Should i appoint a party wall surveyor

Depending on the kind of work you are looking to have done, you may well find yourself in need of a party wall surveyor. As a well respected firm of surveyors in the Essex area, we are asked to assist with many building survey needs, including party wall matters.

If you live in a semi-detached or terraced house you share a wall or walls with your neighbour. That wall is known as a party wall. Party walls usually separate buildings belonging to different owners but could include garden walls built astride a boundary — known as party fence walls. The Party Wall etc Act provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls , boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.

If you are carrying out works governed by the Party Wall etc Act , you need to serve notice on your neighbours, at least two months before the works are planned to begin for party structures or one month excavations near an adjoining building. Notifiable work is either building work which affects a party wall or boundary line, or excavations within three or six metres of a neighbouring property depending on the depth of the foundations you are making.

This will include most extensions and basement and loft conversions. Often, the first time that an adjoining owner becomes aware of the Party Wall etc. Act is when a notice drops through their door. One of the most common of these notices is the Party Structure Notice. Although template notices are widely available it is worth remembering that if they do not contain all of the necessary information, or are not properly served, they will be invalid.

It is essential that this is done accurately so that any subsequent damage can be easily identified and attributed In a similar way to a schedule of dilapidations. An important point to remember is that once a surveyor is appointed under the Act, whether as the Agreed Surveyor or by either owner, they have a duty to act in an entirely impartial manner. It might be tempting for a building owner to try and get rid of an intransigent surveyor but alas under the Act this is not possible.

Once a Party Wall Surveyor has been appointed that appointment cannot be rescinded unless the surveyor in question declares himself incapable of acting or dies. Finally we come to fees, under all normal circumstances these are paid by the building owner. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV. UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies.

Hide this message. Home Housing and local services Planning permission and building regulations. Party walls and building work.