section 11 separately addresses expenses of the works. Check the written appointment terms and agree the fee arrangements before instruction.
In standard circumstances that means you pay nothing to have a surveyor of your choice inspect your property, record its condition, and agree the terms of the award with your neighbour's surveyor. We invoice your neighbour, not you.
There are narrow exceptions. If you ask for work or protections that go beyond what the Act requires, or the surveyors agree that costs should be shared on a wall you both use, a portion may fall to you. We will tell you before that happens - never afterwards.
After we are appointed
Schedule of condition
We inspect your property and prepare a full schedule of condition - a photographic and written record of the current state of your walls, ceilings, floors, and external structures. This protects you if any damage is later claimed to have been caused by the works.
Review and agree the award
We review the proposed works in detail and agree the terms of the party wall award with your neighbour's surveyor, acting impartially as the Act requires. The award sets out appropriate protections for your property, permitted working hours, and clear provisions for making good any damage.
Issue the award
We sign and issue the party wall award, which legally governs how the works must be carried out. Before starting the relevant works, check that the statutory notice period has expired or an earlier start has been agreed, and comply with the award and other required permissions. You will receive a copy and will know exactly what has been agreed before anything starts.
Protect your property from day one.
Call us to discuss your notice and we will advise you on the best course of action.