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Extending, digging, or building near a boundary means the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 almost certainly applies to you. Get the notice or the response wrong and a straightforward project can stall for months. Simmons Taylor Hall has been resolving party wall matters across South West London and Surrey for over 35 years. Here’s what that means in practice:
A party wall survey is how a Chartered Surveyor establishes whether the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies to planned building work, and manages the process if it does: serving or responding to notices, recording the neighbouring property’s condition before work starts, and preparing the Party Wall Award both sides need before work proceeds.
A building owner needs it to stay lawful and avoid a neighbour halting work with an injunction. An adjoining owner who has received a notice needs it to protect their property and understand their options before agreeing to anything.
Notice is typically required for:
Applies in England and Wales only, not Scotland or Northern Ireland. Get in touch and we’ll tell you plainly if a survey isn’t necessary.
Fee figures weren’t supplied for this brief. This is a holding position, replace before publishing.
Fees vary by scope of works, number of surveyors appointed, and number of adjoining properties. As a general guide, costs typically run from a few hundred pounds for notice serving alone to several thousand for a full Schedule of Condition and Award. Get in touch for a written quote.
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Yes, before starting work on or near a party wall or the boundary. This covers new walls on the boundary line, work on a party wall itself, and excavations within 3m or 6m of a neighbour’s foundations. Speaking to your neighbour informally first often speeds things up.
A wall, fence, or floor that sits on the boundary between two properties or separates flats. It includes party fence walls and shared floors, not just walls between houses.
Costs depend on project scope, number of properties involved, and number of surveyors appointed. Get in touch for a written quote specific to your project.
Usually two weeks to two months, depending on complexity. Notices should go out at least two months before work starts.
Contact us as soon as possible. Courts can grant an injunction to stop work immediately, and the building owner is often liable for the full legal costs if it goes that far.
Planning notifiable works, or you’ve just received a notice?
Simmons Taylor Hall has been resolving party wall matters across Kingston upon Thames and South West London for over 35 years.
