London Party Wall Surveyors

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 does not require a document formally called a "Party Wall Agreement" in every case. Where proposed works fall within the Act, the Building Owner must usually serve the appropriate notice. The Adjoining Owner may give written consent to the works. If a dispute arises, the appointed surveyor or surveyors resolve the matters in dispute and make a Party Wall Award. An Award is therefore different from written consent or an agreement reached directly between the owners.

An appointed Party Wall Surveyor acts impartially under the Act. Depending on the appointment, the surveyor reviews the proposed works and notices, considers the relevant property conditions and resolves matters in dispute through a legally binding Party Wall Award where required. The statutory role is to administer the Act, not to act as an advocate for either owner.

Choosing Hourican Associates means working with a RICS-regulated firm and Chartered Building Consultancy focused on Party Wall matters. We combine professional qualifications with experience from more than 1,000 London projects and provide clear guidance on notices, Schedules of Condition, surveyor appointments and Awards.

Hourican Associates is a RICS-regulated firm and a Chartered Building Consultancy specialising in Party Wall matters. Richard Hourican's supplied qualifications and memberships are MFPWS, BSc (Hons), MCIOB, MCABE and AssocRICS, alongside practical experience of Party Wall work throughout London.

If the works fall within the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, the Building Owner must serve the appropriate notice. The Adjoining Owner may consent, but consent is not always required for the project to proceed: if a dispute arises, the Act provides for a surveyor or surveyors to resolve the matters in dispute and make a Party Wall Award. Building a new wall astride the boundary under section 1 is different, because the adjoining owner's written consent is required to build astride the boundary.

For a Party Structure Notice or Section 6 excavation notice, an Adjoining Owner who does not respond within 14 days is deemed to be in dispute. The owners can then agree on one Agreed Surveyor or appoint separate surveyors. If the Adjoining Owner subsequently fails to appoint a surveyor after the statutory request, the Building Owner may appoint a surveyor on their behalf in accordance with section 10 of the Act. The appointed surveyor or surveyors then resolve the matters in dispute and make a Party Wall Award where required. For more information, see our Dispute Resolution services page.

Often, but not automatically. A loft conversion may require notice where the works involve cutting into, raising or otherwise altering a party structure. Basement works frequently fall within the Act because of excavation near neighbouring buildings, depending on the distance and depth of the proposed excavation and foundations. If you are planning such works, see our basement conversion advice or send us your drawings so we can confirm which notices, if any, are required.

Hourican Associates serves clients across Central, North, East, South and West London. Our Party Wall Surveyors have practical experience on projects throughout the capital. For local information and project examples, see our London Party Wall Surveyors page.

Hourican Associates is a Chartered Building Consultancy specialising in Party Wall surveying across London. The firm is regulated by RICS. Richard Hourican's supplied qualifications and memberships are MFPWS, BSc (Hons), MCIOB, MCABE and AssocRICS. His Pyramus & Thisbe Society membership is company-supplied, pending a current membership record. Our Party Wall Surveyors draw on specialist experience of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

To get started, contact us and send your drawings, a short description of the proposed works, or the Party Wall Notice you have received. Our London Party Wall Surveyors will explain whether the Party Wall etc. Act is likely to apply, identify the appropriate next steps and provide a clear quotation for any professional work required.