LATEST BLOG POSTS

Welcome to Peter Barry’s blog posts. You’ll find a range of topics focussing on issues that are important to our clients where we try to answer the questions that we regularly get asked.

Does ChatGPT Know More Than Your Party Wall Surveyor?

Friday, 27th February 2026 | by: Matthew Price

AI tools are becoming many homeowners' first port of call when they receive a party wall notice. That's understandable — but here's why you should be cautious about what it tells you. If you've recently received a party wall notice from a neighbour — or you're about to serve one yourself — there's a good chance you've already typed a question into ChatGPT (other AI models are available). ...

AI tools are becoming many homeowners' first port of call when they receive a party wall notice. That's understandable — ...

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Rear Extensions and the Party Wall Act

Friday, 20th February 2026 | by: Peter Barry

This is a follow up to a recent post covering loft conversions and specifically which aspects of the work fall within the ...

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Loft Conversions and The Party Wall Act

Monday, 9th February 2026 | by: Peter Barry

Loft conversions and rear extension are the most common type of party wall related works that we assist owners with. I ...

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Leasehold Reform Update January 2026: What the New Ground Rent Cap Means for Leaseholders

Tuesday, 27th January 2026 | by: Peter Barry

The government has now published its draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, signalling a major shift in the way ...

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Practice Changing Party Wall Case Law – Lea Valley Development Limited v Derbyshire (2017)

Saturday, 15th November 2025 | by: Peter Barry

This is part of our series on court judgments that significantly changed the way that surveyors administer the Act. The ...

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High Court Upholds Leasehold Reform: Landmark Ruling Clears the Way

Wednesday, 12th November 2025 | by: Matthew Price

Here at Peter Barry, we continue to handle a significant number of lease extension and freehold enfranchisement claims each ...

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November 2025 Budget and Capital Gains Tax Valuations

Friday, 31st October 2025 | by: Steve Hobbs

Over recent weeks we’ve noticed a marked increase in the number of enquiries and instructions for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) valuations across London and the surrounding areas. The surge appears to be driven largely by clients who are gifting property to children and other relatives ahead of the forthcoming November Budget. It’s a trend that reflects growing uncertainty about potential tax ...

Over recent weeks we’ve noticed a marked increase in the number of enquiries and instructions for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) ...

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Should a Party Wall Award Always be Complete?

Monday, 27th October 2025 | by: Peter Barry

Works that are the subject of a dispute under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (the ‘Act’) should not commence until they ...

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Video Schedules of Condition

Friday, 26th September 2025 | by: Peter Barry

Advances in technology often affect how we carry out our work and this is particularly true for recording schedules of ...

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Practice Changing Party Wall Case Law – Power & Kyson v Shah [2023]

Saturday, 23rd August 2025 | by: Peter Barry

This is part of our series on court judgements that significantly changed the way that surveyors administer the Act. The ...

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We found Peter Barry Surveyors via an AI search as we needed a party wall surveyor for a rather complex party wall rebuilding issue. Jaynell Mainoo handled our case and we are extremely happy with the service and the efficiency. We will definitely ask for Jaynell again if needed.
We recently used Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to handle our party wall agreement and were extremely pleased with the service we received.

From start to finish, the team was professional, knowledgeable, and very responsive. They explained the party wall process clearly, kept everything moving efficiently.

Communication was excellent throughout, and we felt confident that everything was being handled properly and fairly for all parties involved.

I would highly recommend Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors to anyone needing party wall advice or surveying services.
Very pleased so far with Katie's thoroughness and support
Long may it continue!
We used Peter Barry Surveyors for a Schedule of Condition Report. The service was provided at short notice which we were extremely grateful for. Following our initial contact with Tracey Stephens who was really helpful to us, we had a visit from Argash Thasan arranged within a few days of our first contact. Argash provided us with a great service. He was polite, friendly, and professional, answered our questions clearly, and with knowledge and expertise of party wall matters. We received a thorough report and a detailed range of accompanying photos. We would highly recommend the services of Peter Barry Surveyors.
Would recommend them.
Peter Barry has been very professional throughout the process of conducting a level 3 building survey and feasibility report. The report itself was very detailed with plenty of images to support the text. We also had opportunity before and after to speak to the surveyor at length which was very helpful.
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