In this week’s Party Wall Surveying blogpost topic, we are going to be discussing Party Wall Surveyors, and the role they play in respect of the Party Wall Surveying procedures.
A Party Wall Surveyor’s role is one defined by statute, and requires him to impartially administer the Party Wall etc Act 1996, ultimately facilitating the Building Owner’s proposed works.
In administering the Act, the Surveyor will undertake a number of conventional and normal roles, including:
REVIEWING THE WORKS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ADJOINING OWNER’S PROPERTY
The role of the Party Wall Surveyor will be to ensure that the proposed works, pose a minimal amount of risk possible to the Adjoining Properties.
They will do this by reviewing the works from the perspective of the Adjoining Properties, ultimately making sure that the construction risks, and long-term structural risks, are as low as they can possibly be.
ENSURING THAT PROTECTION CLAUSES ARE IN PLACE
The Party Wall Surveyor will also be tasked with ensuring that temporary protections are considered and implemented by the contractors, to ultimately ensure that the Adjoining Owner’s property is best protected in the short-term, which can ultimately mean a reduced likelihood of damage being an issue in the long-term.
UNDERTAKING A SCHEDULE OF CONDITION INSPECTION AND REPORT
The Party Wall Surveyor will also be tasked with visiting the Adjoining Owner’s property pre-construction works, to ensure that they have a thorough and robust Schedule of Condition Report in place. The Schedule of Condition Report is ultimately a snapshot of the Adjoining Owner’s property pre-works, and by having it in place, ensures that the Adjoining Owner is well-protected against any damage, as ultimately it will be easy to determine as new, and then it is just a matter of deciding whether the new damage is a result of the Building Owner’s proposed Party Wall construction work.
AGREEING A PARTY WALL AWARD
The Party Wall Surveyor’s penultimate role, and ultimately their conclusion in the Party Wall procedures, will come in the form of an agreement of a Party Wall Award, also known as a Party Wall Agreement.
The Party Wall Award’s agreement, ultimately gives the Building Owner, and Adjoining Owner, legal protection, above and beyond common law, ultimately ensuring that they have a robust protocol to adhere to, in the event that there is indeed an issue.
Party Wall Surveyors will generally play a different role in each and every job, ultimately dependent upon the works, the properties, and overall any construction-specific risk.
If you would like to discuss Party Wall Surveying procedures with us, and hear a little bit more about the roles that Party Wall Surveyors play in respect of the proposed works, give us a call now and we will be more than happy to assist you.
