Purple Property Surveyors offer party wall advice and consultancy services with works undertaken throughout East Anglia and for retained clients within central London. With over twenty two years of experience in dealing with party wall matters Purple Property can assist with what can be a complicated and confusing law.

Purple Property have provided guidance and advice for both residential and commercial clients including Scottish Power Energy, Lacons Brewery, British Heart Foundation, Etc.

For a brief overview of the act please see below:

Introduction

Primarily, the Act lays down the procedural compliance and requirements arising from any owner of land or buildings proposing to undertake building works that, by definition, affect the land or buildings of an adjoining owner.

Work covered by the Act

The principal categories of such involvement are:

· works physically affecting the party wall between two properties;

· works physically or indirectly affecting an adjoining building;

· excavations and/or building works that could have an effect upon adjacent but remote properties.

Notices and replies

The party proposing to carry out any works under these categories is termed “the Building Owner” who is required to give prior notice of his proposals to an adjoining leasehold and/or freehold property owner who is termed “the Adjoining Owner”. Having been served with a notice, one of the following procedures is adopted:

1. the Adjoining Owner agrees and consents to the proposed work;

2. the Adjoining Owner disagrees and both sides appoint their own Surveyor to settle all differences and produce an “Award” which lays down, in detail, the works proposed and all conditions precedent;

3. the Adjoining Owner disagrees and both parties concur in the appointment of one Surveyor termed “the Agreed Surveyor” who, on his own, produces an Award on the same basis;

4. the Adjoining Owner fails to respond, whereafter a Surveyor may be appointed for him and the matter proceeds as item 2 above;

5. when two separate Surveyors are involved, immediately they are appointed, they select an additional surveyor, termed “the Third Surveyor”, to be called in to act if one of them becomes unable to proceed, or to mediate any differences that arise between them or that might arise between the Building and Adjoining Owners.

In all normal circumstances, the fees of all/any appointed Surveyors are paid by the Building Owner, although this could be changed by an Award from the Third Surveyor when settling any dispute.

In any proposal that is beyond straightforward building construction (dependent upon the nature of the works), the appointed Surveyors may need to make a secondary appointment for any other specialist advice required, such as that from a Structural Engineer, whose justifiable fees are also paid by the Building Owner.

In minor matters, such as very small domestic building work, it is quite realistic to simply agree the proposals. In larger projects, or where the Adjoining Owner has any concerns, the matter proceeds to an Award but, in any situation, the Building Owner is required to indemnify the Adjoining Owner against the possibility of damage that might arise either accidentally or by negligence. Such damage is determined by reviewing a condition survey of the original condition which is normally agreed by the Surveyors at the onset.

Awards

The purpose of an Award is to document the details of the Building Owner’s proposals that have a direct or consequential affect upon the Adjoining Owner’s land or property and to record the conditions and requirements under which the Building Owner must execute those works. The documentation includes drawings and other working details, together with method statements agreeing the procedure. For further information please contact us