Short answer: no—not if you call it an “award”. Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, only a surveyour (or surveyors) appointed under section 10 can make a Party Wall Award. Owners themselves are parties to the matter, so they cannot lawfully act as surveyors or issue their own award.
That said, there are situations where you and your neighbour can avoid an award entirely—by giving written consent to the notices. Here’s how to tell the difference, where DIY goes wrong, and the low-cost, low-friction route that keeps your project enforceable and on programme.
When a DIY approach is fine
- Consent route (no award required):
If your neighbour consents in writing within 14 days to valid notices (e.g., for cutting into a party wall or adjacent excavation), there is no dispute under the Act and therefore no award is required. You still owe statutory duties (avoid unnecessary inconvenience, make good damage, follow the scope you notified). - Dissent or no reply (award required):
If your neighbour dissents (or simply doesn’t respond), a dispute exists and the Act requires either (a) one Agreed Surveyor or (b) two surveyors to make a Party Wall Award. An “owner-written award” is invalid and unenforceable.
Why DIY “awards” typically fail
- The Act prohibits it: Only appointed surveyors can make awards; owners are legally disqualified because they’re parties to the works.
- Missing statutory content: DIY documents often omit mandatory elements (clear description of notifiable works, lawful rights of access, method controls, excavation drawings for s.6, special foundation consents, service provisions, appeal rights).
- Service defects: Wrong addressees, missing joint owners/long leaseholders, incorrect timing (1 or 2 months, depending on section), or missing drawings for excavations—any of these can sink the process.
- No enforcement: If things sour on site, an invalid DIY award won’t protect you from injunctions or speed up resolution, and lenders/buyers’ solicitors may query it later.
- Insurance & risk: Without a valid Award, you lose the fastest route to determining responsibility for damage and costs under the Act.
“We’re on great terms—can we just agree something between us?”
Yes—if you stay in the consent lane. A clear, written consent to validly-served notices keeps things light-touch and neighbourly. But once there’s dissent (or silence), the Act’s surveyour-made Award isn’t optional.
The risks of DIYing the notice stage
Even before you get to awards, most project delays come from invalid notices. Common errors:
- Serving the wrong section (e.g., omitting a Section 6 notice for excavations within 3m/6m),
- Failing to include plans/sections and depths for s.6,
- Missing co-owners/long leaseholders,
- Mixing up astride vs up-to boundary rights under Section 1,
- Serving too late (remember the 1–2 month minimums) or with contradictory start dates.
One misstep and you may need to re-serve, pushing your programme back by weeks.
The practical, low-friction route
- Serve clean notices early. Use the correct sections and, for excavations, attach compliant plans/sections.
- Offer the Agreed Surveyor option. When works are conventional and relations are good, a single impartial surveyor is often the quickest, fairest path to an Award if dissent arises.
- Keep regimes separate. Planning and building control are independent of the Party Wall process; don’t wait for one to start the other.
- Document the basics. Even with consent, a light paper trail helps everyone if questions arise.
How Simple Survey keeps you right (and on time)
We’re set up to make this painless, compliant and cost-predictable:
- Party Wall Notice service: £25 per Adjoining Ownership
(multi-notice bundles discounted) - Act administration as Agreed Surveyor (single surveyor): typically £300 fixed-fee
(depends on complexity and number of notices/owners) - Two-surveyor route (we act for the Building Owner): fixed-fee proposals from £325 for our side
(we work to keep your neighbour’s surveyor’s hourly fees reasonable and contained)
With us, you won’t lose weeks to re-serving notices, invalid “awards”, or preventable disputes. You get watertight paperwork, measured neighbour comms, and—if required—a robust, enforceable Party Wall Award.
Bottom line
- You can both agree to consent and avoid an award—great where works are simple and trust is high.
- You cannot lawfully create a DIY Award yourselves once there’s a dissent; only appointed surveyor(s) can do that.
- The cheapest part of your programme is getting the notices and (if needed) the Award right first time.
Ready to do this properly—without the drama?
Email team@simplesurvey.co.uk with your drawings, addresses and target start date. We’ll confirm the notices you need, serve them correctly, and—if a dissent arises—produce a fair, fast Award that protects both properties and your timeline.
Simple Survey — small fees, strong paperwork, smooth builds.