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The party walls act 1996
Understand your rights and obligations
If you are undertaking work on your property, you may need to serve a party wall notice for your neighbours under the Party Wall Act 1996.
The Act is a piece of legislation that allows you to undertake work within set time frames and protects your neighbour’s rights.
The Party Wall Act of 1996 came into force on July 1st 1997, and applies to homes throughout England and Wales.
“The Act provides a framework for preventing or resolving disputes in relation to party walls, party structures, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.
Anyone intending to carry out work (anywhere in England and Wales) of the kinds described in the Act must give Adjoining Owners notice of their intentions. The Act applies even to Crown, government and local authority owned property.” – The Party Wall etc Act 1996: explanatory booklet – GOV.UK
The Act outlines particular legal requirements for Party Wall Agreements and Dispute Resolution to set out obligations of property owners who plan to undertake construction work which will affect a shared wall, involves the construction of a new wall on a boundary line, or involves the excavation of ground within certain set distances from the neighbouring structure.
Key Takeaways
Offer: We explain how the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 works and how we help you follow it correctly for relevant building projects.
Scope: We cover what the Act applies to: works to shared walls/structures, new walls at/near boundaries, and excavations close to neighbouring buildings that might affect foundations.
Process: We outline the legal steps: serve valid notices (with timing rules), manage neighbour responses (consent/dissent), prepare/agree to schedules of condition when needed, and issue formal awards where there’s dissent.