In all our years of surveying, there is one thing that every single client we’ve worked with has talked about as a priority – money. Specifically, not spending too much of it! Whether you’re building an extension or converting your roof space, you need to make sure that you’ve budgeted for everything involved in the project and that your budget is realistic. That means not just the actual work, but the design and professional fees that go with it.
One of the things we get asked about a lot is budgeting for party wall works – whether you should budget for party wall matters, and if you really need one. Thankfully, the answer is simple (sort of). If you plan to complete works to a shared wall, party wall, build a new wall at the boundary, or excavate within 3 or 6 metres of your neighbour’s property, then you’re legally obliged to serve notice. Which means you may well need to get your party wall matters in order before the project can go ahead.
Just as a refresher, a ‘party wall’ is a wall that stands astride the boundary of land belonging to two or more owners. It either forms part of a building, separates two or more buildings, or is a ‘party fence wall’. Even if the wall is wholly on one owner’s land, if it’s used to separate the buildings two or more owners, it’s a party wall. A party fence wall is a wall that is iinot part of a building but stands astride the boundary between the land of different owners as a way of separating their land. And it has to be a wall of some kind by the way – wooden fences and hedges are not defined as party fence walls.
Short answer? It depends. Fees for serving notices will vary between surveyors, so you won’t get two charging exactly the same. It’s one of the reasons you should get a full and detailed quote before appointing anyone. That being said, in our experience serving a notice can cost in the region of £150-£250 + VAT.
As a reminder of the process – you have to give a minimum of one month’s notice for excavation works, and two months’ notice for building works that affect the party wall or party structure. Your neighbour then has 14 days to respond to your notice. While the person drafting your notice doesn’t have to be a construction professional, there is a lot of complexity and risk in the area, so we do recommend you use a surveyor with relevant experience to draft this for you. Invalid notices can cause severe delays to works and lead to a big increase in costs – neither of which you want!
If everything goes well and your neighbour consents to the works, then you won’t have any further costs to pay associated with your party wall obligations. However, you should consider protecting yourself from spurious claims of damage from your neighbour. We know you don’t like to think that of your neighbours, but it can and does happen. One method of protecting yourself is by doing a Photographic Schedule of Condition. Additionally, providing your neighbour with a Photographic Schedule of Condition can help to reassure them that if damage does occur, there will be evidence to help resolve the dispute.
A photographic schedule of condition clearly documents the condition of the adjoining owner’s property, so that there is a visual record of the condition before works started should there be any claims of damage. It’s generally a good idea to prepare one of these even if your neighbour consents to the work – consider it an insurance policy.
The actual cost for a photographic schedule of condition can vary depending on the type and extent of the works you’re doing, the size of the building and how far your surveyor needs to travel. As a rule you should allow between £500-£1000 + VAT for a schedule of condition. And if you’re dealing with more than one neighbour, you may need to allow this for multiple buildings.
If your neighbour formally dissents to the work or doesn’t respond to your party wall notices, then you will need to appoint surveyors to prepare and agree a party wall award, which unfortunately does mean more cost.
A party wall Award will document what works take place as well as the requirements for them to take place. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 comprises 22 Sections and the Award that will be served for your proposed works will reference a number of these Sections. It considers things like building along a line of junction, the methods of construction planned, rights of entry, any specific disputes, easements and compensation.
It’s important to remember that a party wall Award benefits both parties. Not only does it enable the works to go ahead, but it protects the adjoining owner from any damage caused by the works.
The adjoining owner will have the opportunity to appoint their own surveyor to act on their own behalf, or they can choose to use your (or their chosen!) surveyor as an agreed surveyor. If the adjoining owner simply doesn’t respond to the notice, then it’s the building owner’s job to appoint a surveyor on their behalf. This can be an expensive endeavour for the building owner, since they’re in charge of paying for both sets of surveyor fees!
To give you a guide on costs, you can expect EACH party wall surveyor to charge between £1,000 and £1,500 + VAT per Award. Some surveyors will then charge extra for a photographic schedule of condition, while others (like us) will include the cost within the Award.
Oh, and just to add on. If multiple neighbours are involved, you may need to multiply this cost by the number of neighbours you’re serving notice to.
Disputes can still arise once the Award has been completed and works have begun. We hate to see it, but it does happen. If this is the case, you’ll need your surveyor’s advice and possibly a re-inspection. We often find this happens when a neighbour believes that their property has been damaged. In this case, surveyors will often charge at an hourly rate, since it’s difficult to offer a fixed fee when there’s so many unknowns. Depending on their experience, a surveyor can charge between £120 – £350 + VAT per hour, which is why you should always ask for a surveyor’s hourly rate as part of their fee proposal.
Of course! At Harrison Clarke we’re always happy to chat through the process and all of the costs before you commit to appointing us as your surveyor. We want you to go into the process with your eyes open, which is why we recommend instructing a surveyor as soon as possible to help you budget for your project properly. We always take a proactive approach to ensure that your project runs as smoothly as possible, and we’ll always have an eye on minimising your cost. We aren’t here to create problems where there aren’t any either – we want to make sure you continue to have a good relationship with your neighbours for years to come! Some of the ways we do this include:
We understand that carrying out works on your property is incredibly stressful – that’s why we’re here to help lighten the load. Our aim is to take as much of this stress away as possible. If you would like some advice on how to best approach your party wall obligations, or just want to discuss something with us, please feel free to call our team on 023 8155 0051.
For more expert advice on surveying and property matters, check out our range of informative videos on our website or YouTube channel. Harrison Clarke Chartered Surveyors is here to guide you every step of the way!
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Tim set up Harrison Clarke Chartered Surveyors in July 2017 following a series of public and private sector surveying roles, having previously worked for the University of Cambridge, Rund Partnership, Goadsby, and CBRE.
Tim has degrees in building surveying, construction project management, and business administration.
