Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, response periods are fixed in law so the process moves fairly and efficiently. Here are the key clocks to watch.
1) Initial Party Wall Notice — 14 days
From the day the Adjoining Owner receives the notice, they have 14 days to reply in writing:
- Consent, or
- Dissent (triggering the surveyor/award route), or
- No reply → counts as deemed dissent at day 14.
Asking questions or “requesting more information” does not pause the 14-day clock unless both parties agree in writing to extend.
2) No reply? Serve the 10(4) Request — 10 days
If there’s no response within 14 days, the Building Owner serves a Section 10(4) 10-day request asking the Adjoining Owner to appoint a surveyor.
- If still no response after 10 days, the Building Owner may appoint a surveyor on the Adjoining Owner’s behalf (not the same person as their own).
Related timing notes (useful in practice)
- Counter-notice window: Up to 1 month from receipt of the original notice for the Adjoining Owner to request reasonable additions/variations (applies to s.1, s.4 (re s.3), and s.6).
- Award appeal window: 14 days from service of the Party Wall Award to appeal in the County Court.
- Lead-in periods (for context): Minimum 1 month for s.1/s.6 notices; 2 months for s.2 notices. Works can’t start until there’s consent or an Award, even if the lead-in has elapsed.
At-a-glance timeline
Day 0 – Notice served/received
Day 0–14 – Adjoining Owner responds (consent/dissent).
Day 14 – No reply = deemed dissent → issue 10(4) 10-day request.
Day 24 – Still no reply → Building Owner may appoint a surveyor for the Adjoining Owner; Award process proceeds.
Want the clocks handled correctly (and calmly)?
Email team@simplesurvey.co.uk — Simple Survey are the lowest-cost party wall surveyors across England & Wales. We’ll draft and serve valid notices, manage the 14 + 10-day sequence, and keep your programme on track.