Party Wall Notices & Awards

If you or your neighbour are planning a kitchen extension, loft conversion, internal layout changes, or basement excavation, the planned works may fall under the regulations of The Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

The Party Wall Act is a key piece of legislation in England and Wales aimed at preventing construction-related disputes between neighbours before work begins. It provides a clear legal framework for resolving any conflicts that may arise regarding party walls and other shared structures.

The Act primarily covers three types of ‘notifiable’ work (details below):

1. Alterations to party structures, such as walls separating terraced or semi-detached houses, or even those that divide flats.
2. Excavation work within 3 meters of neighbouring foundations that goes deeper than the existing foundations.
3. Construction of new walls along boundary lines.

If the work falls under the scope of the Act, the Building Owner must notify the ‘Adjoining Owner’ and obtain their consent. If consent is not provided, the matters is deemed to be ‘in dispute’ under the Act, and the two parties must appoint a surveyor – either a surveyor acting as ‘Agreed Surveyor’ for both parties, or two surveyors appointed independently for each party – to determine the matter through the preparation and service of a Party Wall Award.

The Act ensures protection for Adjoining Owners by dictating the form, manner and timing of notifiable work, while also allowing for compensation if any damage occurs. A schedule of condition of the Adjoining Owner’s property is recorded by the appointed surveyor(s) prior to works commencing in order to ensure there is an appropriate record in the event of a future claim of damage/loss.

The Award also grants the ‘Building Owner’ carrying out the work certain rights, such as access to neighbouring land for the purpose of completing the work whilst stipulating any safeguards and protections that may be necessary.

We provide Party Wall services across London and regularly operate in the following areas:

Wimbledon | Tooting | Putney | Fulham | Southfields | Balham | Clapham | Battersea | Streatham | Chelsea | Kensington | Wandsworth