Three things to know
- It is your responsibility. The duty to give notice is the building owner's. Builders and architects can help, but the law looks to you.
- It takes time. Shared-wall work needs a minimum of two months' notice, and longer if surveyors are needed.
- It costs money. Usually a fee for the notices and, if your neighbour wants surveyors, the cost of an award. See what it costs.
Where to start
Check your drawings against the 3 and 6 metre rules and the list of what counts as a party wall. Then read the guide for your type of project below.
For the mechanics of serving notice (which notice, what goes in it, how to deliver it) our companion site About Party Wall Notices goes into detail.
Guides for building owners
- Does my extension need the Party Wall Act?How to tell whether your extension needs party wall notices: where it sits, how deep the foundations go and whether it touches a shared wall.
- Loft conversions and party wallsWhy most loft conversions in terraced and semi-detached houses need a party structure notice, what work is involved and how to keep the project on time.
- Rear and side extensions and party wallsHow party wall rules apply to rear and side return extensions, from boundary walls and foundations to building against a neighbour's existing wall.
- Basements and underpinning: the party wall positionWhy basement and underpinning projects are the most heavily regulated under the Party Wall Act, and what to expect from the notices, award and monitoring.
- Kitchen refits and chimney breast removalWhen internal work such as removing a chimney breast or knocking through a kitchen becomes notifiable under the Party Wall Act, and when it does not.
- How much does the party wall process cost?A breakdown of party wall costs for building owners: notices, schedules of condition, awards and the neighbour's surveyor, with typical fixed fees.
- How long does the party wall process take?A realistic party wall timeline from first notice to start on site, and how to stop it delaying your building project.
- What if I build without following the Act?What can happen if you start notifiable building work without serving a party wall notice, from injunctions to damage claims and problems when you sell.
- Steel beams and padstones in a party wallRSJs for knock-throughs and lofts, and why they need notice.
- Soundproofing a party wall: is a notice needed?Usually not, unless the work cuts into or loads the wall.
- Damp proofing a party wallThe Act names damp proof courses specifically.
- Garage conversions and the Party Wall ActShared garage walls, new footings and building over.
- Conservatories and orangeries near the boundaryTreated like any other extension under the Act.
- Removing or rebuilding a shared chimney stackShared flues, weathering and what to agree before work starts.
- When there is no party wall in the loftGaps between lofts: fire, security, and who pays to close them.
- Demolishing next to a neighbour: exposed walls and weatheringKeeping a shared wall stable and dry once your side has gone.