Three things worth knowing
- You can choose your own surveyor, and the neighbour doing the work normally pays their reasonable fees.
- Your home is recorded before work starts, in a schedule of condition that any later damage is measured against.
- You have 14 days to appeal an award you disagree with, so read it as soon as it arrives.
If a notice has only just arrived, start with our companion guide on replying to a notice.
Guides for neighbours
- Choosing your own party wall surveyorWhat to look for when choosing a party wall surveyor to act for you as a neighbour: experience, memberships, fees and how they communicate.
- Reading your party wall agreement: what each part meansA neighbour's guide to reading a party wall award: the parts to check, what they mean for your home and what to do if something looks wrong.
- My home has been damaged: making a claimWhat to do if your neighbour's building work damages your home: reporting it, the role of the schedule of condition and how repairs or payment are settled.
- Cash payment or repair: how damage is settledHow party wall damage is settled, when you can ask for a payment instead of repairs by the neighbour's builder, and how the amount is worked out.
- I disagree with the agreement: appealing within 14 daysHow either owner can appeal a party wall award to the county court, the 14-day deadline, the grounds and the costs risk.
- The third surveyor: what they do and whenThe role of the third surveyor under the Party Wall Act: how they are chosen, when they are called in and what they can decide.
- My neighbour won't pay the surveyor feesWhat happens when a building owner refuses to pay the adjoining owner's party wall surveyor, and how unpaid sums under an award are recovered.
- Should I accept my neighbour's surveyor as agreed surveyor?When sharing works, when it doesn't, and what to ask first.
- Can I change my party wall surveyor?Appointments are fixed. What you can do instead.
- Cracks after your neighbour's building workWhich cracks matter, and how to report them.
- Will my home insurance cover party wall damage?Why the building owner pays first, and when your insurer steps in.