You’ve chosen your party wall surveyor and signed the appointment. Great start. The next 48–72 hours set the tone for speed, cost, and neighbour relations. Here’s how to onboard your surveyor so they can move fast, serve valid notices first time, and keep everyone calm and informed.
1) Share the neighbour context (the good, the bad, and the awkward)
Be candid about any current or historic neighbour issues—parking rows, boundary grumbles, noise complaints, prior extensions, or planning objections. These details shape how an Adjoining Owner might respond to a notice and help your surveyor plan the right outreach (e.g., a friendly pre-notice call, extra clarity on method, or access phasing).
What to send:
- A brief note on relationships with each neighbour (neutral / friendly / strained).
- Any correspondence that hints at concerns (e.g., historic emails, WhatsApp chats, planning comments).
2) Open direct lines with your design-and-build team
Your surveyor will move quicker—and avoid unnecessary queries—if they can speak directly with your architect, structural engineer, and contractor. Many delays (and costs) come from simple unanswered design questions.
What to set up:
- A short intro email cc’ing your surveyor, architect, engineer and contractor.
- Permissions for your surveyor to request:
- Final or provisional structural drawings (especially for Section 6 excavations).
- Foundation details, beam bearings, connection details, DPC, and any temporary works notes.
- Construction programme and key noisy/critical path activities.
3) Help your surveyor reach your neighbours—properly and politely
Valid service is essential, but a friendly introduction from you helps a lot. If you have Adjoining Owners’ emails or preferred contact route, share them. Better yet, send a “warm” message and cc your surveyor so the first contact isn’t a cold legal notice.
This creates a safe space for neighbours to ask work-specific questions and reduces knee-jerk dissents driven by uncertainty.
What your surveyor needs on day one
Send these in one neat email or shared folder:
- Drawings: Plans/sections/elevations; foundation depths and beam details if cutting into a wall; excavation plans/sections for Section 6 notices.
- Programme: Intended start date, noisy works windows, and any immovable deadlines.
- Access needs: Scaffold, rear access, ladder access over boundary, temporary hoarding, etc.
- Utilities or risks: Nearby drains, shared services, significant trees, retaining walls.
- Consents status: Planning/PD position, building control route.
- Engineer & contractor contacts: Names, emails, mobiles.
- Neighbour contacts (if known): Emails and any helpful context.
The goal: give your surveyor enough to draft valid notices, anticipate questions, and propose an efficient route (consent → Agreed Surveyor → two-surveyor, as appropriate).
Pro tips that save time and fees
- Be decisive on method: Hand tools at the party wall, vibration limits, and temporary works clarity go a long way to reassure neighbours.
- Tell your surveyor early if the design changes: New beams, deeper foundations, or a revised footprint may trigger fresh notices—don’t let that discovery happen on site.
- Flag holidays and absences: If an Adjoining Owner is away, your surveyor can plan around it or seek written agreements to avoid avoidable delay.
- Keep communications single-threaded: One point of contact your surveyor can rely on reduces crossed wires and rework.
Simple Survey’s super-clear 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)
We’re RICS-qualified building surveyors with deep construction pathology experience—so your notices are valid, your awards are robust, and your project isn’t paying for preventable admin.
Ready to onboard in one email?
Send your drawings and neighbour list to team@simplesurvey.co.uk with the subject line. We’ll reply with a same-day checklist confirmation, draft your valid notices, and set up the team link-up so your project moves quickly, compliantly, and calmly from day one.