Party Wall
If you or a neighbouring property owner is planning to complete building work that affects a shared boundary wall, there’s a specific process and due diligence that all parties need to follow. As a leading surveyor of party walls in the UK, we can help guide you through the process, ensuring a fair and impartial resolution.
Whether you’ve just sent or received a Party Wall Notice or have been informed of dissent, we have the knowledge, experience, and skills to help you get a fair outcome.
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Our Party Wall Services
Our chartered building surveyors are specialists in the field and have a wealth of experience and knowledge aiding with many party wall issues. Working as surveyors, we have a complete comprehension of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and can offer accurate and relevant assistance.
We have a long history of regularly issuing Party Wall Notices and Party Wall Agreements with thousands of satisfied past clients. We serve multiple constituencies in and around the South-East of the UK, including London, Bexley, Tunbridge Wells, Bromley, Greenwich, Sevenoaks, Kent, Orpington and Brighton.
Our party wall experts can help in many different situations regarding your party wall and can assist both sides of a Party Wall Notice. From Copeland Yussuf, you can expect:
- Advice and guidance on preparing and serving a Party Wall Notice, acting on behalf of the building owner to ensure that the planned work and notice comply with the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and that it has been served properly
- Assistance and support for the adjoining owner regarding their response to a Party Wall Notice
- Detailed and highly attentive photographic schedules of condition during our surveying, where the party wall is assessed to confirm if the proposed work can be done
- Professional liaison with third-party surveyors commissioned by the adjoining owner to prepare and agree on Party Wall Awards and Party Wall Agreements
Why you need Copeland Yussuf
For property owners to legally make structural or excavation changes to a shared party wall, a Party Wall Notice must be issued to any neighbours that share the wall. If there is a disagreement and this notice isn’t accepted, then a party wall surveyor like Copeland Yussuf is needed.
As a RICS-regulated surveyor, we’ll be able to assess the notice and the party wall to ensure that a fair resolution is met and that a Party Wall Award is issued based on facts and our findings.
We have great experience and knowledge dealing with disputed Party Wall Notices and know what it takes to reach a resolution that pleases everyone. We’re better than the rest, offering an efficient and detailed service, ensuring no corners are cut.
Our surveyors also go the extra mile at Copeland Yussuf. In addition to offering site viewings and assessments, we can help property owners draft a clear and accurate Party Wall Notice, help any adjoining neighbours understand the proposal’s scale, and guide them through their response. We can help you navigate the sometimes tricky jargon so that you can always feel in the know and control of the process, leading to a better experience.
We’re a client-driven business focused on offering the best experience possible from start to end. So no matter if you’re drafting your Party Wall Notice, are considering how you respond to one, or require a surveyor to navigate a dissent, Copeland Yussuf can help.
Our Partners
Throughout our history as Chartered Surveyors, we have become the desired panel surveyors for multiple councils and housing groups, helping these large organisations to manage all kinds of housing disagreements, including party wall disputes and notices.
We’re proud of our extensive list of clients and partners, as it highlights our quality and trustworthiness and gives us the confidence to know that we can help you regarding your own party wall situation.
Party Wall FAQs
What is a party wall?
A party wall is a wall that stands on the land of two or more owners, crossing into the boundaries of each property. Usually, party walls make up part of a building, commonly terraced or semi-detached houses, but they can also be garden walls, providing that they're not a wooden fence.
There are two main types of party walls that need to be treated differently, and it can also be hard to know if your wall is a party wall or not. When using us to survey your property, we can inform you of any previously unknown party walls and their type, helping you better understand what you can and can't do with the wall and how you should approach any planned work you have. We have a more detailed guide about Party Wall if you want to learn more.
What is the Party Wall ect. Act 1996?
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is a piece of legislation last updated in 1996 that goes over the rules of what can and can't be done to a party wall. It's clear guidelines that state what work needs a Party Wall Notice and what process you need to follow if you want to build on, remove, or change a party wall.
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 can have its origins traced back to the Great Fire of London, where regulations on boundary walls were reexamined to help prevent further fires from spreading between adjourned buildings.
This legislation guides us through the process, and we follow the regulations closely when surveying party walls to ensure we reach a fair and legal resolution for all.
What is a Party Wall Notice?
If you want to complete work on a party wall your neighbour half owns, you need to serve them a Party Wall Notice. This document states what kind of work you want to do and gives all the details so the neighbour can assess if they think the work is reasonable and if they want it to go ahead.
This document should contain necessary details such as the scale of the work, the type of work being completed, the proposed timeframe of the work, and more. We can help you draft a notice so that nothing is missed.
It's best to send a Party Wall Notice a few months before you plan to complete the work, as this gives you plenty of time to get a response to the notice and schedule a surveyor to inspect the wall if needed.
Are there different types of Party Wall Notices?
You'll need to send one of three types of Party Wall Notices depending on the type of work you want to complete. When using Copeland Yussuf, we'll be able to advise on what kind of notice you need to send, ensuring that you don't get anything wrong and jeopardise your planned work.
The types of Part Wall Notices include a line of junction notice, sent if there are no buildings on the properties, and is used to determine where a party wall will be positioned and what it will be made out of. You'll need to send a party structure notice if you're making changes to a party wall, and you'll need an adjacent excavation notice if you're doing excavation work on or close to a party wall.
Simple in theory, in practice knowing which type of notice you need can be tricky depending on the bespoke details of your planned work. Let us help you get things right and take the stress out of Party Wall Notices.
Do you need to send a party wall notice?
You need to send a Party Wall Notice if your proposed work falls within the regulations of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
If work has been done to a party wall without notice, there can be some bad consequences. To start, without a notice detailing your work, a neighbour can accuse you of causing significant damage to the property, and you'll be unequipped with documentation or evidence to defend yourself.
In addition, you can also be taken to court if you've not sent a party wall notice, which can lead to massive delays to your work and legal fees that can make things a lot more expensive.
What can I do if I've been sent a Party Wall Notice?
If you're the adjoining owner of a party wall and have been sent a party wall notice, you have the power to either agree to the work or dissent it, which will put it up for dispute and mean that each owner of the party wall will need to get a surveyor to reach an agreement of what work can be done and how it will be completed.
Our Chartered Property Surveyors will help you respond to the notice properly and ensure your concerns are met accordingly. You usually have 14 days to respond to a party wall notice, after which the notice will automatically dissent.
What does a Party Wall surveyor do?
A party wall surveyor like us at Copeland Yussuf is primarily designed to resolve any disputes and disagreements. We'll visit the party wall structure to ensure that it's in good enough condition to have the proposed work completed, and we will also assess the Party Wall Notice to ensure that it's realistic and accurate.
As surveyors, we determine what building work can be completed to a party wall to ensure it complies with regulations.
In addition to that, we'll also provide guidance and assistance before a Party Wall Notice has been sent, helping you include the correct details to decrease the likelihood of disagreements or dissents.
Do you always need a party wall surveyor?
If you've sent a Party Wall Notice to your adjoining neighbour and they agree to the work, you don't need a party wall surveyor, and the work can go right ahead.
That said, it is worth getting a surveyor in before you send the notice so that we can ensure that it is as detailed and informative as possible to increase the chances of the notice getting accepted.
If a notice is not accepted, both owners must get their own party wall surveyor. You can agree to both have the same one, as surveyors are impartial.
How expensive is serving a Party Wall Notice?
The amount you spend for a Party Wall Notice will depend on its outcome, so it's financially important that you do what you can to make the notice more likely to be accepted. If a Party Wall Notice is declined or dissented, you'll need to pay for a surveyor, which will add to the cost and make things more expensive.
What am I allowed to do to a party wall?
There are a few things that you can do to a party wall that you don't need to send a notice for, meaning that you can do them without any consequences or issues. The Party Wall etc.Act 1996 doesn't cover the following, meaning it's fair game. The things that you're able to do without needing to send a notice include:
- Plastering the wall
- Adding wallpaper to the wall
- Fitting in some electrical wiring
- Fitting a shelf on the wall
You can do these changes freely because they're mainly cosmetic and don't compromise or affect the wall's structural integrity.
Need a Party Wall surveyor?
If you’re looking for a surveyor to assess your party wall or guide you through scheduling work on a shared boundary wall, get in touch. We’re friendly and helpful and will do what we can to get you the support you need.
You can send us an email below, and one of our talented surveyors will aim to get back to you shortly. If you have an urgent request or would prefer to talk to one of our staff members directly, you can also call us. We’re usually always available for a quick chat.
