If you’re planning works that fall within the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, you must serve a written Party Wall Notice on every affected Adjoining Owner before starting. The notice triggers a simple, legal process that protects both sides and keeps projects moving.
When is a Party Wall Notice needed?
Serve notice if your project includes any notifiable works, such as:
- New walls at or astride the boundary (line of junction) — Section 1
- Works to party structures (e.g., cutting in for steels, chimney breast removal, raising/underpinning, flashings, exposing a party wall) — Section 2
- Excavations within 3 m (deeper than your neighbour’s foundations) or within 6 m where the 45° rule is met — Section 6
How neighbours can respond
- Consent (in writing): Works can proceed once the statutory lead-in has run (you still owe a duty to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and make good any damage).
- Dissent: Triggers appointment of surveyor(s) and a binding Party Wall Award.
- No reply in 14 days: Treated as dissent; after a further 10-day request, a surveyor can be appointed on their behalf.
Lead-in periods: 1 month minimum for Sections 1 and 6; 2 months for Section 2. Even with consent, you cannot start before the applicable lead-in elapses.
Can a Party Wall Notice be verbal?
No. Notices must be in writing. A friendly heads-up helps, but only a written, validly served notice engages the Act.
What a valid Party Wall Notice should include
To avoid delays or invalid service, make sure your notice contains:
- Dates & signature
- Date of service and signature (building owner or authorised agent).
- Owner & property details
- Full names and correspondence addresses of the Building Owner(s) and Adjoining Owner(s), plus property addresses.
- Include all joint owners; serve every relevant freeholder and any leaseholder with >12 months’ interest.
- Clear description of the notifiable works
- State precisely what under the Act you intend to do (e.g., “insert two steel beams into the party wall to form a rear opening,” “excavate for trench-fill foundations within 3 m and deeper than neighbour’s footings”).
- Intended start date
- A start date compliant with the statutory lead-in (or wording such as “no earlier than the expiry of the statutory period”).
- Required drawings (where applicable)
- For Section 6, attach a plan and section showing proposed foundation depths, any underpinning, and whether special foundations are proposed on the neighbour’s land.
- Reference to the Act
- Make clear the notice is given under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and cite the relevant section(s).
Serving the notice correctly (Section 15)
Use a permitted method and keep proof:
- Post to the owner’s usual or last-known residence (keep proof of posting).
- Personal service (hand to them—not through the letterbox).
- Email only if the recipient has agreed to electronic service.
- If ownership is unclear, address to “The Owner” and affix to a conspicuous part of the property (keep photos).
Why consent isn’t the end of protection
Even with written consent, the Building Owner must:
- Work within the lead-in and any agreed conditions.
- Make good or compensate for damage caused by Act works.
- Give access notice (usually 14 days) where access is needed under Section 8.
Want watertight notices without the legal faff?
Email team@simplesurvey.co.uk — Simple Survey are the lowest-cost party wall surveyors across England & Wales. We’ll confirm what’s notifiable, identify every Adjoining Owner, draft and serve valid notices, and (if needed) produce a clear, proportionate Party Wall Award to keep your build on programme.