Read this first
These are examples to adapt, not legal advice. The layout of a notice is not the main danger. The dangers are the wrong section, too little notice, a vague description and the wrong person. A notice with any of those faults can be invalid, and an invalid notice has no legal effect. If you are unsure, we serve notices for a fixed £70, or read can I serve my own party wall notice? first.
Step 1: pick the notice that matches your work
| Your work | Notice | Minimum notice |
|---|---|---|
| A new wall built on the line between two properties | Section 1 | 1 month |
| Cutting into, raising, underpinning or rebuilding a party wall or party structure, such as beams for a loft conversion or a chimney breast removal | Section 3 | 2 months |
| Digging foundations near a neighbour’s building: within 3 metres and deeper than their foundations, or within 6 metres and cutting a line drawn at 45 degrees down from the base of their foundations | Section 6 | 1 month |
One project can need more than one. A rear extension on a semi-detached house might need all three, so check your drawings against each row before you write anything.
Step 2: gather what the notice needs
- The owners. Their full names and the address to serve at. A Land Registry search shows the registered freeholder and any registered long lease. Leases of seven years or less are not registered, so also ask the occupier whether they rent, and from whom. Serve every owner, not just whoever lives there.
- Your details. Your name and address, and the address of the building where the work will happen. If two or more people own it, name everyone.
- The work. A description that a stranger could follow, and drawings where the Act requires them. The examples below show where.
- A start date. At least the minimum notice after the day you serve, with a margin on top. See how long a party wall notice lasts.
Example wording: Section 3 notice
Use this for work to an existing shared wall or structure.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Adjoining owner’s name]
[Adjoining owner’s address]
Party Wall etc. Act 1996: notice of proposed work to a party structure (Section 3)
Dear [adjoining owner’s name],
I am the owner of [address of your property]. I give you notice under section 3 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 that I intend to carry out the following work to the party wall between [address of your property] and [address of the adjoining property]:
[Describe the work and where it will happen. For example: insert two steel beams into the party wall at first-floor level to carry the new loft floor, in the positions shown on the enclosed drawings, and remove the chimney breast on the party wall at ground and first floor.]
The enclosed plans and sections, numbered [drawing numbers], show the work. [If you propose special foundations, add: They also give details of the foundations and the loads they will carry.]
I intend to start the work on [start date, at least two months after the day you serve this notice].
If you agree to the work, please sign and return the enclosed form of consent within 14 days. If you do not consent, or do not reply within 14 days, the Act treats this as a dispute and surveyors will have to be appointed. If you would rather deal with it through one surveyor acting for both of us, please say so.
Yours sincerely,
[Your signature and printed name]
Example wording: Section 6 notice
Use this for foundations and other digging near a neighbour’s building.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Adjoining owner’s name]
[Adjoining owner’s address]
Party Wall etc. Act 1996: notice of proposed excavation near a neighbouring building (Section 6)
Dear [adjoining owner’s name],
I am the owner of [address of your property]. I give you notice under section 6 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 that I intend to excavate, and to build, within [3 or 6] metres of your building at [address of the adjoining property], to a depth [below the bottom of its foundations / cutting a line drawn at 45 degrees downwards from the bottom of its foundations].
The work is [describe it. For example: excavate for new strip foundations for a rear extension, about 1.2 metres below ground level, along the line shown on the enclosed drawings].
The enclosed plans and sections, numbered [drawing numbers], show the site and depth of the excavation and the position of the new building.
[Say one of these. I do not propose to underpin or otherwise strengthen or safeguard the foundations of your building. / I propose to underpin or otherwise strengthen or safeguard the foundations of your building as follows: (describe).]
I intend to start the work on [start date, at least one month after the day you serve this notice].
If you agree to the work, please sign and return the enclosed form of consent within 14 days. If you do not consent, or do not reply within 14 days, the Act treats this as a dispute and surveyors will have to be appointed. If you would rather deal with it through one surveyor acting for both of us, please say so.
Yours sincerely,
[Your signature and printed name]
Example wording: Section 1 notice
Use this for a new wall on the boundary where no wall stands yet.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Adjoining owner’s name]
[Adjoining owner’s address]
Party Wall etc. Act 1996: notice of intention to build on the line of junction (Section 1)
Dear [adjoining owner’s name],
I am the owner of [address of your property]. I give you notice under section 1 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 that I wish to build [a party wall / a party fence wall] on the line of junction between [address of your property] and [address of the adjoining property].
The intended wall is [describe it. For example: a one-brick-thick masonry wall about 2 metres high and 10 metres long, with footings, in the position shown on the enclosed plan].
I intend to start the work on [start date, at least one month after the day you serve this notice].
If you consent in writing within 14 days, the wall will be built half on the land of each of us, unless we agree another position. If you do not consent in writing within 14 days, I can build the wall only on my own land. Please sign and return the enclosed form of consent if you agree.
Yours sincerely,
[Your signature and printed name]
Form of consent
Enclose a copy for your neighbour to sign and return, and a spare copy of the notice to keep.
Form of consent
To: [building owner’s name and address]
I, [adjoining owner’s name], owner of [address of the adjoining property], acknowledge that I received your notice dated [date] under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 about [short description of the work] at [address of your property]. I consent to the work described in that notice.
Signed: [signature]
Date: [date]
Consent has to be to the notice as it was served. A reply that agrees only on conditions may be treated as a dissent. If your neighbour would like a record of their property first, offering a schedule of condition usually keeps things friendly and protects you both.
Describe the work so a stranger could follow it
A vague description is the most common fault. Say which wall, where, how deep and how high, in the same words as your drawings.
| Too vague | Better |
|---|---|
| “Loft conversion” | Insert two steel beams into the party wall at first-floor level to support the new loft floor, in the positions shown on drawings 04 and 05 |
| “Extension” | Build a single-storey rear extension on strip foundations about 1.2 metres deep, 1.5 metres from your flank wall, as shown on drawing 02 |
| “Work to the chimney” | Remove the chimney breast and flue on the party wall at ground and first floor, and support the stack above, as shown on drawing 03 |
Do not add “and any other necessary works”. Work the notice does not describe is not covered by it, and may need a new notice.
Serve it properly
- By hand or by post to the owner’s usual or last known address. Keep a dated copy of exactly what you served and proof that you delivered or posted it.
- Not by email, unless the owner has agreed in writing to receive notices that way.
- One copy for each owner. A freeholder and a leaseholder each get their own. For a company, address it to the company secretary at its registered office.
- Count from the day of service, and allow for the time post takes.
There is more on this in can I serve my own party wall notice?.
What happens next
- Your neighbour has 14 days to consent, to dissent, or to say nothing. For a Section 3 or Section 6 notice, silence counts as dissent.
- For a Section 3 notice they can also serve a counter notice within one month, asking for particular provisions in the work.
- If they consent, work can start once the notice period has run.
- If there is a dispute, one agreed surveyor or two surveyors make an award before the work starts.
Prefer us to do it?
Our notice service is a fixed £70, with no VAT. It includes the Land Registry search, a notice drafted for your work, a covering letter, a form of consent and follow-up notices if your neighbour does not reply. See party wall notices or call 0800 999 1947.
Questions about notice templates
Is there an official party wall notice form?
No. The Act does not prescribe a form. A notice has to be in writing and contain certain information, and the government’s guidance on the Act includes example letters you can adapt. The risk is rarely the layout. It is a missing detail, too little notice or the wrong person.
Can I send a party wall notice by email?
It is not a safe method. The Act sets out how notices are served, mainly by hand or by post to the owner’s usual or last known address. Email is only safe if the owner has agreed in writing to receive notices that way. Deliver by hand or post, and keep proof.
Can one letter cover Section 1, 3 and 6?
It can, but each section has its own notice period and its own required content, and a combined letter has to meet all of them. Many owners find separate notices clearer, one for each section that applies, served together. Whichever you choose, say plainly which section each part is served under.
Do I have to send plans with the notice?
For a Section 6 notice, yes: plans and sections showing the site and depth of the excavation and the position of any new building or structure. For a Section 3 notice, yes where you propose special foundations. Otherwise the Act does not always require drawings, but a notice your neighbour cannot picture is more likely to be dissented from, so include them.
What if I do not know who owns the neighbouring property?
Do a Land Registry search first. If, after reasonable enquiry, you cannot find out who the owner is, the Act allows a notice to be addressed to “the owner” of the premises. Take advice before relying on that, because a mistake can make the notice invalid.
My neighbour signed the consent. Do I need anything else?
A signed consent to a valid notice means there is no dispute, so no award and no surveyors. Your neighbour can still ask for a schedule of condition, and many building owners offer one, because it protects them against claims for damage that was already there. See schedule of condition.