The Beginner’s Guide to Section 1 Party Wall Notices

Planning a new side or rear extension and need a brand-new wall along the boundary? That’s exactly what Section 1 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers. This guide explains what a Section 1 Notice is, the response options for your neighbour, when you can (and can’t)...

The Beginners Guide to Security for Expenses

When notifiable works carry higher-than-usual risk, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 gives an Adjoining Owner the right to ask the Building Owner for Security for Expenses. Think of it as a financial safety net: money held on standby so that, if works are abandoned or...

Making Sense of Making Use (Enclosure Costs)

If your neighbour has already built a new wall for their extension and you now want to build off it rather than erecting your own independent wall, you’ll encounter the Party Wall concept of “making use”—often called enclosure costs. Far from being a penalty, this...

A Beginner’s Guide to Notifiable Party Wall Works

If you’re planning an extension, loft conversion, basement works or any structural change near a boundary, you’ll likely trigger the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. The headline you need to remember is simple: if works are notifiable under the Act, you must serve a valid...