The Most Important Party Walls Article You’ll Read

Sunday, 1st February 2015
Party Walls | Surveying

I would estimate that at least 80% of misunderstandings relating to the The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 could be cleared up if people understood the purpose and process as outlined in these 6 steps:

  1. The building owner (the party undertaking the work) notifies affected adjoining owners of any work falling within the scope of the Act.
  2. Upon receiving the notice(s) the adjoining owner either consents or dissents; the former completes the process while the later puts the owners in ‘dispute’ under the Act.
  3. Owners in ‘dispute’ each appoint a party wall surveyor or both appoint the same party wall surveyor.
  4. Independently of the owners the appointed surveyor(s) produce an agreement known as a party wall award which resolves the dispute.
  5. Assuming the notice period(s) have expired or been waived the building owner is free to commence work once both owners are in receipt of their awards.
  6. The surveyors become involved again if any further disputes arise during or following the works such as over the cause or repair costs of damage caused by the notified works.

Focus on those 6 steps and you’ll have a better understanding of the Act than most.

If you have a party wall issue that you’d like to discuss you are welcome to contact us on 020 7183 2578 or via email.

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.
Professional service; responsive customer service; quick set up and delivery times; provided useful feedback on the report.
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.
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.
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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