Thinking about a loft conversion, rear extension or basement?
If your plans touch a shared wall or involve excavations near a neighbour, you’ll meet a key figure: the party wall surveyor.
Unlike most consultants, a party wall surveyor’s role is created by statute—the Party Wall etc. Act 1996—and their duty is to resolve the Act’s dispute, not “fight your corner.”
Here’s what that means in plain English, and how to use the process to keep your project on time, on budget, and on good terms with your neighbours.
1) A statutory appointment—with impartial duties
Once a Building Owner serves valid notices and an Adjoining Owner dissents (or doesn’t reply within 14 days), a “dispute” arises under section 10 of the Act.
At that point, the owners must either jointly appoint one Agreed Surveyor or each appoint their own surveyor (who in turn select a Third Surveyor as a back-stop).
Crucially, an appointed party wall surveyor is not your advocate. They are a statutory decision-maker who must act impartially to settle the dispute by making an Award. Their job is to enable the building works to proceed while ensuring the Adjoining Owner does not suffer unnecessary inconvenience and is compensated for loss or damage caused by notifiable works.
Key takeaway: a party wall surveyor’s legal duty is to the Act, not to the person paying the fee.
2) Why the best surveyors blend law and building pathology
Good party wall administration sits at the junction of legal procedure and construction know-how:
- Legal understanding: Valid notices, correct service methods and timeframes; what is (and is not) notifiable; what the surveyor can award (and what lies outside jurisdiction, e.g., boundary lines or right to light).
- Building pathology & methods: How specific works may load a wall, transmit vibration, create movement or water ingress; when to require hand tools at the party wall; staged excavation; temporary works; weathering; protections that are proportionate to the actual risk.
This dual competence is how surveyors craft Awards that are legally robust and practically buildable.
3) What party wall surveyors actually do
While every job is different, a typical instruction runs like this:
- Verify the paperwork: Check that notices and service are compliant; identify the notifiable works (Sections 1, 2, 6).
- Review the proposals: Structural drawings, excavation details and method statements are assessed for impact and risk.
- Engage and negotiate: Where two surveyors are appointed, they confer to align on risk, scope and reasonable controls.
- Make the Award: A binding document that sets the time and manner of the works, including protections (e.g., hand-tool only chasing, staged digs, dust/noise hours), access arrangements, insurances, and how any damage will be made good or paid for. It also determines who pays which costs.
- During works: If there’s a material design change or damage, surveyors can issue further awards to deal with it (e.g., variations, making good, payments in lieu). They don’t “police” the site day-to-day; they act when a party notifies them of change or loss.
4) Agreed Surveyor vs. two surveyors
- Agreed Surveyor (one surveyor for both owners): Faster, simpler and cheaper where the works are conventional and relations are good. There is no Third Surveyor, so choose experience and impartiality with care.
- Two Surveyors: Each owner appoints one; the two produce a travelling (co-authored) Award. A Third Surveyor stands ready if the two cannot agree. Adds checks and balances; typically used for higher-risk schemes, basement works, or when trust is low.
Either way, the surveyor’s mandate is identical: resolve the dispute and let the works proceed safely and fairly.
5) What’s inside a solid Party Wall Award?
A well-crafted Award will typically cover:
- Description of notifiable works and the right to execute them under the Act
- Time and manner controls (working hours for noisy works; hand tools at the wall; sequences for demolition/excavation; debris protection; temporary weathering)
- Access under section 8 (how, when, and safeguards)
- Damage & remedy: Make good or payment in lieu with a clear route to valuation
- Security for Expenses (where appropriate, e.g., basements)
- Costs: Who pays fees and on what basis (ordinarily the Building Owner)
An Award is legally binding unless appealed to the County Court within 14 days of service.
6) Limits to a surveyor’s powers
Party wall surveyors do not decide:
- Boundary positions
- Right to light outcomes
- Planning permission or Building Regulations
Awards will usually include a clause reminding the Building Owner to obtain all other statutory consents.
Simple, transparent fees with Simple Survey
- 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 blend crisp procedure with practical construction insight—so your Award is both compliant and buildable.
Ready to get it right first time?
Email your drawings and address to team@simplesurvey.co.uk. We’ll confirm what’s notifiable, draft compliant notices, and steer you to a fair, fast Party Wall Award—without bloated fees or drama.
Simple Survey — impartial where the law requires, practical where the build demands.