What is The Role of a Party Wall Surveyor?

January 20, 2023January 25, 2023 - by Vivek Baghel - 35 Comments.

A wall dividing you from your neighbours is known as a party wall. These are frequently found in terraced or semi-detached homes. When they are constructed across a boundary line, garden walls may also be referred to as party walls.

The Party Wall etc. Act of 1996 defines a “surveyor” as anyone who is not a party to the works. That eliminates the idea of an owner acting on their own behalf, but anyone else may schedule an appointment.

That also includes the surveyor or architect or anybody else is managing the work on behalf of the owner. The person picked should be well-versed in party wall procedures, have a solid understanding of building, and ideally hold a related degree. Structural engineers and building surveyors are common options.

It is worthwhile to involve an East London party wall surveyors early on if you believe your neighbour is unlikely to consent to the planned works. The serving of notice initiates the process. Although template notifications are commonly available, it is important to keep in mind that they will not be valid if they lack the relevant information or are not properly served.

The creation of a schedule of the condition of the neighbouring owner’s property takes the party wall surveyor the most time, prior to the start of the work.

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This must be done precisely in order to make it simple to identify and assign any later damage (much like a schedule of dilapidations). If there are two surveyors, the surveyor for the building owner drafts this and sends a copy for agreement to the neighbouring owner’s surveyor.

It is crucial to keep in mind that once a surveyor is hired in accordance with the act, whether as the Agreed Surveyor or by the owner, they have a responsibility to act completely and impartially.

Owners frequently find this provision of the Act difficult to accept, reasoning that since they hired the surveyor, he should bloody well defend their position. However, it is important to keep in mind that surveyors are hired to settle disputes, and that task would be nearly impossible if the owners were secretly pulling the strings.

How to know if you need a party wall surveyor?

The complexity of your project in relation to the wall and the cooperation of your neighbours will determine whether or not you need these services. In every situation, you might not necessarily need one.

You should take the actions necessary to obtain party wall consent into account in order to aid with the answer to this issue.

Notifying your neighbour is the first step in getting their consent. Typically, a letter is used for this, which can be written using a free standard-form document.

Additionally, you would often include the neighbour’s reply letter and return envelope for them to sign and send. It is strongly advised that you speak with your neighbour before mailing the letter so that it won’t come as a huge surprise. For the neighbour, knowing that your work won’t affect them can be comforting.