Party wall specialist across London and the South-East

• I give clear, impartial advice and act ethically.

• I personally take the whole party wall process off your hands and communicate proactively.

• Most projects are completed for a fixed price so there are no surprises.

A sensible approach to Party Wall can save you time and money.

You're doing building work

The broad types of building work requiring a Party Wall Notice are:

• Building on or up to a boundary

• Excavating close to a neighbour's property

• Works to a wall or structure built on the boundary line

The Notice informs your neighbour of the relevant works and invokes the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, giving you certain rights, clarifying your duties and protecting your neighbours and their properties.

Depending your neighbour's response to the Notice you will then need either a schedule of condition or a Party Wall Award.

If your neighbour consents to the works, offering a schedule of condition is always recommended. This records the condition of adjacent parts of your neighbour's property before work starts, avoiding confusion over potential damage.

If your neighbour dissents to the works, surveyor(s) resolve the dispute via a Party Wall Award. If both sides agree to use the same surveyor, I can act as the 'agreed surveyor' to prepare the schedule of condition and Award without another surveyor being involved.

The above are fees per adjoining owner for a typical project, excluding basements. You will be provided with a bespoke fee proposal.

Your neighbour's doing building work. What are your options?

Option 1: Consent with schedule of condition

The straightforward way to protect your property. This is suitable for most minor domestic projects where you have no specific objection to the work described in the Party Wall Notice.

Consenting is not 'signing your rights away'. You can still choose to appoint a surveyor at a later point if disputes arise which need professional input.

A schedule of condition, paid for by your neighbour, records the condition of adjacent parts of your building before work starts. It can avoid confusion around any damage the work might cause.

Option 2: Dissent and appoint surveyor(s)

While you understand that your neighbour has the right to undertake legitimate works, if the works are more complex or you have other concerns, you can choose to appoint a surveyor to ensure your interests are properly taken into consideration.

You and your neighbour can both appoint the same surveyor or you can appoint an additional surveyor to the one used by your neighbour.

Each party wall surveyor's role is to resolve the dispute impartially to produce a Party Wall Award. This is a binding legal document describing how the works will be carried out. A schedule of condition will be included to record the existing condition of your property.