Section 2 is the workhorse of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
If you’re altering, cutting into, raising, repairing or otherwise working on a shared wall or structure, Section 2 is almost certainly the route you’ll use to notify your neighbour.
It covers works to party walls between houses, party fence walls (masonry garden walls that straddle the boundary), and party structures inside buildings such as floors and ceilings between flats.
Because it touches so many common home projects, most “notifiable” party wall scenarios you’ll encounter sit under Section 2.
Typical projects that trigger a Section 2 Notice
The classic examples are:
- chimney breast removals
- loft conversions that require cutting steel beams into the party wall
- inserting a damp-proof course
- raising or rebuilding a tired party fence wall
- cutting away projections (for example, removing a nib or redundant flue) to build cleanly against the wall.
- flashing into the neighbour’s wall to weather a new extension abutment
What a Section 2 Notice actually does
A Section 2 Party Structure Notice formally tells the Adjoining Owner what you plan to do to the shared wall/structure and when you intend to start.
The Act requires this written notice to include the nature and particulars of the work and to be served at least two months before the planned start date.
It’s a statutory step: if the work is notifiable under Section 2, a notice must be served before you begin.
The three possible responses to a Section 2 Notice
Once served, the Adjoining Owner has 14 days to reply in one of three ways.
- They can consent in writing, which means there is no current dispute under the Act and you may proceed with the notified works in accordance with general law and the notice terms.
- They can dissent and agree to use one Agreed Surveyor who acts impartially for both owners to make a Party Wall Award.
- Or they can dissent and appoint their own surveyor, prompting you to appoint yours; those two surveyors will then make the Award. If no response is received within 14 days, the Act deems a dissent and the surveyor route begins automatically.
Why many Section 2 Awards require hand tools
When a dissent arises and an Award is made, good practice is to manage risk by controlling how the work is executed.
Because vibration is the main transmission path for nuisance and damage through a shared wall, Awards commonly require “hand tools and non-percussive methods” for sensitive operations like chasing for beams, trimming openings, cutting out chimney breasts or forming chases for DPCs.
This doesn’t ban all power tools; it focuses on avoiding percussive and high-vibration kit near the party structure and sequencing works to keep the wall stable.
The outcome is a quieter, cleaner, more controlled programme and fewer grounds for neighbourly friction.
Timings you can plan around
Build your programme around the statutory periods. A Section 2 Notice must be served at least two months before you intend to start.
The Adjoining Owner then has 14 days to respond. If there’s a dissent, allow time for surveyor appointment(s), site review and drafting of the Party Wall Award before works begin.
You can shorten timelines only by agreement—never unilaterally.
Who pays the costs under Section 2?
In the vast majority of Section 2 cases, the Building Owner funds the reasonable costs of administering the Act because the works are for their benefit.
That typically includes the notice service and the surveyor(s) who make the Award.
Limited exceptions exist (e.g., where works are necessary due to shared disrepair and benefit both owners), but expect to budget for the process if you’re doing the works.
DIY Party Wall Notice vs. Surveyor Party Wall Notice
The Act allows owners to serve their own notices.
However, most invalidities we see come from DIY attempts—wrong parties named, missing particulars, incorrect sections cited or invalid service methods.
An invalid notice can torpedo your timeline. Having a specialist draft and serve Section 2 notices correctly, first time, is usually the cheapest way to keep your programme on track.
Simple, fixed, best-value pricing with Simple Survey
We keep Section 2 matters affordable and 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.
Ready to get Section 2 right?
Email team@simplesurvey.co.uk with your drawings and address, and we’ll confirm whether Section 2 applies, draft and serve valid notices, and—if there’s a dissent—agree a robust Award that keeps your project moving while protecting both sides.
Simple Survey: fast, impartial and the most cost-effective party wall surveyors in England and Wales.