About Party Wall Agreementshttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/Plain-English guides to party wall agreements (awards), surveyors, damage and disputes.en-gb Choosing your own party wall surveyorhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/choosing-your-own-party-wall-surveyor/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/choosing-your-own-party-wall-surveyor/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What to look for when choosing a party wall surveyor to act for you as a neighbour: experience, memberships, fees and how they communicate. Party wall disputes: how they are settledhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-disputes/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-disputes/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000How disputes under the Party Wall Act are resolved: surveyors and awards, the third surveyor, county court appeals, and disputes the Act does not cover. What's in a party wall agreement?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/whats-in-a-party-wall-agreement/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/whats-in-a-party-wall-agreement/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000The sections you will find in a typical party wall agreement, from the schedule of condition and drawings to working hours, access and costs. Agreed surveyor or two surveyors: which is better?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/agreed-surveyor-or-two-surveyors/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/agreed-surveyor-or-two-surveyors/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000The pros and cons of one agreed party wall surveyor versus each owner appointing their own, including cost, speed and impartiality. How long does a party wall agreement last?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/how-long-does-a-party-wall-award-last/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/how-long-does-a-party-wall-award-last/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000A party wall award has no printed expiry date, but the notice behind it can lapse and the award covers only specific work. What that means in practice. Reading your party wall agreement: what each part meanshttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/reading-your-party-wall-agreement/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/reading-your-party-wall-agreement/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000A 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. Can I act as my own party wall surveyor?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/can-i-be-my-own-party-wall-surveyor/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/can-i-be-my-own-party-wall-surveyor/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000No owner can act as surveyor in their own party wall dispute. Who can be appointed instead, and why a surveyor must not be a party to the matter. My home has been damaged: making a claimhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-damage-claim/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-damage-claim/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What 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. Party wall surveyor fees: what is reasonable?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-surveyor-fees/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-surveyor-fees/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000How party wall surveyors charge, what affects the fee, what counts as reasonable for the neighbour's surveyor and how fee disputes are settled. Cash payment or repair: how damage is settledhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/damage-repair-or-payment/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/damage-repair-or-payment/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000How 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. Does a party wall surveyor need qualifications?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/do-party-wall-surveyors-need-qualifications/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/do-party-wall-surveyors-need-qualifications/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000The Party Wall Act sets no qualification for surveyors. What to look for instead: experience, construction knowledge and professional memberships. The schedule of condition and why it protects you toohttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/schedule-of-condition/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/schedule-of-condition/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What a party wall schedule of condition records, how it is carried out and why it protects building owners as well as neighbours. I disagree with the agreement: appealing within 14 dayshttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/appealing-a-party-wall-award/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/appealing-a-party-wall-award/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000How either owner can appeal a party wall award to the county court, the 14-day deadline, the grounds and the costs risk. What does a party wall surveyor actually do?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/what-a-party-wall-surveyor-does/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/what-a-party-wall-surveyor-does/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000From checking notices to the final inspection: the work a party wall surveyor carries out, step by step, whether acting for one owner or for both. When can work start once the agreement is signed?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/when-can-work-start-after-party-wall-agreement/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/when-can-work-start-after-party-wall-agreement/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000When work can start after a party wall award is served, how the notice period and the 14-day appeal window fit together, and what to tell your builder. Security for expenses: when a neighbour asks for money up fronthttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/security-for-expenses/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/security-for-expenses/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What security for expenses means under the Party Wall Act, when a neighbour can ask for it, how much it might be and how it is held. The third surveyor: what they do and whenhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/what-does-the-third-surveyor-do/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/what-does-the-third-surveyor-do/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000The role of the third surveyor under the Party Wall Act: how they are chosen, when they are called in and what they can decide. Changing your plans after the agreementhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/changing-plans-after-party-wall-agreement/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/changing-plans-after-party-wall-agreement/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What to do if your design changes after a party wall award has been served, from small amendments to new notices and addendum awards. My neighbour won't pay the surveyor feeshttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/neighbour-wont-pay-party-wall-surveyor-fees/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/neighbour-wont-pay-party-wall-surveyor-fees/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What 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?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/should-i-accept-my-neighbours-surveyor/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/should-i-accept-my-neighbours-surveyor/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Your neighbour's surveyor has offered to act for you both. When an agreed surveyor makes sense, when to appoint your own, and what to ask first. Special foundations and the neighbour's consenthttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/special-foundations/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/special-foundations/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Reinforced concrete foundations on a neighbour's land need their written consent. What counts as special foundations and how they are handled. Insurance for party wall work: what to checkhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/builders-insurance-party-wall/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/builders-insurance-party-wall/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Who pays if the work damages next door? The insurance your builder should hold, why your home insurer needs to know, and what surveyors may ask to see. Can I change my party wall surveyor?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/changing-your-party-wall-surveyor/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/changing-your-party-wall-surveyor/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Party wall surveyor appointments cannot be rescinded by either owner. What you can do if you are unhappy, and when a replacement can be appointed. Cracks after your neighbour's building workhttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/cracks-after-neighbours-building-work/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/cracks-after-neighbours-building-work/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Found new cracks after the work next door? How to tell which ones matter, how to report them, and how party wall damage is assessed and put right. When a surveyor doesn't respond: the 10-day rulehttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-surveyor-not-responding/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-surveyor-not-responding/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000What happens when a party wall surveyor refuses or neglects to act: the 10-day request, ex parte awards, and replacing one who cannot act. The final inspection after the workshttps://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/final-inspection-after-party-wall-works/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/final-inspection-after-party-wall-works/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Once the building work is finished, the surveyors revisit the neighbour's home, compare it with the schedule of condition and settle any damage. Will my home insurance cover party wall damage?https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-damage-and-home-insurance/https://aboutpartywallagreements.co.uk/party-wall-damage-and-home-insurance/Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000Damage caused by your neighbour's building work is their responsibility under the Party Wall Act. When your own home insurance comes into it, and when not.