East London · from London

Party wall surveyors
in Hackney.

Hackney's terraces around Stoke Newington, Clapton and Victoria Park, and the villas of De Beauvoir, are being extended street by street: side returns, rear extensions and loft conversions in a housing stock of shared, single-skin brick walls. If next door has plans, the Act almost certainly applies to you.

Had a notice from a neighbour in Hackney? You have 14 days to respond, and appointing your own surveyor normally costs you nothing, the building owner pays.

Covering Hackney, Stoke Newington, Clapton, Dalston and the surrounding area, from London.

Local context

What party wall work looks like in Hackney.

The typical Hackney job is a side-return or rear extension cutting into the party wall and building up to the boundary, often with a loft conversion in the same contract. That is Section 2 and Section 1 work together, and it is frequently served with a single inadequate notice or none at all. Converted houses and flats above shops add multiple adjoining owners. On the Lea valley side, made ground and gravel over clay mean that a schedule of condition of your property, taken before work starts, is the piece of evidence everything later turns on.

We cover Hackney from London, along with Stoke Newington, Clapton, Dalston, Victoria Park, De Beauvoir, Homerton and the wider East London area. Every matter is handled by a named surveyor who is a member of the FPWS or RICS, or both.

If a neighbour has served you notice

This is most of what we do. As adjoining owner you are entitled to appoint your own surveyor, and under section 11 the building owner normally pays the reasonable fees.

  • A schedule of condition of your property, before work starts
  • The structural design read with your building in mind
  • A binding Award controlling scope, hours and access
  • A duty on your neighbour to make good any damage
  • A named surveyor you can telephone
Your rights in full
If you are the one building

Planning works in Hackney?

Extending in Hackney? Side returns and lofts usually need Section 1 and Section 2 notices together. We serve the right ones, on every adjoining owner, with a written estimate first.

We identify which sections apply, check who the adjoining owners actually are at HM Land Registry, draft and serve the notices correctly, and manage the neighbour relationship so you do not have to. You get a written estimate before we start. Not a fixed fee guessed from a form before anyone has read your drawings.

Section 6 catches more schemes than people expect

You do not need a shared wall. If your foundations go within 3 metres of a neighbouring building and deeper than theirs, which modern trench-fill foundations next to older footings very often do, a notice is required, even for a detached property.

Party wall questions in Hackney

Do I have to pay for a party wall surveyor in Hackney?

If you are the adjoining owner, the neighbour, then almost certainly not. Section 11 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 puts the cost of the works and the reasonable surveying fees of both owners on the building owner, because the works are for their benefit. If you are the one building, we give you a written estimate before we start rather than a fixed fee quoted from a web form.

How quickly can you get to a property in Hackney?

Hackney is covered from London. We aim to respond to all enquiries within one working day, and where a 14-day deadline is close we will take the dissent first and arrange the inspection immediately afterwards. Inspections are typically within a week of appointment.

What sort of works trigger the Act around Hackney?

The typical Hackney job is a side-return or rear extension cutting into the party wall and building up to the boundary, often with a loft conversion in the same contract. That is Section 2 and Section 1 work together, and it is frequently served with a single inadequate notice or none at all. Converted houses and flats above shops add multiple adjoining owners. On the Lea valley side, made ground and gravel over clay mean that a schedule of condition of your property, taken before work starts, is the piece of evidence everything later turns on.

I've had a notice from my neighbour in Hackney. What do I do?

You have 14 days to respond, and doing nothing is not neutral. After 14 days a dispute is deemed to have arisen and the building owner may appoint a surveyor on your behalf. Your options are to consent, to dissent and appoint your own surveyor, or to dissent and agree a single surveyor. Send us the notice and we will tell you whether it is even valid, free of charge.

Which areas near Hackney do you cover?

Stoke Newington, Clapton, Dalston, Victoria Park, De Beauvoir, Homerton and the surrounding area, along with the rest of East London, from London. We cover Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire from Bristol; Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire from Poole; London inside the M25 from London.

Speak to a party wall surveyor covering Hackney.

Ten minutes will tell you whether the Act applies, what your deadline is, and what it will cost you. Which, if you are the neighbour, is normally nothing at all.

  • 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 surveyorTalk to us first, freeor 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.

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