ÆANDREW EDWARD & CO.
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For building owners

Planning building work?
Get the notices right the first time.

Extending, converting a loft, or digging foundations near a boundary usually engages the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. And a notice served incorrectly is worse than no notice at all, because it can invalidate the whole process and hand your neighbour a reason to stop you. We identify what applies, serve it properly, and manage the neighbour relationship for you.

Instruct usFree 10 minute consultation
What triggers the Act

Three sections, and most projects hit more than one.

A single rear extension can easily require notices under two sections with different notice periods. Missing one is the most common and most expensive mistake.

Section 1: 1 month

Building on the boundary line

A new wall built up to or astride the line of junction where nothing currently stands. Your neighbour has a say in whether it is astride or wholly on your land.
Section 2: 2 months

Work to a party structure

Cutting in beams, removing a chimney breast, forming openings, raising or underpinning the wall, cutting away projections, inserting a tray or flashing.
Section 6: 1 month

Excavating near a neighbour

Within 3 metres and deeper than their foundations, or within 6 metres cutting the 45-degree line. Must be accompanied by plans and sections.

Permitted development is not an exemption

Planning permission and the Party Wall Act are entirely separate. Building under permitted development rights, or with planning permission granted, makes no difference at all to whether a party wall notice is required. The council has no role in the Act and will not tell you that you need one.
Tell us your project. Free adviceRead your rights as an adjoining owner
Our process

What instructing us looks like.

  1. A free consultation

    10 minutes
    You describe the works and send whatever drawings you have. We confirm which sections apply, how many adjoining owners need serving, and roughly what to expect on time and cost.

  2. A written estimate

    Before you commit
    Not a fixed fee guessed from a form. A written estimate based on your actual scheme, your actual neighbours and your actual drawings, with the assumptions stated so you can see what would change it.

  3. Title check and owner identification

    Often overlooked
    We check HM Land Registry to establish who the adjoining owners actually are. Serving the occupier rather than the owner, or one of two joint owners, invalidates the notice, and this is where it is caught.

  4. Notices drafted and served

    Correctly, first time
    The right sections, the right periods, accurate descriptions of the works, and section 6 plans and sections where excavation is involved.

  5. We manage your neighbours

    So you don't have to
    Explaining the process to an adjoining owner calmly and early is the single biggest determinant of whether a matter is smooth or difficult. It is a large part of what you are paying for.

  6. Award agreed, works proceed

    Typically 2 to 4 weeks after appointment
    Where a neighbour dissents, we agree the Award with their surveyor and see the works through to completion, dealing with anything that arises on site.
Fees

An estimate, in writing, before anything starts.

Party wall matters fall broadly into two scenarios, and which one you are in depends on how your neighbours respond, which nobody can promise in advance.

The ranges below are indicative market figures, not a quote. What actually drives your cost is the number of adjoining owners, the complexity of the works, and whether excavation is involved. We will tell you where we think you sit, in writing, and we will tell you if we think the matter is simpler than you feared.

Indicative ranges only. Figures vary with the number of neighbours and the works. Your written estimate is confirmed before any work begins.

If your neighbour consents

£450 to £750estimate

We serve the notice and record a Schedule of Condition. With written consent there is no Award to agree, so this is the quickest, lowest-cost route.

  • Title check at HM Land Registry to confirm the owners
  • Reviewing your plans and planning documents
  • Drafting and serving the correct notice(s)
  • Managing your neighbour's response
  • Schedule of condition (a record of their property)
  • Advice from your surveyor whenever you need it

If your neighbour dissents (a dispute)

£1,200 to £3,000estimate

Surveyors are appointed and we agree a Party Wall Award. Silence counts as a dispute too. The building owner normally pays the reasonable fees for both sides.

  • Title check, document and planning review
  • Drafting and serving the correct notice(s)
  • Appointing the surveyor(s)
  • Schedule of condition
  • Negotiating and agreeing the Party Wall Award
  • Overseeing the works through to completion

Building owner questions

Do I definitely need to serve a notice?

It depends on the works, not on the size of the job. Building on the boundary line, working on a shared wall, or excavating near a neighbour's foundations all engage the Act. And the last of those catches far more schemes than people expect, because modern trench-fill foundations are usually deeper than the Victorian footings next door. Tell us what you are planning and we will confirm the position, at no charge, before you commit to anything.

Why don't you quote a fixed fee like other firms?

Because a fixed fee quoted from a web form is a guess with a margin built in for the cases that turn out to be complicated. You pay that margin whether your case needs it or not. We look at your drawings, establish how many adjoining owners there are and what is actually being built, and then give you a written estimate. If the job turns out to be simpler than expected, you benefit from that rather than us.

How long before I can start work?

Two months' notice for section 2 works to a party structure, one month for section 1 line-of-junction and section 6 excavation notices. If your neighbours consent, you can begin once the notice period expires. If they dissent, you need the Award first. Typically another two to four weeks once surveyors are appointed. Plan on roughly two to three months from serving notice to being able to start, and serve early.

What if my neighbour ignores the notice?

After 14 days a dispute is deemed to have arisen and surveyors must be appointed. If your neighbour does not appoint one, section 10(4) lets you appoint a surveyor to act on their behalf so the process can proceed. It is not a dead end, but it does add time, which is another reason to serve early rather than the week before the builder is booked.

Do I have to pay my neighbour's surveyor?

In the ordinary case, yes. Section 11 makes the building owner responsible for the reasonable surveying fees on both sides, because the works are for your benefit. What 'reasonable' means is agreed between the surveyors and recorded in the Award. And part of our job is making sure the fees claimed on the other side actually are reasonable.

Can I use the same surveyor as my neighbour?

Yes, if they agree. That is an 'agreed surveyor', and it is quicker and cheaper. Your neighbour is entitled to appoint their own instead, and for excavation or basement work many will, sensibly. It is worth budgeting for two surveyors and being pleasantly surprised rather than the reverse.

Send us your drawings. We'll tell you what you need.

A ten-minute conversation and a look at your plans is enough to establish which notices apply, how many neighbours are involved, and what our fee is likely to be. All of that before you instruct anyone.

  • A written estimate up front. We do not quote fixed fees off a form
  • Notices drafted and served correctly the first time
  • A named surveyor on your matter from start to finish
Book a free 10 minute consultationInstruct usor 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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