When modifications are being made to a property thanks to the Party Wall Act 1996, you’ll find that there tends to be a lot of complex legal issues to try and decipher on a regular basis. Understandably, a swift and practical resolution of all the issues is vital for people to get things done.
To make sure this happens, a lot of people go in for a party wall surveyor, often an agreed one. But when does this happen? What does it mean when it does? Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
The Options Available
So let’s kick this off by taking a look at the instance where an agreed party wall surveyor is going to be the ideal choice for you. Whenever someone serves a party wall notice to an adjoining owner, which is basically a declaration that you intend to make changes, you’ve got three different options with regards to how the adjoining owner can respond to this. For the sake of the argument, let’s look at the applicable option.
The particular option that we are interested in is when the adjoining owner dissents to the planned modifications, and then appoints an agreed party wall surveyor.
What is an Agreed Party Wall Surveyor?
Wait a second – what actually is an agreed party wall surveyor? How does one work? Well, this is a type of surveyor who is hired to work for both parties at the same time.
Instead of you and another person having to hire and obtain your own resources, you can think of this as being the pair of you sharing resources. There are quite a few benefits to this, as we’re going to cover here, so let’s take a look.
- Because you’re both working with the surveyor, the overall cost will go down in a big way. There won’t be as much to pay.
- Sharing a resource will promote a sense of community which may not have existed before. The end result may be that you reach agreements and concessions with less difficulty.
- If you are both in agreement about the surveyor that you use, the overall level of arguments that can arise over different topics will be less.
- Disputes over fees will not be as much of an issue – it is usually two or more individuals who argue when it comes to fees and the like.
So, in conclusion, it is not difficult to see why a good agreed party wall surveyor is a good idea. It’s all about getting the best resources for your specific needs and requirements – obviously this isn’t going to be easy but it can be incredibly worth it if you take the time to check out what is going on. It is worth exploring a selection of options to find what works.
However, it is also widely agreed that hiring out an agreed surveyor is the best option from a cost and simplicity perspective.
If you’d like a little more advice, give us a call, we are happy to help!
