How long does a party wall agreement last?
A Party Wall Award doesn’t usually have a fixed expiry date. But when you’re planning building work, it’s natural to worry how long your Party Wall Award will remain valid, and it’s good you’re covering your bases. For example, do you need a new one every time work changes?
To put it simply:
- The Notice: the notified work must normally start within 12 months
- The Award: governs the works described in it
- The Records: remain useful after the work is finished
While a Party Wall Award does not have the same one-year limit as a notice, it is critical that you begin the agreed works within 12 months of serving the relevant Party Wall Notice, or the notice ceases to have effect and you may need to restart the process. Once work commences, the Award governs the works it describes, provided the notice remains effective and the work proceeds with due diligence.
Understanding the timeline
To make sense and understand how long a Party Wall Agreement lasts, you need to look at:
- The validity of the Party Wall Notice
- The duration of the Party Wall Agreement (Award) once the surveyors issue it
1. How long does the Party Wall Notice stay valid?
When you serve a Party Wall Notice on your neighbour, the law requires you to begin the notified works within 12 months. The government’s Party Wall guidance explains the notice periods.
If the works don’t start within that 12-month window:
- The notice expires
- It can no longer be used
- You must serve a fresh notice
The statutory timelines restart (1–2 months, depending on the notice type). This protects both you and your neighbour from old, outdated notices being used for future plans.
2. How long does the Party Wall Agreement (Award) last?
Here’s the part most homeowners don’t realise. A Party Wall Award does not have a separate, automatic 12-month expiry once it has been issued. It governs the works described in the Award. If work begins within the notice period and proceeds with due diligence, the Award can continue to govern those works while they are carried out, even if the project takes longer than a year. A long pause, a change in design or a new structural risk should be reviewed before work continues. Whether a new notice or Award is needed depends on what has changed. The Act’s due diligence requirement is relevant to work under a party structure notice.
A Party Wall Surveyor can advise on whether a new notice is required.
The only issue you might face is if the project plan changes
If you change your plans after the Award is issued, for example, altering the design, adding deeper foundations or repositioning the walls, then you may require:
- A further notice, and/or
- A new or revised Party Wall Award
Any major change must be reassessed so the neighbour remains protected. If you’re unsure whether your original notice still applies, see the party wall FAQs.
Planning work in Surrey or London? Call Simon on 07834 761 411 to discuss whether your existing notice and Award cover the current plans.
How long will the records remain useful?
All documents, including the Schedule of Condition, will be valuable for the foreseeable future, and they’re important to keep. If a neighbour alleges later damage, the recorded evidence can still be used to resolve the matter, even years after completion.
Have an Award or a change of plans you would like reviewed? Contact Westville Associates before further work begins.
