Services
Party Wall Notices
The service of primary notices (as required by sections 1, 3 and 6 of the Act) commences a statutory procedure. It is particularly important for surveyors to be aware of the strict time limits stated in the Act for service of notices. These limits give adjoining owners time to consider the impact of the proposals and enable counter-notices, queries and, ultimately, disputes to be dealt with properly.
Party wall surveys
A surveyor is recommended to record a scheduleof condition of the relevant parts of the adjoining owner’s building and append it to an award. A schedule should be compiled before any building works start and should include those parts of the adjoining building and grounds that may be affected by the works.
The purpose of the schedule is to identify to what extent any claim for damage is valid and, if it is, the extent of the damage. The schedule should be enough to avoid leavingsignificant areas of doubt, which will be a matter for the judgement of the two surveyors.
Party Wall Awards
The building owner’s surveyor will usually prepare a draft award and send it to the adjoining owner’s surveyor for comments. . An award contains the limitations on the time and manner of carrying out works and will usually include a schedule of condition, relevant drawings of the notifiable works and method statements.
The surveyors agree the working conditions applicable only to the works to which the Act relates, such as the hours for noisy works, whether weekend working is acceptable, protection required to any exposed party walls, security arrangements and costs to be paid and by whom. Method statements may be attached for particular operations, such as demolition or details of access to the adjoining owner’s premises.
It is for the surveyors to agree the terms of the award.
