Party wall surveyor referral in London
When a neighbour dissents from a party wall notice, or says nothing for 14 days, the Act sends the matter to a surveyor. We do not act as a party wall surveyor and we do not make awards. We refer you to an independent one, and we supply the notices and drawings they work from, with our notices at £45 for each adjoining owner. The surveyor's fee is separate and is agreed with the surveyor.
Fixed fee from £45 · all prices
Prefer to talk it through?
What a party wall surveyor does, and what we do not
The Act defines a surveyor as a person who is not a party to the matter, appointed or selected under section 10 to determine disputes by the procedures in the Act. The role is to decide, not to act for either side. That is why we do not take it on: we draw and serve your notices, so we are on your side of the job.
What we do is make sure the surveyor receives clear notices, measured drawings and a description of the work that match, so the award deals with the real project and not a misunderstanding of it.
Party Wall Surveyor Referral
from £45
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- A referral to an independent party wall surveyor
- Notices and drawings consistent with what the surveyor reviews
- Plain explanation of agreed surveyor versus two surveyors
- Help answering the surveyor's questions on the drawings
- No fee from us for the referral itself
- The surveyor's fee quoted by the surveyor, not by us
- Dissent or silence
The neighbour dissents, or serves no consent within 14 days. A dispute is deemed to have arisen.
- Agree or appoint
Both owners agree one surveyor, or each appoints their own.
- Third surveyor chosen
Where there are two surveyors, they select a third to call on if they disagree.
- The award is made
The surveyor or surveyors set out the work, how and when, and who pays reasonable costs.
One agreed surveyor, or two surveyors and a third
Section 10 gives two routes. Both owners can concur in the appointment of one surveyor, an agreed surveyor, who acts for both. Or each owner appoints a surveyor, and the two surveyors forthwith select a third.
An agreed surveyor is simpler and usually involves one fee. Two surveyors give each owner their own adviser. If a party neglects to appoint for ten days after the other party serves a request, the other party can make the appointment on their behalf. Either owner or either surveyor can call on the third surveyor to determine the disputed matters, and the third surveyor then makes the award.
Which route fits depends on how the neighbour has reacted. We explain it before you commit, and we say plainly when a friendly conversation might save a fee.
Under section 5, a neighbour has 14 days from service to consent.
Who pays the reasonable costs
Under section 11, expenses of work under the Act are defrayed by the building owner. Under section 10 the reasonable costs of making an award, of reasonable inspections of the work, and of any other matter arising from the dispute are paid by such of the parties as the surveyor or surveyors determine.
So the building owner usually pays, and the cost is limited to what is reasonable, not whatever a surveyor charges. We do not quote surveyor fees, because they are set by the surveyor you appoint.
What to give the surveyor
A surveyor needs the notice, the drawings of the proposed work, a description of what is touching the neighbour's property, and a record of the neighbour's side before work. Our party wall notices and drawings provide the first three, and a schedule of condition provides the last.
Having these before the surveyor starts keeps the award short. Without them the surveyor may need extra visits, and those are reasonable costs the building owner usually pays.
If your neighbour has not yet replied
Under section 5, a neighbour has 14 days from service to consent. If they do not, they are deemed to have dissented. You do not need to chase for a signature; the dispute procedure starts anyway.
Before you appoint anyone, it is worth one friendly conversation with the neighbour, with the drawings in hand. A neighbour who understands the work often consents on a second look, which ends the dispute without a surveyor.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| not a party to the matter | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s20 definition of surveyor (source wording: "any person not being a party to the matter appointed or selected under section 10") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| concur in the appointment of one surveyor | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s10(1)(a) (source wording: "both parties shall concur in the appointment of one surveyor") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| select a third | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s10(1)(b) (source wording: "each party shall appoint a surveyor and the two surveyors so appointed shall forthwith select a third surveyor") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| ten days | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s10(4)(b) (source wording: "neglects to appoint a surveyor under subsection (1)(b) for a period of ten days") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| reasonable costs | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s10(13) (source wording: "shall be paid by such of the parties as the surveyor or surveyors making the award determine") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| defrayed by the building owner | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s11(1) (source wording: "expenses of work under this Act shall be defrayed by the building owner") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 14 days | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s5 (source wording: "within the period of fourteen days" and "deemed to have dissented") | www.legislation.gov.uk |