Latest blog posts

We looked at typical defects to chimney stacks on the blog a few years ago so today I wanted to cover a related topic – what the legal responsibilities of the owners are when it is a shared chimney stack that has been affected.Chimneys tend to be more exposed to the weather than other parts of a property and therefore prone to defects such ... Read more >>

Writing as the owner of a surveying practice that undertakes a large volume of party wall work I have to say I’m happy that not all party wall notices are consented to but it does concern me how poorly the Act is understood by the general public and how many unnecessary party wall disputes arise as a result of that poor understanding.If you ... Read more >>

Accurately recording the condition of adjoining properties is an important part of the process of producing a party wall award (many owners think it’s the only part!) so I thought it was worthy of a blog post in its own right.When our trainees start working on party wall files the skills involved in preparing schedules is the first thing ... Read more >>

I thought it might be helpful to owners planning a basement extension, and indeed to those living next door to a proposed basement extension, to provide an overview of party wall procedures with the emphasis on the special characteristics of this type of work.This article could have been two or three times longer but to prevent it from ... Read more >>

Every now and then there is a catastrophic incident involving the construction industry somewhere in the UK. When a house collapses it gets reported in the national press and sometimes on radio and TV. It’s a dramatic event but fortunately it doesn’t happen that often.A recently reported case involved an ordinary medium sized, Victorian, ... Read more >>

Completing the party wall awards is often the last part of the jigsaw required to allow work to commence on site and the process which leads up to that point can be delayed for any number of reasons; from technical queries relating to the proposed works to the appointed surveyors’ holiday arrangements. It’s therefore advisable to get started ... Read more >>

I’ve been meaning to write a post for a while that I could link to when an owner asks me to explain the role of the ‘Agreed Surveyor’ as it’s a difficult concept. The question tends to be asked by an adjoining owner who has already appointed me to act for them and has been approached by the building owner to ask if I’d be willing to act ... Read more >>

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:The building owner (the party undertaking the work) notifies affected adjoining owners of any work falling within the scope of the Act. Upon ... Read more >>

A question came up on a recent party wall job which led to an interesting debate on what the section 11(11) expenses should cover when one owner re-builds a party fence wall as a party wall and the other owner later makes use of it.Section 11(11) of the Act states that:Where use is subsequently made by the adjoining owner of work carried ... Read more >>

We prepare several fee proposals for party wall services every week. Clients like the assurance of a fixed fee and as specialist party wall surveyors we’re confident to provide such. The more difficult question is what the adjoining owner’s surveyor is likely to charge?It’s probably best to start by explaining why the adjoining owner’s ... Read more >>