In today’s Property Surveying blog post, we are going to be taking a look at party wall surveying procedures.
In particular, the blog post today is going to focus on Party Wall Awards, also commonly referred to within the general public as Party Wall Agreements.
Party Wall Awards come into play post Party Wall Notice service. The Party Wall Award itself is effectively the conclusion of the party wall surveying procedures. Importantly, it will give the building owner the opportunity and legal right to commence the proposed construction works without any further procedure or delay through the eyes of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
The Award itself is going to have been prepared by either a single agreed party wall surveyor, or alternatively by two party wall surveyors, one acting on behalf of the building owner and another acting on behalf of the adjoining owner.
The purpose of the award is to regularise the building owner’s planned works, while also ensuring that the necessary protections that the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 affords an adjoining owner had been implemented and put in place.
The Content of a Party Wall Award
The Party Wall Award is going to include a wide variety of content, from protective clauses to the Schedule of Condition report, to construction drawings.
We are now going to take a look at this in a little bit more detail to help you fully understand the Party Wall Award content.
Party Wall Award Recitals and Protective Clauses
The Party Wall Award will not only set out what led up to its agreement, i.e. the service of the Party Wall Notice, adjoining owner’s response and selection of a third surveyor.
It is also going to contain various different clauses and wording to such an extent that the manner and time in which the building owner undertakes the proposed construction work is set out.
Typical inclusions within a Party Wall Award will include:
- Working hours
- Working days
- Protective provisions required to the adjoining owner’s property
- Provisions and scenarios to be adhered to in the event of variation of work or damage
- The Schedule of Condition report
- The project drawings, contractor method statements.
Ultimately, the content that makes up the Award is going to be in place to ensure that the building owner’s team are able to fully understand what is required in order to satisfactorily complete the party wall works and meet the Party Wall Award’s requirements.
Schedule of Condition Report
One of the key steps in our opinion here at Stokemont of the party wall procedures is the Schedule of Condition report.
The Schedule of Condition report is in place and will be undertaken in advance of the building owner’s planned works commencing.
The party wall surveyor’s inspection will be undertaken to the adjoining owner’s property and will go in a room to room process setting out any defect or issue that currently exists.
The purpose and logic behind a Schedule of Condition is to ensure that there is a robust and comprehensive documented record of the adjoining owners property in place. This record will be the go to document that is checked in the event of any allegation of damage during or post building owner construction work.
The Schedule of Condition itself will be made up of both a written record along with hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs that the party wall surveyor will have taken.
Schedule of Condition reports will often be shared with the building owner and adjoining owner, as will the photographs that the party wall surveyor has taken in an effort to ensure that all parties are able to easily access the information in the event of any potential damage or dispute surrounding potential damage.
Construction Drawings
Party Wall Award will also include the construction drawings that set out the party wall element of the planned construction works.
In the majority of situations, the party wall surveyor, or party wall surveyors, are going to aim to streamline the amount of drawings that form part of the Party Wall Award’s content in an effort to ensure that the Award is as easy to follow and understand as possible.
This can often mean that there are only a handful of drawings within the Award itself, with those drawings clearly setting out what party wall works the building owner has been authorised and awarded to undertake.
Party Wall Awards, once served, give the building owner the legal right commence their work without further delay. Equally, they ensure that the adjoining owner’s property is fully protected in the event of issue or damage.
However, perhaps more importantly than both of those, they set out provisions and procedures for the building owner’s contractor to follow and adhere to during the course of the works.
All of these procedures being in place to limit the risk of issue and damage from the building owner’s planning construction works to the adjoining owner’s property.
If you would like to discuss Party Wall Awards with our team of party wall surveyors here at Stokemont, feel free to give us a call today, or alternatively pop us over an email,and we will be more than happy to assist and advise.
