If you are undertaking extensive home renovation works or a home extension in London it is very likely you will need to notify your neighbour(s). Compliance with the Party Wall (PW) Act is not a choice, it is required by law. This is a complex part of the process, with a variety of possible outcomes. As a result, we do advise that you undertake this part of the process with a qualified party wall surveyor. You can serve notice yourself, but it does require a knowledge of technical drawing detail, as you need to be able to properly identify what types of notice(s) you are required to served and to whom. From our experience, homeowners who have served notice themselves generally need to reserve notice(s) at a later stage via a surveyor. This can cause substantial delays when you are on-site and also lead to agitated neighbours. 

At Home Tales, we can help with this part of the process, although it’s not directly through us. It’s a conflict of interest to serve Party Wall via your architect. Adjoining owners typically don’t like it, as the party wall surveyor should be reflecting both of your interests. We still feel it’s important that we support you through this process, so we have a recommended surveyor that we work with frequently. We introduce you to them, and you liaise with them directly. For Home Tales clients, they serve Notice free of charge. 

Party Wall is pretty complicated, and there are a variety of outcomes that can occur which depend on your neighbours. We thought it would be useful to talk you through the process. 

Step 1: Serving Notice

Once you have a final design and a floorplan, you will need to have a Party Wall Surveyor review the drawings and determine who you need to serve Notice to, as well as what Notice(s) you need to serve. The basic rule is any neighbour within 3m of the proposed works. There are a variety of Notice(s) that can be served which depend on the scope of works involved, so in some cases you will serve multiple Notices to one neighbour. The types of Notice(s) you need to serve are based on what kind of works you are undertaking. Once Notice has been served, your neighbours have a few weeks to respond. A typical surveyor will charge in the region of £50 – £300 per Notice / adjoining owner. 

Step 2: The Response 

Your neighbours will be presented with a variety of options on the Notice. They can: 

1. Consent with no further work involved

Cost: Just the cost of the Notice

•    Consent subject to a Schedule of Condition 

Cost: The Notice + Schedule of Condition

•   Dissent and agree to have your surveyor act on their behalf

Cost: The Notice + full award

• Dissent and appoint their own surveyor

Cost: The Notice + full award + full award from appointed surveyor

Step 3: The Survey / Award

A schedule of condition (Option B) is a survey of the property’s boundary wall (shared wall). The surveyor will take photos and document the current condition of the wall both internally and externally. 

A full award (Option C & D) is a more detailed version of a schedule of condition. In some cases, there is negotiation on particular points, eg. working hours. They can request additional information such as method statements. 

FAQ: What happens if my neighbour doesn’t respond? 

If your neighbour doesn’t respond it’s an automatic dissent (Option D). Your PW surveyor will contact the neighbour again to confirm they have dissented and offer them the opportunity to appoint a surveyor. If they still don’t respond, then your surveyor will appoint a third-party surveyor on their behalf.  

FAQ: Can I speak to my neighbour before I serve Notice? 

Yes absolutely, in some cases this can be very helpful. You have to serve Notice by law, even if your neighbour tells you they don’t mind. The Act is designed to protect both you (as the homeowner) and the adjoining owner. 

FAQ: Can my neighbour stop me from building?

No they can’t – but they can certainly delay things and add further expense for you. Generally, homeowners just want to be properly protected in the event damage does occur. 

Are you thinking of undertaking a home renovation project or a home extension? Book a no obligation home visit with a member of our architectural team and we would be happy to talk you through the process. Call us on 0207 043 2378 or email us at hello@hometales.co.uk. If you have any specific questions about party wall, get in touch and we would be happy to help. You can also book a site visit online via our booking system. This means you can have a site visit confirmed within a few short minutes. We look forward to hearing from you.