What a party wall notice is
A party wall notice is a written notice that the building owner serves on each adjoining owner before starting certain kinds of work under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. It tells your neighbour what you plan to do and when, and it starts a legal timetable that your neighbour can respond to.
Serving it is a legal requirement for covered work. It is also the step that protects you: without a valid notice you cannot get an award, and a neighbour can apply to the court to stop your work.
The three types of notice
| Notice | Work it covers | Minimum notice |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1: line of junction | Building a new wall on the boundary, or astride it | 1 month |
| Section 3: party structure | Work to an existing shared wall, such as steel beams, a raised wall or removing a chimney breast | 2 months |
| Section 6: excavation | Digging within 3 metres of a neighbouring building and deeper than its foundations, or within 6 metres where the dig cuts a 45 degree line down from the base of those foundations | 1 month |
Notice periods are minimums. A notice remains valid for 12 months from the day it is served, so do not serve it too far ahead of the start date. See how long a party wall notice lasts.
What our £70 covers
- A Land Registry search to confirm the right owners and their addresses
- The notice itself, drafted to describe your work clearly
- An explanatory letter for your neighbour, so the notice does not arrive cold
- A form of consent your neighbour can sign and return
- Follow-up ten-day notices if your neighbour does not reply
Your written quotation confirms what is covered and for how many adjoining owners.
What a valid notice must contain
Whatever the type, a notice should:
- be in writing and give the building owner’s name and address
- give the address of the building where the work will happen
- say that it is a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996
- describe the proposed work clearly, with plans and sections where excavation or special foundations are involved
- give the date the work is due to start
A notice is served by delivering it to the owner in person or by post to their usual or last known address. Keep proof of when and how you served it.
What happens after it is served
Your neighbour has 14 days to respond. They can consent in writing, dissent, or serve a counter notice asking for particular things within one month. If they dissent or do not reply, surveyors are appointed and an award sets out how the work will be done.
Prefer to serve your own?
You can. The Act does not require a surveyor to serve a notice. The risk is a notice that is invalid, late or served on the wrong person. Read can I serve my own party wall notice before you decide, and start from our party wall notice template if you go ahead.
Questions about party wall notices
How many notices will my project need?
One notice per type of work, served on each adjoining owner. A rear extension on a terrace can need a Section 1 notice for the new wall, a Section 3 notice for cutting into the shared wall and a Section 6 notice for the foundations. They can be served together. We tell you which apply when we see the drawings.
Can my neighbour just tell me it is fine?
A friendly conversation is not a notice, and it does not give you any protection. If your neighbour agrees, they should do so in writing in response to a valid notice. That also gives you something to show a buyer’s solicitor later.
What if I do not know who owns the neighbouring property?
We search the Land Registry for the owner and their address. The freeholder, and any long leaseholder, can each be an owner under the Act, so the right people are not always the ones living there.
What if my neighbour does not reply?
For work to a shared wall or an excavation, no reply within 14 days counts as dissent, and surveyors are appointed. Our service includes ten-day follow-up notices, and from there we can move on to the award.