A Party Wall Award is the mechanism that resolves the Act’s “dispute” and regularises how the notifiable works will proceed. At Simple Survey, our whole approach is to keep that journey predictable and low-stress. Below are the practical levers that reliably speed agreement without compromising quality or legal robustness.
1) Work from the final drawings—nothing else
Awards live or die by accuracy. If the surveyor is working from superseded plans, the draft will bounce back, timelines slip, and trust erodes.
Your action: Before a draft is produced, supply the final working pack: GA plans/sections/elevations, structural details, method notes, and any temporary works that influence neighbour risk or access. If you revise drawings, flag the change (clouded revisions, clear versioning) so everyone is truly working from the same sheet of music.
2) Circulate the draft early to keep momentum
Silence is a deadline killer. The earlier the draft Award and attachments are shared with the adjoining owner’s surveyor, the sooner queries can be flushed out and resolved.
Your action: Ask your surveyor to send a clean, complete draft as soon as it’s coherent (no missing sheets, no “TBCs”). Include a short cover note with key highlights: what changed since notice, access windows, any agreed methods (e.g., hand tools at the party interface), and the target service date. Polite, time-boxed requests for comments keep “the wheels in motion.”
3) Make the Award easy to agree
Over-lawyered, jargon-heavy drafts slow everything down. Most professionals will default back to familiar, proven formats (RICS/P&T style) if a draft reads like a novel.
Your action: Favour plain English and standard structure:
- What: concise scope of notifiable works
- How: methods, sequencing, protections, access arrangements
- When: hours, durations, lead times for noisy or high-impact tasks
- Who pays what: clear cost responsibilities under the Act
- What if: change control and damage procedures
A lean, legible draft is faster to read, quicker to sanity-check, and easier to sign.
4) Keep the tone professional and cordial
A Party Wall “dispute” is a statutory term—not an invitation to be combative. The more civil and solution-oriented the correspondence, the faster the agreement.
Your action: If tensions flare, let the surveyors cool the temperature. Avoid accusatory email chains, late-night messages, and design-by-inbox. One clear email beats five reactive ones. Where the adjoining owner needs reassurance, offer site meetings or brief calls—ten minutes of human conversation can save a week of paper ping-pong.
5) Serve the Award the moment it’s agreed
Once the text and attachments are settled, don’t sit on it. Delayed service compresses appeal windows and creates uncertainty for programming.
Your action: Ask your surveyor to execute and serve immediately using a valid Section 15 method (post, by hand, fixing to the premises, or email where consented). Make sure service proofs are kept on file. Then brief the contractor on the Award’s method conditions before they mobilise—compliance from day one prevents “breach and fix” later.
Bonus tips that keep agreements moving
- Access clarity is king. Spell out how scaffolds/hoarding/ladder access will work, the hours, and protection to finishes. Fuzzy access = slow agreement.
- Confirm tool restrictions upfront. Where appropriate, non-percussive/hand-tool clauses at the party interface reduce neighbour anxiety and shorten negotiations.
- One source of truth. Use consistent drawing numbers and revision dates across all documents and emails.
Our simple, fixed pricing (so cost never gets in the way of progress)
- 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)
With Simple Survey you get qualified, practical, plain-English surveyors who know how to get an Award agreed without drama.
Ready to get your Award over the line?
Email your drawings and site address and we’ll confirm what’s notifiable, issue valid Notices, and draft an Award that’s clear, buildable, and easy to agree.
Email: team@simplesurvey.co.uk
Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Get it agreed.