Thank you for tuning into this week’s property blog. Within this blog, we will be discussing the cost associated with Party Wall Surveying.
When it comes to the cost associated with party wall fees industry wide, Building owners often enquire about the cost associated with the procedure as it will help with their overall expenditure forecast.
Generally speaking, Party Wall fees will generally depend upon various factors and could tend to vary by a fair amount.
Given the fact that the process associated with reaching a Party Wall Agreement includes services that are also commonly provided by Surveying firms as a stand-alone service, aspects such as this tend to render the overall fee a firm would charge for the entire party wall procedure as a package.
The Party Wall Procedure includes the following:
- Reviewing of documentation/drawings
- Drafting and serving Party Wall Notices
- Undertaking a Schedule of Conditions
- Drafting and Agreeing on the Party Wall Award
Party Wall Notices Cost
Party Wall Notices are in place to first and foremost invoke the Party Wall etc Act 1996 upon the adjoining owner(s), however, also notify them of the building owner’s proposed and planned works to their property.
Party Wall Notices should be simple in their form, the notification should also include sufficient information so that the adjoining owner can make a fully informed decision in response to the Party Wall Notice received.
Industry-wide, when it comes to the preparation and serving of notices, you can expect costs anywhere from £25 plus VAT up to £250 plus VAT.
Here at Stokemont, our Party Wall Notice fees tend to be in the region of the £45 plus VAT to £50 plus VAT mark.
Commonly, some owners desire to prepare and serve their own notices as this cut some costs, however, ensuring that the notice is prepared and served is vital. The legal standing and statuary time frame will be void if an invalid notice is served. To address an invalid notice, the building owner will need to re-serve Party Wall Notices and all legal timeframes and periods will be re-set as a result causing delayed to the planned works.
Here at Stokemont, we also have a free Party Wall Notice creator on our website. You can access this on our ‘Free Party Wall Notices’ page.
Schedule of Condition Cost
A Schedule of Condition Report involves a Party Wall Surveyor visiting the adjoining property before the construction work commences, to record the current condition, the surveyor will would then provide a copy of this report to each respective owner acting as a record of proof in the event of a damage claim.
Industry-wide,Schedule of Condition Reports range from £200 plus VAT up to £500 plus VAT, the lower cost being towards the more straightforward and standardised end of the spectrum when it comes to the construction works taking place.
Party Wall Agreement Cost
A Party Wall Award, also commonly referred to as a Party Wall Agreement, is the conclusive document agreed upon by the Surveyors appointment under Section 10 of the Act on behalf of building owners following the schedule of condition of the property that may be affected by the work and comprehensive review of all documents concerning the construction work proposal.
The cost associated with agreeing upon a Party Wall Award will vary dependent on the appointment and factors such as the amount of time spent on the file or the complexity of the works.
Building Owners Surveyor Appointment Cost
Building owner’s party wall surveyor fees are generally fixed at the quotation provided at the time of engagement following a review of the proposal.
Before accepting the quotation, it isn’t uncommon for a building owner to obtain several different quotes from different service providers.
At the time that the party wall surveyor prepares their quote, they are likely to not only review the construction plans, but they are also likely to cross-refer with the number of adjoining owners to whom the construction plans and party wall works are notifiable.
The party wall surveyor will then prepare and present a fixed-cost quotation, to achieve the instruction and take on the file.
Industry-wide, building owners can expect fees anywhere from £400 – £1200 per adjoining owner.
Adjoining Surveyor Cost
Dissimilar to a building owner’s party wall surveyor instruction, with an adjoining owner’s surveyor instruction, the firm/surveyor is unlikely to offer a fixed fee given the nature of the involvement.
The party wall surveyor will probably provide their hourly rate following their appointment which will then be presented to the building owner’s party wall surveyor.
It is important to note, that the surveyor’s hourly rate, which is commonly going to be higher than administrative hourly rates, is unlikely to be charged for the entirety of the job at hand as this would be deemed unreasonable.
Building owners can expect fees anywhere from £700 – £2000 per adjoining owner Surveyor depending on the matter.
Agreed Surveyor Cost
The third and final type of instruction is an agreed party wall surveyor appointment.
An agreed party wall surveyor will act on behalf of both the building owner and the adjoining owner, which is where the term agreed arises as this will need to be agreed upon.
They will undertake all of the normal roles and formalities previously discussed that they would do if they were acting on behalf of one of the building owners or adjoining owners respectively.
The key difference here is that they act impartially on behalf of both owners. It is also vital to note, that an agreed surveyor appointment is only applicable if indeed the adjoining owner is agreeable to that form of party wall surveyor instruction.
Like the building owner’s surveyor’s appointment, fees of this nature are much like a building owner’s party wall surveyor fee going to be fixed. Again, the logic behind this is that the party wall surveyor will have full control over the office time they will incur and spend on the matter.
Industry-wide, building owners can expect fees anywhere from £500 – £1700 per adjoining owner Surveyor dependent on the complexity of the matter.
If you would like to discuss party wall surveying matters or seek a fixed cost quotation, we would advise that you get in touch with our team of experienced and qualified party wall surveyors, We will be more than happy to assist and advise you.
