Side return extension at Bonham Road, Brixton

Party Wall Surveyor in London

Q: Do I need a party wall agreement for my extension?

Most extensions on a terrace or semi need a party wall agreement. Side returns build on the boundary, loft conversions put steels into the party wall, and rear extensions excavate within 3 metres of the neighbour's foundations. Detached houses with wide gaps are the main exception.

Q: How much does your party wall service cost?

Our party wall service is a fixed £500 + VAT. It covers preparing and serving two notices through our approved surveyor and support until your neighbours reply. If a neighbour dissents, the fees for the schedule of condition and the award are agreed directly between you and the surveyor.

Q: How long does the party wall process take?

Party wall notices must be served two months before wall work starts (one month for excavation). If the neighbour consents, the process is done within 14 days. If they dissent, allow three to six weeks for the award.

Q: What happens if my neighbour ignores the notice?

If a neighbour does not reply within 14 days, our approved surveyor sends a 10-day letter. If there is still no reply, a surveyor is appointed on their behalf under section 10(4) of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and the award is made. Silence does not block the project.

Q: Can one surveyor act for both sides?

Yes. An agreed surveyor acts impartially for both owners. It is usually faster and cheaper than two surveyors, and worth suggesting when the neighbour is willing.

Q: Do you handle party wall notices for extensions you didn't design?

Yes. Send us the drawings and your neighbours' addresses and our approved surveyor serves the notices as a standalone service.

Party wall notices served for a fixed fee of £500 + VAT by our approved party wall surveyor, with support until your neighbours have replied.

Our party wall service costs a fixed £500 + VAT. We collate the design information, and our approved party wall surveyor, a member of RICS, serves up to two notices on your neighbours and supports you until they reply. If a neighbour consents, that is the end of it. If they dissent, our surveyor can prepare the party wall award, with those fees agreed directly between you and the surveyor. Notices must be served at least two months before work on a party wall starts (one month for excavation), and almost every side return, rear extension and loft conversion on a terrace or semi falls under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

What our party wall service covers

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 protects you and your neighbours when building work affects a shared wall, a boundary wall, or foundations within 3 metres (sometimes 6) of a neighbour’s building. Before the work starts you must serve a formal notice; the neighbour can consent, or dissent and appoint a surveyor, in which case a party wall award sets out what will be done, when, and how any damage is dealt with.

Our service covers the first stage. We collate the design information the notices need, and our approved party wall surveyor serves them (two notices are included in the fixed fee) and follows up. If a neighbour does not reply within 14 days, the surveyor sends a 10-day letter. If a neighbour dissents, a schedule of condition and a party wall award are needed: our approved surveyor can help with both, and the fees for that work are agreed directly between you and the surveyor.

How much does our party wall service cost? (October 2026)

Option	From	To	Includes
Party wall notices, up to two neighbours	£600	–	£500 + VAT fixed fee: notices prepared and served by our approved RICS surveyor, with support until your neighbours reply

Prices updated October 2026. All prices include VAT unless stated.

Fixed fee of £500 + VAT (£600 including VAT) to prepare and serve two notices, with support until your neighbours reply. If a neighbour dissents, the schedule of condition and the party wall award are handled by our approved surveyor, and those fees are agreed directly between you and the surveyor.

How long does it take?

Notices must be served at least two months before work on a party wall begins (one month for excavation), so we start as soon as the design is fixed, well before the build date.

Stage 1: we collate the design information the notices need
Stage 2: our approved surveyor serves the notices; your neighbours have 14 days to reply
Consent: your neighbour agrees in writing and the process is complete
No reply: the surveyor sends a 10-day letter
Dissent: a schedule of condition is prepared and a party wall award agreed before work starts

What adds time: a neighbour who dissents and appoints their own surveyor, a neighbour who cannot be traced, or a property split into flats with several owners.

How it fits with planning and Building Regulations

Party wall consent is separate from planning permission and Building Regulations: you can have all your approvals and still be unable to start until the party wall process is complete. The Act applies whenever you build on or astride the boundary, cut into or raise a party wall (typical for loft steels and side returns), or excavate within 3 metres of a neighbour’s foundations to a lower depth (typical for rear extensions), or within 6 metres where a 45-degree line from your excavation would cut their foundations.

Doing the work without a notice does not stop the Act applying; it removes your protection. A neighbour can then seek an injunction, and any damage falls on you without the award’s mechanism to resolve it. Our Design Phase includes the party wall check for every extension we draw, so it never comes as a late surprise.

What can go wrong, and how we handle it

My neighbour will refuse and block the whole project.

A neighbour cannot veto work that the Act allows. If they dissent, a surveyor is appointed and an award is made; the work goes ahead under its terms.

The surveyor fees will spiral.

Serving the notices is a fixed £500 + VAT. If a neighbour dissents, the fees for the schedule of condition and the award are agreed directly between you and the surveyor, so you know them before that work begins.

Something will crack next door and I'll be blamed.

The schedule of condition records the neighbour's property in photographs before work starts, so pre-existing cracks are documented and only genuine new damage is attributable to the work. That record protects you as much as them.

How to work with us

If we are designing your extension, we collate the information for the notices from the drawings and our approved party wall surveyor serves them. If you have your own architect or builder, send us the drawings and your neighbours’ addresses and we can do the same as a standalone service.

The fixed fee of £500 + VAT covers serving two notices and our support until your neighbours have replied. If a neighbour dissents, our approved surveyor can prepare the party wall award; that work is agreed directly between you and the surveyor.