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In this blog post we are going to be looking at a decision that every single building owner or adjoining owner will find themselves faced with; "How to choose a Party Wall Surveyor?" When considering this question, it is important to briefly refer back to the Party Wall etc Act 1996 and in particular, Section 20 which defines a "Surveyor" as...

Damage caused by notifiable works under the Party Wall etc Act 1996, to a neighbour's (adjoining owner) property is referred to as party wall damage and in most cases, the onus lies upon the building owner to make good or compensate for damage.

It is a common occurrence where a certain portion of a property is co-owned by two owners. In such a scenario, in case the need for any construction work arises, the owner must have access to his neighbor's land. The Party Wall etc. Act gives a landowner just that, as long as two important qualifiers are satisfied; the work being performed must be along the guidelines of the act and the access must be necessary. Explore full post here...

You arrive home to find a Party Wall Notice which is in the form of a Letter, under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Your neighbour is intending to carry out some works. What are your Party Wall Notice Response options? You can ignore the Letter/Notice, but that will have consequences. You can sign the Acknowledgement Letter, enclosed together with the Party Wall Notice and possibly drawings attached, and agree to the works, but that will also have consequences. You can dissent to the Party Wall Notice and that then becomes a formal dispute between you and your neighbour.

This is one of the most common questions we find ourselves asked here at Berry Lodge Surveyors. A common misconception that we've seen from both owners and Surveyors is that a building owner has to wait 14 days from service of the Party Wall Award before he can legally commence his works. To explore the truth read this post