Help for Adjoining Owners
Your neighbour pays.
By law.
If your neighbour is building, extending or excavating near your home, you have the right under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 to appoint your own surveyor, and your neighbour is legally obliged to pay the bill. £0 to you.
Step 1 of 2
Where's your property?
Enter your postcode and we'll show you the surveyor on our team who will handle your case.
Pay £0. By law your neighbour covers our fees (s.10(13), Party Wall etc. Act 1996).
What's the situation?
Pick the description that fits closest. We'll show you what the Act gives you and how to instruct us in minutes.
I have a notice
I've been served a Party Wall Notice
Your neighbour has formally served papers and you have 14 days to respond. We can act for you under s.10(1)(b). Appoint us now and we handle every reply, inspection and Award.
Appoint us under s.10(1)(b) →
Neighbour is building
My neighbour is extending / loft-converting / excavating
An extension, loft conversion, basement, or other notifiable works planned next door. If a notice has been served, this is the page. If not, we can act in advance.
Understand your rights →
No notice served
They've started building without serving notice
Works in breach of the Party Wall Act. Time-critical: engage us today and we'll put your neighbour on formal notice that you have a surveyor.
Engage a surveyor today →
Our promise to Adjoining Owners
£0 out of your pocket in most cases.
Under s.10(13) of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, the reasonable costs of the surveyor appointed to represent you are normally payable by your neighbour (the Building Owner) where the works are solely for their benefit. We invoice them directly. You are not asked for a deposit, a retainer or a final invoice up front. In the rare event the Building Owner does not pay, our Adjoining Owner Terms of Business set out how we pursue the fee, and we deal with that recovery ourselves rather than asking you to.
Why appoint a surveyor now?
Most Adjoining Owners don't, and then regret it when works damage their property and they have no record of what was there before. Here's what having us on your side actually gives you.
Protect your property
We inspect your home BEFORE works begin and produce a Schedule of Condition, a photographic baseline that proves damage if anything later goes wrong.
Even the playing field
Your neighbour has a surveyor working for them. Without one of your own, the rules of the works get written without your input. We change that.
Recover any damage costs
Section 7(2) of the Act gives you a right to compensation for any loss or damage. We make the claim. Your neighbour's contractor's insurance covers it.
Single point of contact
You stop having to talk to your neighbour about the technical details. Everything goes through us. Quicker, less stressful, properly documented.
Where we differ
We're not the only choice
There are plenty of party wall surveyors out there. Most are competent, plenty are great. If you're weighing us up against someone else, here are the three things that genuinely set us apart.
MRICS Principal Surveyor oversight
Anyone in the UK can call themselves a party wall surveyor. There's no licence required. Our Principal Surveyor is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS), which is the profession's gold-standard body. They review every case and sign off each Party Wall Award before it's delivered. It isn't the only mark of competence, but it's a meaningful one.
Party wall is our whole job
We aren't a general surveying practice that takes the occasional party wall instruction. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is our entire workload, every day. We don't claim that makes us infallible, but it does mean we've seen most things before.
Online from end to end
From signing up to checking progress, every step is online. No phone tag, no posted documents to chase. Traditional surveying practice isn't wrong, but the technology has moved on, and we think Adjoining Owners should benefit from that.
If those things matter to you, we'd be glad to act. If they don't, there are other excellent firms out there. Either way, please appoint someone.
How it works
Three steps. Five minutes. Zero cost to you.
Tell us your situation
Have you been served a notice? Are works already underway? Your postcode + a few quick questions match you to a local surveyor.
Sign your documents
Two short documents (our Adjoining Owner Terms of Business and the Letter of Appointment) signed online in under a minute with a finger or mouse.
We do the rest
We write to your neighbour today. Your surveyor calls you within one working day. We inspect your property, negotiate the Award, and chase any damage. You don't lift another finger.
Or call 020 7112 9770if you'd rather speak to someone first.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay anything to appoint a party wall surveyor?
Normally, no. Section 10(13) of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 makes the Building Owner (your neighbour who is doing the works) responsible for the reasonable costs of the Adjoining Owner's appointed surveyor where the works are for their benefit, which is the usual position. We invoice the Building Owner directly at the close of the matter, so you are not asked for a deposit, a retainer or a payment up front.
What if my neighbour refuses to pay your fees?
Our Adjoining Owner Terms of Business set out how our fees are recovered. Where the works are for the Building Owner's benefit, s.10(13) of the Act makes them responsible for the reasonable costs of the surveyor appointed to represent you, and we invoice them directly. In the rare event they do not pay, we deal with recovering it rather than asking you to.
Can I sign up online without speaking to anyone?
Yes. If you have been served a Party Wall Notice, you can appoint us in under five minutes. We show you the documents, you draw your signature on the screen, and we are formally acting for you. If you would rather talk first, request a callback and one of our surveyors will phone you within one working day.
What does a party wall surveyor do for the Adjoining Owner?
We review the Party Wall Notice and explain your options. We inspect your property before works begin and prepare a Schedule of Condition: a detailed photographic record so any damage caused by your neighbour's works can be proven and remedied. We then negotiate the Party Wall Award on your behalf, setting out the rules under which the works can proceed and your right to compensation if anything goes wrong.
What if my neighbour has not served a notice but is about to start building?
Your neighbour is required by law to serve a Party Wall Notice before starting notifiable works. If they have not, you can still engage us today on a pre-engagement basis. We write to them on your behalf to put them on notice that you have a surveyor, request that they serve the Notice the Act requires, and step into a full statutory appointment as soon as a dispute crystallises.
Ready to put a surveyor in your corner?
Five minutes. Zero cost. Your neighbour pays our fees by law.
Instruct your surveyor →