London-PartyWall provides expert Party Wall advice for all party wall matters.

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Building owners

A Party Wall Award (PWA) may, understandably be at the bottom of your priority list when it comes to planning you build project. However, PWA’s can take longer to agree than it does for a planning application to be granted so it’s best to start the process as soon as you have the relevant drawings. As such is vital to check whether any aspect of your proposed works fall within the scope of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 which is not always as simple as it seems. 
Upon confirming whether your works are notifiable, it is important to serve the relevant notices to all Adjoining Owners, freehold, leasehold and tenants if they have been resident for more than 1 year, be that private individuals or the relevant housing association…..

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pwa’S & Notifiable works

A Party Wall Award is a legally binding document that sets out working hours, access rights, safeguards and security in order to ensure works are undertaken without causing unnecessary inconvenience to the Adjoining Owners and/or occupiers. Examples of Notifiable works include:

  • basement excavations

  • side return / closet extensions

  • constructing flank walls along the boundary

  • excavating within prescribed distances of shared or adjoining structure

  • altering a party structure

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ADJOINING OWNERS

Upon being served a Party Wall Notice, an Adjoining Owner (neighbour) has the option to either Consent or Dissent to the notifiable works proposed.
If the Adjoining Owner consents to the works, the Building Owner may proceed subject to planning. If they Dissent or, do not respond to the Notices within a set time period and are therefore deemed to have dissented, the two parties are in Dispute. Where a Dispute arises each Owner must appoint a Surveyor or concur in the appointment of an Agreed (joint) Surveyor so that a Party Wall Award can be agreed.
The Award will include working hours, access rights, safeguards and security in order to ensure works are undertaken without causing…..