Reference

The Party Wall Award.
The document that governs everything.

An Award is the binding determination made by the surveyors once a dispute, real or deemed, has arisen. It sets out what may be done, how, when, and what happens if something goes wrong. For an adjoining owner it is the entire substance of the protection the Act offers, which is why what it says matters more than that it exists.

Have an Award reviewed Adjoining owner rights

The paperwork

What an Award actually says.

If it does go to surveyors, the Award is the document that settles it. It sounds daunting, so here it is in plain English. Hover, focus or tap any clause to see what it does for you.

Party Wall Award

Made under Section 10 · Party Wall etc. Act 1996

Ref. AE / 2026 / 0142Re: the party wall

Determined by the appointed surveyor(s)Signed and dated

Clause explained

The Works

Exactly what's authorised: the notifiable works and the way they're to be carried out. Anything outside this isn't covered.

Specimen wording only. Every Award is written for the specific matter.

Illustrative wording. Your Award is drafted for your property and circumstances.

Contents

What a properly drafted Award contains.

There is no statutory template, and the quality gap between a thorough Award and a boilerplate one is wide.

A generic Award with the address changed will contain most of the headings below and very little underneath them. The value is in the specifics: the actual sequence, the actual hours, the actual monitoring thresholds for this excavation next to this building.

The standard clauses

The parties and the properties, and the surveyors' appointments, including the third surveyor selected under section 10(1)(b).
The authorised works, described specifically and by reference to identified drawings. Anything not described is not authorised.
The schedule of condition, annexed, recording the adjoining property before works begin.
Working hours and days, and restrictions on noisy or vibratory operations.
Access under section 8. When, on what notice, and for what.
Protection and temporary works, including weatherproofing where a wall is exposed.
The duty to make good any damage, or to pay in lieu at the adjoining owner's election under section 11(8).
Surveyors' fees and who pays them.
Rights reserved to inspect during the works and to make further or addendum Awards if matters arise.

Where they fall short

What a thin Award leaves out.

These are the omissions that turn into arguments on site. Every one of them from a real matter.

Monitoring without triggers

An Award requiring movement monitoring but not stating trigger values or what happens when they are reached. Readings are collected and nobody is obliged to act on them.

No sequencing for underpinning

Underpinning is safe when carried out in short, properly sequenced bays. An Award that does not state maximum bay widths or how many may be open at once leaves that to the contractor's programme.

A schedule of condition in name only

Twenty photographs, interiors only, no crack widths. It satisfies the clause and protects nobody.

Silence on drainage

No CCTV survey before or after, where drainage runs through the excavation zone. A displaced drain beneath a foundation causes settlement that is then attributed to something else.

Vague scope

Works described so generally that almost anything could be said to fall within them. Scope is what makes an Award enforceable.

No provision for changes

Schemes evolve. An Award that does not reserve the right to make addendum Awards means every variation becomes a fresh argument.

You have 14 days from service to appeal

If an Award has been served on you and something in it looks wrong, or something you expected is missing, take advice straight away. The period is strict and it runs from service on you, not from when you got round to reading it.

Award questions

Is the Award legally binding?

Yes. An Award made under section 10 binds both owners and their successors in title, and it remains binding unless successfully appealed to the county court within 14 days of service. It can be enforced like a judgment, and works carried out in breach of it lose the statutory authority the Act would otherwise give.

Can I appeal an Award I disagree with?

Either owner may appeal to the county court within 14 days of the Award being served on them. The 14 days is strict. Appeals are uncommon and the court will not simply substitute its own view. You need to show the surveyors went wrong in law or acted outside their jurisdiction. Take advice immediately rather than at the end of the month.

What if new works come up that the Award doesn't cover?

The Award authorises the works it describes and nothing else. If the scheme changes materially, the surveyors can make an addendum Award, or a fresh notice may be needed depending on how far the change goes. Carrying out works outside the Award is carrying them out without authority.

Does the Award decide who owns the wall or where the boundary is?

No, and this is a common misconception. Party wall surveyors have jurisdiction only over matters arising under the Act. Ownership, the precise position of the legal boundary, rights to light and restrictive covenants all sit outside it and are questions for a solicitor or a boundary specialist.

How long does an Award take to produce?

Typically two to four weeks from the appointment of surveyors for a straightforward matter, provided drawings and structural details arrive promptly from the building owner's side. Basement and deep excavation matters take longer because there is materially more to review. Ground investigation, temporary works design and monitoring proposals all have to be examined before anyone signs.

Had an Award served on you?

Send it over. We will tell you whether it covers what it should, whether anything material is missing, and whether the 14-day appeal period is something you need to think about.

The building owner normally pays your surveyor's reasonable fees
A named surveyor on your case from start to finish
We will tell you honestly if you do not need us

Appoint us as your surveyor Talk to us first, free or call 01174420259

No card details. No obligation. Nothing is final until you sign the appointment. A member of our office team reads every message, and a surveyor replies, usually within one working day.

The Party Wall Award.The document that governs everything.