When people say “party wall work”, they usually mean the rights set out in Section 2 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Section 2 grants a building owner defined rights to undertake certain works to an existing party wall or party structure, subject to following the statutory procedure.
Section 2 is powerful, but it is not casual. It is best seen as a trade: the Act gives building owners additional rights beyond ordinary common law rights, and in return it requires notice, opportunity for response, and a structured mechanism for resolving disagreement. A party wall is shared fabric; shared fabric demands a shared procedure.
Section 2(2) sets out a list of rights that commonly appear in domestic building: thickening or raising the party structure; making good, repairing, or rebuilding where necessary due to defect; cutting into the party structure for certain purposes; cutting away projections; and other works incidental to connecting structures. The list is long because domestic buildings are varied, and the Act aims to capture common patterns of alteration.
However, Section 2 rights are not exercised by simply “getting on with it”. The notice obligation sits in Section 3: before exercising any right under Section 2, the building owner must serve a party structure notice stating the building owner’s name and address, the nature and particulars of the proposed work, and the date on which the work will begin. In other words, the Act insists that the neighbour is informed properly before the shared structure is altered.
This is where many projects go wrong. Homeowners assume that because the work is “on their side” of the wall, they can proceed without formalities. The Act does not operate on that basis. Even where the work is undertaken from the building owner’s side, it may still be notifiable because it affects shared fabric.
From Simple Survey’s standpoint, the most important discipline is describing the works accurately. A Section 3 notice should not be a vague statement such as “structural works to party wall”. It should identify what is being done—beam pockets, raising, cutting, removal of projections, or other relevant Section 2 works—so the adjoining owner can understand what is proposed. If the adjoining owner cannot understand it, they are unlikely to consent. Lack of consent triggers dispute resolution, and dispute resolution adds process.
Programme discipline matters as well. If you leave the notice until the builder is booked, you put yourself under pressure. Pressure leads to sloppy drafting and sloppy service. Sloppiness leads to dissent, challenge, or re-service. Re-service leads to delay. Delay costs money. It is a predictable chain, and it is avoidable.
There is also a neighbour-relations dimension. Section 2 works can feel invasive because they involve physically changing a structure that the neighbour regards as part of their home. This is why tone matters. A professionally drafted notice signals: “We will do this properly.” A casual note signals: “We hope you do not notice.” The first tends to produce measured responses; the second tends to produce distrust.
At Simple Survey we keep the process cost-effective by being rigorous at the front end. We map the Section 2 rights that are genuinely engaged, we draft the Section 3 notice so it is accurate and intelligible, and we serve it correctly. That reduces the probability of the process drifting into unnecessary complexity.
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If you are undertaking works to an existing party wall and want it handled properly and economically, contact Simple Survey. Notices start from £25 per adjoining ownership, with agreed surveyor administration typically £300, depending on complexity and owners.