LATEST BLOG POSTS

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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.

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Party Walls

Who Appoints a Party Wall Surveyor?

Friday, 27th March 2026 | by: Peter Barry

If a dispute arises under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, a party wall surveyor must be appointed to resolve the matter. This usually happens when a neighbour serves a party wall notice and the adjoining owner either dissents or doesn’t respond within 14 days. At that point, surveyors are appointed to assess the works and prepare a legally binding document known as a party wall award. In ...

If a dispute arises under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, a party wall surveyor must be appointed to resolve the ...

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Party Walls

A Guide to Serving a Party Wall Notice

Friday, 27th March 2026 | by: Peter Barry

If your building work falls within the scope of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, you must notify your affected ...

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Party Walls

Can I Do a Party Wall Agreement Myself?

Friday, 27th March 2026 | by: Peter Barry

If you’re planning building work, you might be tempted to undertake the party wall process yourself. And while in some ...

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Party Walls

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 — ...

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Party Walls

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 Space | Party Walls

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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Architecture | Leasehold Valuations

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 leasehold properties in England and Wales are structured. Central to the proposals is a cap on ground rents — set at £250 per year — alongside a wider package of reforms designed to give homeowners more control and improve fairness in the system. For many leaseholders, ...

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

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Party Walls

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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Leasehold Valuations

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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Valuation

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) ...

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Juliet Lysons
From the first moment of contact, this business has achieved everything it was contracted to do, efficiently and professionally. I'm only too happy to recommend them.
Teresa Javurek
Professional service; responsive customer service; quick set up and delivery times; provided useful feedback on the report.
Simon Drage
They were very quick and efficient at getting me a valuation on my flat for doing a section 42 lease extension and the communication was very clear.
Barney Guiton
Niall O'Sullivan
We cannot say enough good things about our experience with Peter Barry. We came to them when stuck in a slow Party Wall process with another surveyor and an fast approaching deadline as we wanted to start work on our property in time to finish before December. The Peter Barry team were phenomenal. Callum's knowledge was fantastic and he advised us effectively every step of the way, while Trina was highly responsive and a delight to work with. We were delighted with the experience and would recommend Peter Barry to anyone needing support with a Party Wall Award.
Richard Pugh
Finlay was fantastic on our Party Wall Award. Clear communication throughout process and helped to drive the process forward. Very friendly and efficient on the site visit and very thorough. Would highly recommend. Thank you!
Response from the owner:We're delighted to hear that Finlay provided clear communication throughout the Party Wall Award process and helped keep everything moving smoothly. We'll be sure to pass on your comments to him. Thank you for your recommendation.
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