How quickly can I get a Party Wall Award?
Help, I want to start work on Monday and my neighbour wants a party wall notice… how quickly can I get a Party Wall Award?
How long does it take to get a party wall award?
So many times we hear from people who want to start work on a project, but their neighbour has asked for a party wall notice and they have ‘forgotten’ to do it.
How long before a project should you get party wall agreement?
You must have an agreement before you start work. To get this, a notice for work on the party wall must be served two months before you plan to start, and notice for excavation or building within the boundary must be served one month before. In fact, your neighbour can insist that you wait this long.
If you are friendly with your neighbours, it is likely you will have chatted with them about your project so it won’t come as a surprise. But remember, that friendly chat is no substitute for official agreement and documentation.
How long does it take for a party wall award to be made?
At first, it depends on whether you get on with your neighbour and if they are cooperative. It also depends on whether you have a fully designed piece of work (architectural drawings, details and structural engineers’ details), and how efficient your party wall surveyor is.
If you deliver your notice two months before your project, it is reasonable to assume it will be agreed by the time you start. That’s assuming that there are no problems in gaining agreement.
Your neighbour can insist on the whole two surveyor procedure and the specified time-scales, which will put your work back by weeks with all the attendant costs.
Even with cooperative neighbours and party wall surveyors, it is not likely you will be able to get a fast party wall award within 24 or 48 hours, or even get it done in a week. That said, if everything is in place, Collier Stevens have managed to turn around an Award from party structure notice to party wall award in a day. However, more often than not, it takes at least a week if there is an agreed surveyor (one surveyor acting for both sides), a co-operative neighbour and, more importantly, a detailed set of drawings illustrating the work and detail.
How long are party wall awards valid for?
Party wall awards are valid for one year – so it is best not to plan too far ahead – you don’t want to risk it expiring before you start your work. However, if you think your neighbour might challenge your notice for any reason, you might want to consider serving the notice sooner than two months before the project start date.
How can I get a quick party wall agreement?
With a fair following wind and a competent surveyor, a party wall agreement can be turned around fairly swiftly – even if the building owner has “forgotten” to do the party wall stuff and is stuck in a last-minute panic with builders on site and steel work coming tomorrow.
However, if the drawings and calculations are deficient or your neighbour appoints their own surveyor, the Award process could take weeks, and even Collier Stevens party wall surveyors cannot magic a solution up for you.
To achieve a quick party wall award:
- The party wall surveyor must be properly appointed as an Agreed Surveyor by both sides (note that your neighbour does NOT have to agree to use the same surveyor).
- The notices must be served and dissented from quickly.
- The schedule of condition will need to be taken immediately.
Only then can the surveyor consider preparing an Award.
The surveyor will need proper drawings, finished calculations, etc. It cannot be a rough idea and drawing. If everything is in place then the Award could be agreed within a day or two and the works start after that, but this is not common.
This quick process is most likely to be achieved for a piece of generally simple work such as a loft conversion. For anything complicated, or with significant structural interruption, more time will be needed to properly review the scheme and obtain all supporting documents.
Does it cost more for a quick agreement?
If you want a surveyor to drop everything, accept and get written appointments, attend site, review drawings, liaise with engineers and do a quick party wall Award, it will typically take 5 or 6 hours, including travelling to site and taking the record of condition. You can expect to pay at least £950 (plus VAT) or more, which could be significantly less expensive than six weeks of an idle site.
When is a party wall award required?
It is a legal requirement to serve a notice on work that relates to party walls. Read our FAQs to find out more. If you need to serve a party wall notice and haven’t yet done so, you can ask a surveyor to do it or use our free party wall templates).
Need Party Wall Advice? Get in Touch with Collier Stevens
Looking for a party wall surveyor in London? Get in touch for expert party wall advice today.
Steven Way
Steven Way BSc MIHEEM MFPWS MRICS is the Practice Principal and is a Chartered Building Surveyor. With over 35 years as a practicing surveyor, Steve has a wealth of experience and expertise in both residential and commercial building surveying, party wall advice and disabled access auditing. He has also built his reputation as an expert witness.