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 remedial protection is urgently needed, funds are immediately available to put things right.
Below we explain when it’s appropriate, how to request it, how the sum is set, and what good security looks like in practice.
When Security for Expenses is appropriate
Security is most often requested where the foreseeable risk and potential cost of remedial action are material, for example:
- Deep excavations close to your foundations (e.g., piling, stepped trenches, raft slabs).
- Basement conversions/underpinning or significant retained digs.
- Major structural alterations to party walls/frames where temporary stability matters.
- Projects funded by thinly capitalised or overseas entities where enforcement or recovery could be harder.
- Complex phasing (demolition before rebuild) that could leave your property exposed if work stalls.
It’s not a penalty or a slow-down tactic; it’s a proportionate, temporary protection aligned to the foreseeable cost of making the Adjoining Owner safe if the Building Owner defaults or the site is left in a vulnerable state.
Your legal right
Under the Act, an Adjoining Owner may require Security for Expenses before works begin. If you’re considering it, act early: once the shovel’s in the ground, the request may be too late.
We typically trigger the request during award negotiations so the security provisions are included into the Party Wall Award.
How the amount is decided
There are two routes:
- By agreement between the owners
The Building Owner shares method statements, sequencing and temporary works details. The parties (often via their surveyors) agree a reasonable figure that covers credible, calculable risks: temporary weathering, propping, emergency making-safe, re-instatement to a watertight shell, and associated prelims. - By determination of the surveyor(s)
If agreement isn’t reached, the appointed Party Wall Surveyor (Agreed Surveyor) or the two surveyors will determine the sum in an Award. They’ll consider scope, proximity, engineering advice, contractor capability and programme risk, and set a justifiable figure with clear rules for holding, draw-down and release.
How much is “reasonable”?
There’s no tariff. Surveyors assess present-day costs for plausible worst-case interventions, not every imaginable mishap. Typical components:
- Temporary works: propping, shoring, hoarding, weathering, waterproofing.
- Making-safe or re-instatement to protect structural/weather-tight integrity.
- Access/scaffolding and preliminaries to execute those works.
- Professional fees tied to the emergency measures (engineer, surveyor).
Security isn’t for general nuisance or routine snagging; it’s about protecting the Adjoining Owner from being left at risk if things go wrong mid-project.
Will this delay the project?
Handled early and professionally, no. Security is agreed alongside the Award conditions. The Building Owner benefits too: clear risk allocation reassures neighbours and often de-risks programme. Where a Building Owner resists without reason, surveyors can determine security swiftly in an Award.
What if my neighbour refuses?
If you’ve requested security and the Building Owner won’t agree a sensible figure, ask your surveyor to determine it in the Award. Once awarded, failure to provide the security is a breach of the Award and works should not proceed.
Why work with Simple Survey
We keep Security for Expenses proportionate, defensible and practical:
- We review engineering info and target the real risks, not hypotheticals.
- We draft tight Award clauses covering holding arrangements, triggers and staged release.
- We move quickly so security doesn’t become the bottleneck.
Transparent, low-cost pricing:
- 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)
Ready to request security?
Email your drawings and the site address to team@simplesurvey.co.uk with the subject. We’ll confirm if security is justified, propose a reasoned figure, and fold it into a robust Party Wall Award so everyone is protected and your project can proceed with confidence.
Simple Survey — the most cost-effective Party Wall surveyors in England & Wales.