A party wall award is a document produced by an agreed surveyor or two separate party wall surveyors that set up the agreement between you and your neighbour.

Before the work commences, a condition report is completed which identifies any defects found in the adjoining properties. This avoids disputes concerning damaged property further down the road.

Under the party wall act, you are given the right to access the adjoining owner’s land/ premises to carry out works relating to the party wall.

For most home extensions where the property is nearby or attached to another, you will need to serve notices under the party wall act. The building owner will need to serve the relevant notice(s) in accordance with the act along with a template letter for the adjoining owner to sign and send back within the 14-day period. The notice(s) include all the vital information such as your name, address, full descriptions of works to be carried out, start date of the works and the applicable sections and subsections of the Act.

For further information please refer to our blog post discussing party wall agreements.