A party wall surveyor is a specialist who resolves disputes under the party wall act.
As per the party wall act, there are three main areas of work where you may want to hire a party wall surveyor.
If any of this work is being planned, the party proposing the work must notify any affected adjoining owners.
As one of the most trusted Chartered Surveyors in London, we’ve got the combination of technical and legal knowledge needed to ensure that notices are valid and that the response is as favourable as possible.
If you require free advice or a quote in relation to a residential surveying matter in South London please contact us today.
From the service of notices to handling disputes, our party wall surveyors remain on hand to assist you as necessary.
The help we can give will depend upon the adjoining owner’s response.
If you’re looking for party wall services in Wimbledon or Croydon, be sure to check out our specific pages on party wall surveyors Wimbledon and party wall surveyors in Croydon.
If you’ve proposed work that falls under the Party Wall Act, you’ll need to notify any affected adjoining owners by serving a notice.
Your adjoining owner will have three options when responding to this notice:
As the building owner, you’ll be responsible for the surveyors’ reasonable fees.
In other words, you must also pay for the second surveyor if the adjoining owner decides to appoint one.
This makes it important to have the notice prepared by one of our expert South London party wall surveyors, as it’ll increase the chances of the adjoining owner picking one of the first two options – preventing you from paying for two surveyors.
We can also help you improve the chances of consent. To do this, we recommend including an offer to pay for a schedule of condition when serving the notice.
A schedule of condition is a written record that outlines the parts of the adjoining owner’s property that are at risk from the proposed works, along with supporting photographs.
Having this record on file will be useful should there be a damage claim during or after the works are completed.
In our experience, this is a common occurrence as neighbours take much more notice of the condition of their property during neighbouring works.
They’ll often assume that any cracks in the wall are new.
If you’re the adjoining owner, you can respond to the party wall notice in three ways:
How you respond to the notice depends on your concern about the work proposals.
If the work is straightforward and thoroughly described, you may choose to consent.
We recommend you get a schedule of condition when consenting to the notice.
This will record the condition of the parts of your property that are at risk from the works. Having it on record will allow you to identify any damage during or after work is completed.
You may be concerned about the proposed work. In this case, you can dissent and appoint your own surveyor – the same as your neighbours or one of your choice.
With over 40 years of experience, our team of specialist party wall surveyors in South London are adept at reducing the risk of damage and putting measures in place to minimise your inconvenience.
Contact us today to see how we can help you.
Per the Party Wall Act, a “dispute” arises if the notice has been dissented to.
When this happens, the appointed party wall surveyor(s) must resolve this dispute.
To do so, they must act impartially and balance the interests of the property owners.
When terms are agreed, they are set out in a document known as the party wall award.
The party wall award will authorise the notified works while placing obligations on the building owner.
This includes ensuring the risk of damage is minimised as reasonably possible and the adjoining owner does not suffer unnecessary inconvenience.
At Peter Barry, we charge a flat fee of £65 plus VAT per adjoining owner to prepare and service the party wall notices.
If you need to prepare a schedule of condition, you can expect a charge between £450 and £650 plus VAT, depending on the scope of the works and size of the property.
Fees to the building owner will depend on the scope of the work, the number of affected adjoining properties, and how their owners respond to the notice.
Remember that when a dispute arises, the building owner (the party proposing the works) will be responsible for the surveyors’ reasonable fees.
If you email us a copy of the drawings, we’ll be happy to give you a competitive fixed fee quote covering the various scenarios.
Contact us today to request a free quote.
The adjoining owner’s surveyor’s fee is not known in advance as it’s charged hourly.
However, there are mechanisms within the Party Wall Act which try to keep the fees reasonable.
If you’re the building owner, the best way to minimise these fees is to hire a surveyor with the skill and experience to anticipate and address issues quickly.
We have two offices serving the South London area, with party wall surveyors in South West London and party wall surveyors in South East London.
If you require free advice or a quote in relation to a residential surveying matter in South London please contact us today.
With some of the most exclusive residential addresses in the country, South West London is perfectly positioned between Central London and the Surrey countryside. The area includes delightful stretches of the Thames, elegant squares and lots of green space.
Whilst reassuringly self-contained, South West London has some of the best transport links in the capital by train, London Underground, bus and tram. A typical journey from Fulham into London’s Zone 1 will take around 20 minutes, meaning you are in a prime position to enjoy the best the capital has to offer both at work and during your leisure time.
Once you have decided on which part of London is for you and found the perfect property to buy our team of Chartered Surveyors will be happy to help you with that important next step.
Telephone: 020 7471 8932
Email: surveying@peterbarry.co.uk
Our offices in Greenwich are ideally situated in the heart of South East London, meaning our surveyors are perfectly placed to inspect your potential new home and give you the reassurance you need to proceed.
South East London’s laid-back, arty vibe is becoming more and more popular as property hunters seek a London address at an achievable price. Recent regeneration has stimulated the local economy and enhanced South East London’s reputation as a complete cultural, entertainment and leisure package, with venues such as the 02 Centre in Greenwich gaining worldwide recognition.
Once you have settled upon a property to buy, we will be happy to provide advice on which type of survey is likely to provide you with the information you require to take the next step.
Telephone: 020 8305 2099
Email: surveying@peterbarry.co.uk
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
We cover the south-west of London from our office at New Kings House, 136-144 New Kings Road, Fulham including the areas noted below.
We cover the south-east of London from our office at 6 Mitre Passage, Greenwich, London SE10 0ER including the areas noted below.