When your neighbour is extending, one of the most consequential decisions you’ll make is whether to allow access so their contractor can build and finish the flank wall that borders your land. It’s understandable to hesitate—access feels intrusive—but in party wall terms, a well-managed access arrangement is usually the smartest, safest and most neighbourly route. It speeds the project up, reduces risk, and delivers a wall you’ll look at for years that’s straight, weather-tight and properly finished.
Access under the Act—what it really means
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 gives a building owner a statutory right of access where it’s necessary to carry out notifiable works. That access isn’t a free-for-all: it’s controlled by notice and by clear conditions on timing, protection, methods and making good. In other words, access is regulated, not casual. When surveyors are appointed, they set out the “time and manner” of how that access happens so it works for both sides.
Faster programme, less disruption overall
Counter-intuitively, granting access usually reduces the period you’re affected by the works. With access, a contractor can lay and finish the flank wall externally, install flashings, and complete brickwork and pointing in one efficient sequence. Without access, they’re forced into awkward detailing from one side only, more stoppages, and return visits to correct what they couldn’t reach. More days on site means more background noise, more deliveries, and more chances for friction. A clean access plan shortens that window.
Safer methods, fewer site risks
Working from your side—using properly erected scaffolding where needed—lets the contractor build from stable platforms with correct ties and guardrails. That means fewer risky reaches from the neighbour’s side and less chance of accidents, debris dropping the wrong way, or emergency interventions when something proves inaccessible late in the day. Surveyor-set access conditions will specify safe hours, routeing, temporary protection, and how scaffolding is secured and later removed.
A better wall on your boundary—now and for the future
You (and your garden) will see that flank wall long after the builders have gone. Allowing access means the masonry can be laid, jointed and weathered properly on your side—no ragged perp joints, no unfinished faces, no awkward mastic where a proper flashing should be. You’re also far less likely to inherit annoying maintenance legacies such as water tracking, algae streaking or frost-popped joints because the wall couldn’t be finished correctly.
Protection, privacy and control—baked in
Sensible access doesn’t mean surrendering control. Under a party wall award, surveyors will lock in practical protections, typically including:
- reasonable notice of access dates and working hours
- clean routes in and out (and limits on where boots can tread)
- temporary sheeting/hoardings where appropriate
- safeguarding of planting and hard landscaping
- storage rules (no “creeping yard”) and no-music expectations
- clear obligations to tidy daily and to make good promptly if anything is disturbed.
Because these conditions are set by impartial surveyors, both sides know what’s expected—and what happens if it isn’t met.
What if I just say no?
Refusing necessary access rarely improves outcomes. It tends to force contrived methods from the neighbour’s side, stretching timelines and increasing nuisance. It also risks a more basic finish on your boundary. If access is genuinely not required, fine—the surveyors won’t grant it. But where it is necessary, the Act allows it, and the award will ensure it happens in a controlled, considerate way that respects your property.
A practical approach that works
The best results follow a simple pattern: early conversation, formal notice, and a tight award with crystal-clear access terms. That keeps the build moving, keeps you informed, and keeps the site civil. You end up with what you actually want: a quicker build and a correctly finished wall that looks right and lasts.
Need a level-headed view on access for your neighbour’s extension—or your own? Our RICS-qualified party wall surveyors act for building owners and adjoining owners across England and Wales, setting fair, proportionate access conditions that protect both sides and keep projects on track.
Email: team@simplesurvey.co.uk
Build faster. Build safer. Get the boundary detail right.