DO YOU NEED A PARTY WALL SURVEYOR IN WIMBLEDON?
A party wall surveyor is a specialist surveyor who can resolve disputes under the Party Wall Act.
You’ll need a surveyor if you want to:
- Alert your neighbours to works that could impact their properties via a notice, as outlined in the party wall Act.
- Get a Schedule of Condition – a document that outlines the areas of the property at risk from the works.
- Resolve a party wall dispute between the building owner and the adjoining owners.
- Get a Party Wall Award, a document that outlines the obligations of the building owner and protects the interests of the adjoining owner once a dispute is resolved.
The party proposing the works and the property’s neighbours can benefit from an expert party wall surveyor in Wimbledon like Peter Barry.
As per the Party Wall Act, there are three main areas of work where a building owner needs to notify any affected adjoining owners:
- Work is being conducted on the shared wall that affects its structure. Examples include inserting steels, increasing the wall height, and removing a chimney breast bonded into the party wall and underpinning.
- Excavation occurs within 3.0m of an adjoining wall or shared structure, and its depth is greater than the base of the foundation.
- A new wall is being built up to or astride the shared boundary.
If you’re planning any of this work, be sure to contact us today to learn how we can help.
How Our Party Wall Surveyors in Wimbledon Can Help You
From the initial service of notices to potential dispute resolution, our expert party wall surveyors in Wimbledon are on hand to help you as necessary.
How we can help will depend on who you are and the work you need.
CONTACT US
If you require free advice or a quote in relation to a residential surveying matter in Wimbledon please contact us today.
Building Owner Proposing the Works
If you’ve got work that falls under the Party Wall Act (as outlined above), you’ll need to serve a notice to any affected neighbours.
Your adjoining owner can respond in three ways:
- To consent and allow your planned work to continue.
- To dissent and appoint the same surveyor as you.
- To dissent and appoint a different surveyor as you.
The third option is the most unfavourable for building owners, who are responsible for the surveyor’s reasonable fees.
In other words, you’ll need to cover the costs of a second surveyor if the adjoining owner decides to appoint one.
To increase the chances of your adjoining owner picking one of the first two options, hiring an experienced party wall surveyor in Wimbledon is a must.
We can help you improve your chances of consent by including an offer to pay for a Schedule of Condition when serving the notice.
This will document the parts of the adjoining property at risk from your proposed works, and include supporting photographs.
This record is also beneficial if a damage claim arises during or after the works are completed.
In our experience, neighbouring owners are more likely to notice the condition of their property during work and can sometimes assume any cracks in the wall are brand-new.
Adjoining Owner Responding to Works
If you’ve received a notice from your neighbour informing you of plans to conduct work on a shared structure, you have three options when responding.
- To consent and allow your neighbour to continue with their work.
- To dissent and appoint the same surveyor as your neighbour.
- To dissent and appoint a separate surveyor.
If you aren’t concerned about the work proposals, you can choose to consent. But we recommend getting a Schedule of Condition when consenting.
We can help complete this Schedule of Condition, a document that records the current condition of the parts of your property at risk from the works.
Having this on record will allow you to identify any damage caused by the work.
If you’re concerned with the work, you can dissent, leading to a party wall dispute (more on this in the next section).
Party Wall Disputes in Wimbledon
If a Notice has been dissented to, a dispute arises.
When this happens, the appointed party wall surveyors must resolve the dispute.
They are legally required to act impartially and balance the interests of the parties – meaning you can appoint the same party wall surveyor as your neighbour.
The party wall surveyors involved will ensure terms are agreed to allow the works to continue while protecting the adjoining owner’s property.
Once these terms are agreed upon, they are outlined in the Party Wall Award document.
This document authorises the proposed works to continue while placing obligations on the building owner.
These obligations can ensure the risk of damage is minimised as much as possible and that the adjoining owner doesn’t suffer any unnecessary inconvenience.
What is the Cost of Our Party Wall Surveyors in Wimbledon?
The costs involved will depend on what work needs to be completed.
At Peter Barry, we charge a flat fee of £65 + VAT per adjoining owner to prepare and serve notices.
A Schedule of Condition can cost between £450 and £650 + VAT, depending on the scope of the proposed works and the property size in Wimbledon.
If a dispute arises, costs can vary as the fees for adjoining owners are not known in advance as they are charged hourly.
The building owner proposing the works must pay the surveyor’s reasonable fees.
These fees are kept reasonable by the Party Wall Act.
Be sure to contact us today to learn more about how we can help and for a free, no-obligation quote.
Your Local Wimbledon Party Wall Surveyor
We provide expert party wall advice and surveying services to homeowners in Wimbledon from our party wall surveyor South West London office in Fulham.
Our Other Services in Wimbledon
ABOUT WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon forms part of the London borough of Merton sitting just above Raynes Park and south-east of Richmond.
Wimbledon Common, part of a trio of commons in the wider area, is the area’s largest green space. To people of a certain age, the common will forever be associated with the litter picking pointy nosed Wombles who were celebrated in the 1970’s chart hit and TV show.
The primary entertainment venue in the area is the Grade II listed New Wimbledon Theatre. The venue has 1,670 seats spread across all three of the floors and offers a year-round mix of plays, comedy and music acts culminating in the popular Christmas pantomime. The theatre was designed by Cecil Masey and Roy Young in the Renaissance style but, unusually, houses a Victorian Turkish bath in the basement. Local families will also be drawn to the Polka Theatre on The Broadway which, as well as putting on regular plays for young children, includes a toyzone and playground.
Wimbledon Station, located on The Broadway, has 11 platforms and is the last stop on the District Line (Zone 3). It also forms part of the South Western and Thameslink lines as well as connecting with Tramlink services.
YOUR LOCAL PETER BARRY OFFICE
New Kings House,136-144 New Kings Road,
Fulham,
London,
SW6 4LZ
Telephone: 020 7471 8932
Email: surveying@peterbarry.co.uk
CONTACT US
If you require free advice or a quote in relation to a residential surveying matter in Wimbledon please contact us today.
Party Wall Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Party Wall?
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 came into force on 1st July 1997 and is now enshrined in English law. It stipulates the rights and responsibilities that must be observed for anyone planning to work falling within its scope. Read more about the Act here.
What is a Party Wall Agreement?
For surveyors who undertake this form of work day in day out, it can be easy to assume that there is good general understanding as to what a party wall award includes and entails. That assumption is regularly proven wrong when our team is speaking to potential clients and detailing the 3 response options to the notices. Learn about party wall agreements here.
When Do You Need a Party Wall Agreement?
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 as soon as possible but when is the perfect time to start the process by serving notice?
Can Neighbours Refuse Party Wall Agreement?
It is not uncommon to discover that your neighbour has gone ahead with building works that technically fall under party wall legislation. Indeed, at Peter Barry Surveyors, we are used to getting two or three phone calls a week from Adjoining Owners whose neighbours are carrying out qualifying works without having served notice as legally required by the Party Wall Act. Click here to learn what to do when your neighbour ignores the Party Wall Act.
WHAT SETS PETER BARRY APART FROM OTHER PARTY WALL SURVEYORS WIMBLEDON?
Leading London-based party wall specialists with a 35+ year history.
Breadth & depth of expertise provided by experienced team of RICS surveyors.
Straight forward and honest professional, impartial advice.
Up-to-date understanding of best practice and case law through training and CPD.
Members of relevant governing bodies – RICS, FPWS, P&T.
