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Looking for a Party Wall Surveyor in Canterbury?
Our panel of CIOB, RPSA and RICS party wall surveyors can assist you with any dispute or disagreement you may have with your neighbours regarding renovation or development projects you are undertaking. Our panel of experts covers Canterbury and most of the home counties, including Surrey.
How to Arrange Canterbury Party Wall Services
Even if you think it unnecessary, it is always courteous to have an initial chat with any neighbours who might be affected by your planned construction work. You don’t know how well you might get on with next door until you try. A friendly talk could relieve a lot of tension and make for better co-operation.
If your neighbour then agrees to your works, you can proceed without the need for a party wall surveyor. If, however, you can not get agreement from your neighbour to your proposed works, then things get a bit trickier. You will need to appoint a party wall surveyor, serve official notice, and hopefully avoid any misunderstandings that could lead to your having to start again.
If dissent does occur, the law requires that a party wall surveyor is appointed.
Disagreements may still at any stage in the process. Therefore, it is wise for both property owners to engage a surveyor to inspect, photograph, and detail the state of the adjoining properties prior to the commencement of any construction. Should any dispute arise, the detailed report will serve as an essential reference.
Table of Contents
What is the purpose of a Party Wall Surveyor in Canterbury?
Appointing a party wall surveyor in Canterbury allows you to:
- Fulfil a legal requirement stipulated by the Act
- Obtain knowledgeable guidance
- Steer clear of disagreements that could lead to court
- Keep things on track in a timely manner
- Document the condition of your property pre- and post-construction
When is a Party Wall Surveyor necessary?
A party wall surveyor is needed for any of the following:
- Subsidence and underpinning work
- Loft conversions
- Rear/side extension
- Basement construction
- Wall removals
- New builds and refurbishments
- Internal changes
Party Wall Surveyor Fees in Canterbury, London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester & Cardiff
Most Party Wall Surveyors in Canterbury charge a fixed hourly rate for their work. Their rates can vary from £150 to £300 per hour based on the Surveyor’s experience.
The Building Owner pays the surveyors for all of their work done concerning the Party Wall including all necessary notices, the schedule of condition, and the award. On average, a survey for a Party Wall dispute costs between £1,000 and £1,500; however, these fees can vary widely depending on several factors including:
- size of the property
- location
- complexity of the project
- risk of damage to a neighbour’s property
- quality and completeness of the architectural design
- amount of negotiation that is required.
Additionally, if the neighbouring property owner wishes to appoint their own surveyor, the responsibility for paying that surveyor falls to the building owner, who is the notice server. The fees paid to the adjoining owner’s surveyor are negotiated by the building owner’s surveyor.
This arrangement is not to be confused with the “Agreed Surveyor” set-up, where one surveyor acts for both parties and generally incurs less cost.
Who exactly is a Party Wall Surveyor?
They are surveyors appointed by law under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. This Act applies when you are contemplating certain types of construction work that are close to your neighbour’s property, such as:
- Excavating or underpinning within 3 to 6 meters of your neighbour’s foundation
- Extending a party wall
- Altering a shared wall
- Working on “party structures” (walls or floors between flats)
- Modifying a boundary wall
- Making any changes to a party wall that would be required to bring it up to modern standards (e.g. inserting a damp-proof course)
- Converting a loft
Your property’s value can increase significantly through construction, additions, and renovations. However, if your plans entail working on or near an adjoining property, you may have to serve notice on your neighbours.
The law requires that you notify those who own property adjacent to yours before you begin. They don’t need to give consent, but they can cause delays if they raise numerous issues, for which you will have to appoint a surveyor.
The panel of Party Wall Surveyors in Canterbury lays the groundwork for an easy process in attending to your construction project. Above all, they can render party wall affairs as uncomplicated and straightforward as possible. They excel at taking the most intricate and complex tasks related to the party wall out of your hands and acting on your behalf in resolving disputes.
When is it necessary to serve a Party Wall Notice?
It depends on what “notifiable works” you plan to do, as defined under the appropriate sections of the Act. If you’re digging near an adjoining owner’s property, for instance, you would serve notice under section 6. If you are building a wall so that it either rests on or is just next to a boundary, you will serve notice under section 1. If the work involves a party wall and you intend to work on it, section 3 will require you to serve notice.
What is the process for serving a Party Wall Notice?
For this job, it is recommended that you appoint a surveyor. A surveyor will ensure that all vital information is provided, including:
- the names and addresses of the owners (you and your neighbour)
- a description of the proposed work and its location
- the anticipated start date (likely around 1 to 2 months from now)
- the various ways in which the adjoining owner can respond
How do I serve a Party Wall Notice?
To serve a notice under the Party Wall Act, which concerns building work on a shared wall, there must be at least a 2-month waiting period before the actual building can begin. The notice must be directed to the proper legal owner and/or leaseholders of the property.
If these necessary details are not included in the notice, then it has not been served properly, and the notice period does not start. The notice can be served without planning permission and up to a year in advance of when the work is scheduled to start.
Once the adjoining owner receives the Party Wall Notice, they have 14 days to reply to it. They can either accept the notice (and allow the building owner to get on with the work) or dispute it (in which case they shouldn’t get on with the work until the dispute is resolved).
If neither party hears in 14 days, the building owner’s surveyor serves the adjoining owner with a further notice to help move things along. If they still don’t accept or dispute, we start assuming the adjacent owner disputes the notice and proceed to appoint surveyor on their side.
Why do I need to engage a Party Wall Surveyor?
If you plan to do any of the work outlined in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, then you must tell the neighbours who share a wall with you about your plans. This is especially important if your plans involve a wall that you share with your neighbour. Once you’ve given notice, an agreement will be drafted. The panel of chartered surveyors we work with can do this. They also ensure that the agreement is fair to all the parties involved and that it’s in the right form. This is important because the legislation that governs being neighbours can be quite complicated. By consulting with experts who know this legislation inside and out, you save yourself the concern of having to navigate these legals without help.
If you have a party wall problem, contact us today for help in resolving it
Our panel of Canterbury party wall surveyors can help you with the potentially litigious process of dealing with a party wall. They can help you avoid a situation where you have to go to court to determine who has the right to do what with the wall and when.
If you want to avoid issues and just get on with what you need to do, then your party wall surveyor can help you out in a most amicable manner.
