Hello and welcome to today’s property surveying blog post, in today’s topic we will be taking a look at Party Wall Surveying procedures and free Party Wall help that we offer here at Stokemont in relation to Party Wall Surveying matters.
What is the Party Wall etc Act 1996?
This was introduced as a way to resolve and prevent disputes when planned works were taking place within close proximity to a neighbor, whose works could potentially affect and cause damage to their property.
So the Party Wall etc Act 1996 was implemented to prevent disputes and have an alternative form of resolution than going to the courts.
What work falls under the Party Wall etc Act 1996
The types of planned construction works that fall under the Party Wall etc Act 1996 are outlined within sections 1,2 & 6.
Section 1 works relate to walls astride or up to the line of junction, so commonly this would come into play if you are doing a rear or side extension. Especially in cases where access would be required to complete the wall from the neighboring property.
Any planned works that fall under section 1 would require a minimum of a 1 month’s Party Wall Notice be served before the planned works were to take place.
Section 2 works relate to works along the party wall, this can include a wide variety of works
from cutting into and away from the party wall, exposing the party wall, raising a party wall, etc.
Any work under section 2 would require a minimum of a 2-month Party Wall Notice be served before the planned works are able to commence.
Section 6 work covers any of those that are to do with excavations that are taking place for the planned works and will come into play if the excavations are taking place within 3m or 6m of the neighboring property and when you are going lower than the neighboring foundations.
Works that are covered under section 6 will require a minimum of a 1-month Party Wall Notice to be served before the planned works were able to begin.
What is a Party Wall Notice
This will be a letter that is sent to your neighbors if any of your planned works fall under the Party Wall etc Act 1996, that will outline the planned works that are taking place, and what sections of the act that they fall under and will generally be accompanied by drawings, which are mandatory under section 6 works.
If you would like to serve your own Party Wall Notice be sure to check out our free Party Wall Notice generator Noticty, it is a way that you are able to generate a Party Wall Notice for your self and it is 100% free!
Party Wall Award
The Party Wall Award is the final piece of Party Wall Surveying procedures and is what will give the building owner the right to conduct their planned works while also outlining the protections that will be put in place for the adjoining owner.
Once the Party Wall Award is served the building owner will be free to commence with their planned works, with the adjoining owner being able to contest the Party Wall Award up to 14 days from its service through the courts.
If any of your planned works are to involve enclosing onto an existing Party Wall or structure be sure to check out our Encloser Cost Calculator, where we have used our knowledge and experiences from over the years to give you an idea of how much the enclosure payments are likely to be, better enabling you to be able to plan your budget for your works.
Thank you for reading today’s blog post, if you have any questions or queries in reaction to Party Wall Surveying matters you can visit our Party Wall Surveying FAQ page, where you can find short informative clips that tackle the common Party Wall questions that we receive over the years.
If you are unable to find the information that you are looking for or inquiring about any of the other services that we offer here at Stokemont, please feel free to give us a call and one of our experienced surveyors will be happy to assist and advise.
