Choosing the right party wall surveyor can be the difference between a smooth, neighbourly process and a slow, expensive dispute. While most practitioners aim to do things properly, we routinely encounter avoidable mistakes that delay projects, inflate fees and, in the worst cases, risk invalid notices or unenforceable awards. Here are the common pitfalls—and how to protect yourself.
1) Losing impartiality
Under Section 10 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, surveyors form a small, quasi-judicial tribunal. Their duty is impartiality, not client advocacy. Problems arise when a surveyor:
- drafts awards that obviously favour their appointing owner,
- refuses reasonable protections or access that the Act clearly envisages,
- or uses the process to “win” rather than resolve.
Why it hurts you: biased decisions invite pushback, third-surveyor referrals, appeals and delay.
What to do: ask any prospective surveyor how they preserve neutrality; request example award clauses that show balanced protections and workable sequencing.
2) Serving notice on the wrong owners
Notices must be correctly addressed to all “owners” (freeholders, relevant leaseholders with >1-year terms, and—where applicable—managing entities). Typical blunders include:
- misspelt names or outdated Land Registry details,
- serving only the freeholder and omitting a long-leaseholder,
- serving only one of multiple joint owners.
Why it hurts you: an incorrectly served notice can be invalid, forcing a restart of statutory timings.
What to do: insist that ownership checks include up-to-date Land Registry downloads and Companies House lookups where relevant; confirm how the surveyor will identify all qualifying owners in flats/maisonettes.
3) Omitting leasehold owners entirely
In blocks and converted houses, there may be several “adjoining owners.” A frequent error is serving only the freeholder or only the immediate neighbour, ignoring long-leaseholders above/below or next door who share the relevant structure.
Why it hurts you: missed recipients can later challenge the process; works may need to pause until proper service is completed.
What to do: if you’re in a flat or next to one, ask your surveyor to map the party structure and list every owner that must receive a notice—before any service.
4) Inflated or unreasonable fees
Some firms quote low to engage, then charge high hourly rates for routine steps; others simply pitch “premium” rates irrespective of complexity. You should expect clear scopes, capped or fixed fees for standard tasks, and transparent time records for anything outside scope.
Warning signs:
- no written scope linked to fees,
- open-ended hourly billing for admin steps that are usually fixed,
- duplicated time between surveyors on straightforward matters.
What to do: ask for a line-item scope with fixed fees for: notice service, initial review, award drafting, one round of edits, service, and a defined number of liaison calls. For two-surveyor matters, ask how they’ll contain the other surveyor’s time.
5) Poor communication with their appointing owner
Silence breeds stress, neighbour suspicion and, often, cost. Owners should get short, plain-English updates at key stages: notices served, responses received, award in drafting, issues flagged, service completed, and next steps.
What to do: set expectations up front. Ask for a timeline with named milestones and preferred update cadence (e.g., weekly email status until award service).
6) Non-workable award drafting
Awards need precise, buildable conditions—access windows, temporary works, sequencing, protection to finishes, vibration/noise constraints, method statements where proportionate, and clear triggers for re-referral if designs change.
7) Missing statutory service rules
Section 15 sets out valid service methods. Errors include relying on unagreed email, using recorded delivery that gets refused at the door, or forgetting to evidence postage. These technical slips can undo an otherwise solid process.
What to do: confirm how notices and awards will be served and evidenced (proof of postage, hand delivery logs, or consented email).
How Simple Survey avoids these pitfalls
- Impartial, RICS-qualified surveyors: We act as a tribunal, not advocates—issuing robust, balanced awards that work on paper and on site.
- Ownership diligence: We verify freehold/leasehold interests before service, so the right people receive the right notice the first time.
- Transparent, low fees: We publish simple, fixed-fee pricing for standard steps and keep the other side’s time in check with tight scopes and efficient communication.
- Proactive updates: Short, plain-English progress notes at each milestone—no chasing required.
- Build-ready drafting: Practical, enforceable conditions that contractors can follow, with sensible triggers if designs change.
Our simple pricing
- 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)
Ready to de-risk your project?
Email your drawings and site address to team@simplesurvey.co.uk. We’ll confirm what’s notifiable, draft compliant notices, and give you a clear, fixed-fee route to a legally robust award—without the drama, delay or inflated costs.