Surrey & London: 07834 761 411
Surrey & London: 07834 761 411
If you are involved in a party wall dispute with a neighbour, our Surrey and London surveyors can help you understand your rights, and give you the correct advice.
Neighbour arguments over party walls are not uncommon.
Disputes over party walls affect around 1 in 20 homeowners or 5%.
They often stir tension between neighbours trying to navigate the complexities of their shared property boundary.
Whether it’s a loft conversion, planned extension, structural alteration, or new construction, disagreements can easily arise when one party feels their rights are at risk. Plus, not every neighbour is friendly, chirpy and easy going, nor can you always expect them to protect your interests above their own.
Understanding the process is crucial for keeping the peace and protecting your rights and interests.
Learning the processes and legal obligations involved will be essential for your sanity and for preventing and resolving conflicts that typically surround home improvements to semi-detached and terraced homes.
Please complete the form to arrange an informal discussion so we can acquire more details about your property. There is no charge and no obligation.
We cover all of Surrey and London and are also available via WhatsApp. Alternatively, please call 07834 761 411 or email Simon directly.
If the neighbour dissents to your Party Wall Notice, then a dispute arises. This is where boundary surveyors are particularly useful as they go into more detail on this issue. But the first step to resolve the dispute is for both parties to assign their own surveyors or to select an Agreed surveyor.
If your neighbour has begun construction work that affects the shared or adjoining wall (a party wall or a flank wall) without serving the required Party Wall Notice, then they’ll be in breach of the Party Wall Act 1996, which covers work like renovations, extensions and structural alterations.
In these cases, as the adjoining owner, you have the right to:
If you’re unsure of your rights and need professional guidance, our Surrey surveyors can help you navigate the process and protect your assets.
If you have received your neighbour’s consent in writing, then you’ll be all set to begin construction.
You should face no problems in the future should you keep disturbance to a minimum and do everything in your power to protect your neighbour’s property and possessions from damage.
However, that said, after this stage, you should undertake a Schedule of Condition to protect your own interests from potential unjustified claims for damage upon completion of the works.
Adjoining owners have 14 days to respond to your Party Wall Notice, and if they don’t respond during this timeframe, then a Party Wall Notice Dispute arises, where a 10 day reminder letter is then served, and if there’s still no notice, then you can appoint a surveyor on their behalf.
Typically, you should send a neighbour a separate Party Wall Notice for each type of work you intend to do on the Party Wall. For example, if the plan is to demolish a wall and a build a new one, then each action will require a separate notice, i.e. Party Structure Notice and a Notice of Adjacent Excavation will need to be served in this instance.
Offer: We provide party wall dispute support, including consultation, neighbour mediation, documentation management, and drafting/checking Party Wall Awards for compliance.
Scope: We help with common disputes such as lack of notice, ignored/refused notices, access requests, starting work too early, recovering costs, noise issues, and contesting an award (under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996).
Process: We guide you through consent vs dissent, appoint surveyors, complete schedules of condition, serve reminders where notices are ignored, and escalate where needed.
Areas: We cover Surrey and nearby London areas.
