Once a Party Wall Award is agreed, it must be served on the owners “forthwith”— without delay. Here’s how that works in practice and how to avoid timing traps around the 14-day appeal period.
Ink, Pen & Paper
Historically, service under s.15 meant hard copy delivery:
- The Building Owner’s surveyor produced three fair copies.
- They signed two and sent all three to the Adjoining Owner’s surveyor.
- The Adjoining Owner’s surveyor dated and countersigned two, kept one for their file, served one on their owner, and returned one for service on the Building Owner.
Deemed service by post: A first-class letter is generally deemed served two days after posting; get a free proof of posting from the Post Office to evidence dispatch.
Post 2016: electronic service by consent (and faster starts)
Following the 2016 amendment to s.15 (via the Electronic Communications changes), most Awards are now signed and served electronically (PDF), provided the recipient has consented to electronic service.
Typical flow today
- Building Owner’s surveyor prepares a final PDF of the Award.
- Sends it to the Adjoining Owner’s surveyor for date/signature.
- Each surveyor serves their owner by email at roughly the same time, so the 14-day appeal window (s.10(17)) starts fairly for both parties.
Proof and “came to attention” (email)
There’s no “deemed service” rule for email. Best practice:
- Obtain written acknowledgment from the owner (or their agent), or
- Use delivery/read receipts and keep server logs if available.
Witnessing signatures? It’s not required… So Why is it still requested?
The Act does not require witnessing of Award signatures. Digital execution is standard; if a template still shows witness lines, they can be left off or marked “N/A”.
Practical checklist (postal and email)
Before service
- Confirm the owner’s service details (postal address and, if using email, written consent to electronic service and the correct email).
- Ensure both surveyors have final, identical PDFs (date/contents).
- Plan near-simultaneous service on both owners.
If serving by post
- Use first-class post; obtain proof of posting.
- Diary +2 days for deemed service.
- Keep a copy set and the postal receipt.
If serving by email
- Serve from a professional account to the agreed address.
- Request a short acknowledgment (“Received at 10:42, 5 June”).
- Save sent message, timestamp, and any read/delivery receipts.
After service
- Record the date/time of service and notify the other surveyor.
- Diary the 14-day appeal period from the actual service date (email) or deemed date (post).
- File the executed Award (PDF) and service evidence.
Want your Award served cleanly and appeal-proof?
Email team@simplesurvey.co.uk—the lowest-cost party wall surveyors across England & Wales—for final checks, coordinated electronic service, and tidy evidence packs that start the clock correctly and keep your project moving.