Party wall surveyors
in Islington.
Islington is Georgian and Victorian terrace almost end to end, from the squares of Barnsbury and Canonbury to the long streets off Holloway Road, and most of it sits in a conservation area. The party wall between you and next door is typically a single skin of London stock brick, so a loft, a side return or a basement next door engages the Act nearly every time.
Had a notice from a neighbour in Islington? You have 14 days to respond, and appointing your own surveyor normally costs you nothing, the building owner pays.
Covering Islington, Highbury, Canonbury, Barnsbury and the surrounding area, from London.
What party wall work looks like in Islington.
Islington produces more basement work than most of London: rear lightwells, full lower-ground excavations under narrow terraced plots, and underpinning of a wall you share. The borough has its own basement policy, but that is a planning matter and does nothing to protect your house. Only a Party Wall Award does that, with a schedule of condition taken before the first bucket of clay comes out. Add side-return extensions cutting into the party wall and steels for loft conversions bearing on it, and an Islington adjoining owner has every reason to appoint their own surveyor. The building owner normally pays.
We cover Islington from London, along with Highbury, Canonbury, Barnsbury, Archway, Holloway, Finsbury Park and the wider North 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
Planning works in Islington?
Extending or digging out in Islington? Basement schemes need Section 6 and Section 2 notices served properly, with a monitoring regime the Award can actually enforce. We estimate in writing before you commit.
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
Party wall questions in Islington
Do I have to pay for a party wall surveyor in Islington?
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 Islington?
Islington 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 Islington?
Islington produces more basement work than most of London: rear lightwells, full lower-ground excavations under narrow terraced plots, and underpinning of a wall you share. The borough has its own basement policy, but that is a planning matter and does nothing to protect your house. Only a Party Wall Award does that, with a schedule of condition taken before the first bucket of clay comes out. Add side-return extensions cutting into the party wall and steels for loft conversions bearing on it, and an Islington adjoining owner has every reason to appoint their own surveyor. The building owner normally pays.
I've had a notice from my neighbour in Islington. 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 Islington do you cover?
Highbury, Canonbury, Barnsbury, Archway, Holloway, Finsbury Park and the surrounding area, along with the rest of North 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 Islington.
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
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.
More on party wall matters
- Adjoining owner rights
What to do when a notice arrives.
- The Act explained
Sections 1, 2 and 6 in plain English.
- Other areas we cover
The South West from Bristol and Poole, and London inside the M25.