We provide a wide range of services to suit your unique circumstances. We also provide specialist advice every step of the way.
- We carry out Land Registry searches for you to serve notices on neighbours likely to be affected by the works (to verify identity and address).
- We annotate your drawings and liaise with other professionals (Structural Engineers, Architects, etc) to ensure your drawings meet the requirements of notices.
- We draft all necessary notices on your behalf and serve them for you, after discussing your concerns and needs (if Building Owner).
- We receive notices on your behalf and respond, liaise and negotiate with your neighbours or their Surveyors (if Adjoining Owner).
- We carry out a ‘Schedule of Condition’ of your property or your neighbour’s property, recording the condition of the premises before any intended works.
- We provide you with independent advice about your unique circumstances and have these addressed (in an Award, if appropriate).
- We bring in experts, if necessary, to ensure your interests are safeguarded in contentious situations (as disbursements).
- We carry out site inspections after the works are concluded (if required).
Please contact us if you have any questions
Our Fees are dependent on the complexity of the works. We offer fixed fees to Building Owners (owners who want to carry out works). Please contact us to get a quote! When representing the Adjoining Owners (neighbours not carrying out works), we charge an hourly rate.
Party Wall Notices
As the Building Owners (owners carrying out works), you would need to formally write to the Adjoining Owners likely to be affected by your works near or on the boundary.
We recommend that notices are served at least four to eight weeks before the proposed works are due to start. Not all works are notifiable. We clearly inform you if part or most of your works are notifiable or not, before starting the process so you’re able to plan forward.
The simplest way to get this right is to call us. We can discuss your project and advise you. We can serve notices on your behalf to all adjoining owners likely to be affected.
Party Wall Disputes
- If you choose to dissent or decide against appointing an Agreed Surveyor, it is your right to appoint your own Surveyor to represent you as an Adjoining Owner.
- You may choose to dispute the works proposed by your neighbour for a number of reasons -including the nature or complexity of the works.
- If there is a dispute, Surveyors have to be appointed. An adjoining owner may still be happy to proceed with one Surveyor as the Agreed Surveyor. So it is important to communicate and see if this is possible (as a Building Owner), as it may be beneficial to both.
We are often appointed by both parties in this way. During the process, we speak to owners on either side and draft an independent and fair Award that both parties rely on to carry out the works.
- When appointed by either side individually, the process is not too different. We work closely with the appointing owner and the Surveyor on the other side to come to an Agreement (Award).
Our expertise in negotiating party wall matters ensures that building work proceeds legally and without unnecessary delays, costs or inconvenience to either party.
We will ensure that the rights and duties of both parties are fully understood and observed.
In most circumstances, all reasonable fees are payable by the Building Owner. Please see our Supplemental Terms for more information.
Dissenting to a notice would mean requesting that a written agreement (An Award) is put in place.
If you choose to dissent, your neighbour carrying out the works would ask you about either involving one Surveyor to act independently for both of you – or to appoint your own Surveyor.
Party Wall Awards
We will assess project proposals and look at the initial impact on your property to ensure that your interests are safeguarded. We will also assess if there are any likely long term issues that could arise long after the builder and architect have moved on.
We encourage parties to have a Schedule of Condition for the premises carried out in case of any future issues/damage. With an Award, works may start sooner than statutory notice periods, if both owners are agreeable.
Where we act for either Owner, we pay close attention to the appointing owner’s concerns and work to draft an Award that takes these into account.
If you have any queries about our services please feel free to contact us.