Party Wall Agreements and Awards, Explained

The three types of notifiable work

The Act covers three distinct situations, each with its own notice and notice period. If your project touches any of them, the Act applies whether or not planning permission was needed.

Notifiable work under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Section | Work | Notice period. Section 1 — Building a new wall on or at the line of junction — 1 month; Section 2 — Work to an existing party wall: cutting in for steel, removing chimney breasts, raising or underpinning — 2 months; Section 6 — Excavation within 3m of a neighbouring structure and deeper than its foundations, or within 6m under a 45 degree line — 1 month

Serving the notice properly

A notice must be in writing, name all owners of your property, describe the proposed work, state the intended start date and be dated. For section 6 excavation it must be accompanied by plans and sections showing the depth of the proposed excavation.

It goes to every adjoining owner, which includes freeholders and any leaseholder with more than a year to run. On a terrace, that can mean neighbours on both sides and sometimes behind.

The three possible responses

A neighbour has fourteen days to reply, and there are only three outcomes.

Consent in writing: no surveyor needed, and you should still record the condition of their property with a photographic schedule · Dissent and appoint an agreed surveyor: one surveyor acts impartially for both owners, the cheapest formal route · Dissent and appoint their own surveyor: two surveyors act, and they select a third to resolve any deadlock · No response within fourteen days: this counts as a deemed dissent, and you must appoint a surveyor on their behalf

What a party wall award contains

The award is a binding document produced by the surveyor or surveyors. It sets out the work permitted, how and when it may be carried out, working hours, access arrangements, and who pays the fees.

Critically it includes a schedule of condition: a dated photographic record of the neighbour's property before work starts. That schedule is the reason party wall procedure protects you as much as the neighbour, because it is the evidence that a crack was already there.

Costs, and who pays

The building owner, meaning you, normally pays the reasonable surveyor fees for both sides, because the work is for your benefit. This is the point at which the Act stops being a formality.

Indicative party wall costs (2026). Item | Indicative cost. Preparing and serving notices (DIY) — £0 – postage only; Surveyor preparing and serving notices — £150 – £350 per neighbour; Agreed surveyor acting for both owners — £900 – £1,800; Two surveyors, one each — £1,000 – £2,500 per surveyor; Third surveyor referral — £1,000 – £3,000 if required; Schedule of condition alone — £300 – £700

What happens if you ignore it

Building notifiable work without serving notice does not attract a fine, but it removes your statutory protection entirely. A neighbour can apply for an injunction stopping work, which on a live site with steel on order is extremely expensive, and any damage claim then runs through the courts with no schedule of condition in your favour.

It also surfaces at sale. Conveyancing enquiries routinely ask whether the Act was complied with, and a missing award can delay or derail a transaction years later.

Practical advice that keeps costs down

Talk to your neighbour before the notice lands. A formal letter arriving unannounced is what turns consent into dissent more than anything in the drawings. Serve early, ideally three months before you want to start, and offer to share a schedule of condition even where they consent. It costs a few hundred pounds and removes almost every argument that follows.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a party wall agreement for a rear extension?

Often yes, under section 6, if the foundations are within three metres of a neighbouring structure and deeper than their foundations. That is common on terraced and semi-detached properties.

Can my neighbour refuse permission?

No. They can dissent, which triggers the surveyor process, but the Act exists to allow the work to proceed on fair terms. They cannot veto it.

How long does the party wall process take?

Allow two to three months from serving notice to holding an award. Section 2 work carries a two month notice period on its own, so serve early.

Who pays if my work damages the neighbour's property?

You do, as the building owner, and the award sets out how damage is assessed and made good. This is precisely why the schedule of condition protects both parties.