Large extensions, loft conversions that abut two neighbours, wrap-arounds on corner plots, or basement digs near a terrace rarely involve just one adjoining owner.
The more neighbours you notify at once, the greater the chance you’ll end up with multiple surveyors, mismatched expectations, and ballooning cost.
The antidote is a phased, strategic notice programme—served in steps, in the right order, with the right message—so you keep control of time, money and relationships.
Below is a practical playbook we use on multi-neighbour schemes to minimise friction and avoid a “surveyors’ scrum.”
1) Map your “neighbourhood” properly
- Identify every legal “Adjoining Owner”: freeholders, long leaseholders (over 1 year) and—in blocks—relevant head landlords. Terraces and mansion blocks can mean several adjoining owners for one boundary.
- Tag the notifiable triggers by neighbour: Section 1 (new wall at/astride boundary), Section 2 (works to party structure), Section 6 (adjacent excavation within 3m/6m). Different neighbours may have different triggers and notice periods.
- Prioritise risk and influence: Who is most affected? Who is most likely to dissent? Who is pragmatic? This informs your phasing.
Outcome: a neighbour matrix showing who needs which notice, and when.
2) Serve notices in steps, not all at once
Why phased? Because every notice creates a decision point. Serve ten notices in one blast and you may inherit ten different surveyors. Instead, Serve in Waves!
- Wave 1 – “Anchor” neighbours: Start with the most influential or most affected party (e.g., shared party wall to the main works). If you can secure consent or an Agreed Surveyor here, it sets a positive precedent.
- Wave 2 – Adjacent but lower-impact neighbours: With a cooperative pattern established, follow quickly with neighbours affected by excavation only, or secondary boundaries.
- Wave 3 – Stragglers and specials: Corner plots, freehold/leasehold splits, management companies—bring them in once momentum and message discipline are established.
A stepped approach reduces the odds that each neighbour “goes shopping” for their own surveyor. It also lets you refine your explanation based on early feedback, improving the consent rate.
3) Lead with clarity
Your covering note matters as much as the notice form:
- Plain-English scope: One paragraph on what’s changing, where and why; simple drawing extracts help.
- Assurances: Confirm that noisy or higher-risk operations will be controlled by an Award if they dissent—and that your aim is neighbour-friendly execution either way.
- Choice architecture: Clearly set out the three responses (consent; dissent + Agreed Surveyor; dissent + own surveyor), and invite the Agreed Surveyor route for conventional works.
- Contact route: Provide a direct line to us at Simple Survey for any questions before they decide. Reduces anxiety; increases consent or Agreed Surveyor uptake.
Typical outcomes when you phase notices
- Higher consent rate.
- Where dissent occurs, greater uptake of the Agreed Surveyor route.
- Fewer, better-coordinated Awards.
- Less drift, less noise, lower global fees.
Simple Survey: clear fees, tight process, steady delivery
- 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)
We draft the phasing plan, prepare compliant notices, run the communications, and deliver coherent, legally robust Awards—without letting a multi-neighbour job morph into a multi-surveyor free-for-all.
Ready to de-risk your multi-neighbour project?
Email your drawings and a brief description to team@simplesurvey.co.uk. We’ll map your adjoining owners, set a phased notice strategy, and get you from quotes to Awards with minimum fuss and spend.
Simple Survey — smart strategy, compliant paperwork, no bloated fees.