Online Party Wall Quote

Responding to a Party Wall Notice

Resolving Party Wall Disputes

Party Wall Surveyor

Party Wall Surveyor: What They Do, Why You Need One, and How the Process Works

Serving a Party Wall Notice

Serving a Party Wall Notice: A Complete Guide

Party Wall Schedule of Condition

When Should Party Wall Notices be Served

When Should Party Wall Notices Be Served

Neighbour Ignores a Party Wall Notice

Neighbour Ignores a Party Wall Notice – What Happens?

Should you consent to a Party Wall Notice?

Should you Consent to a Party Wall Notice?

Party Wall Excavation Notice

Party Wall Basics

Who Pays for a Party Wall Surveyor

Who Pays for a Party Wall Surveyor?

What is the Difference Between a Party Wall and a Boundary Wall

What Is the Difference Between a Party Wall and a Boundary Wall?

Overview of the Party Wall Act

Legal Definition of a Party Wall

Understanding the Legal Definition of a Party Wall, Party Fence Wall, and Party Structure

Landmark Party Wall Case Law

How to Serve a Party Wall Notice

How to Serve a Party Wall Notice : Step-by-Step Guide

Can a Neighbour Refuse a Party Wall Agreement?

How Long is a Party Wall Award Valid

How Long Is a Party Wall Award Valid?

What is the Party Wall Act

What is the Party Wall Act? A Complete Guide for Property Owners

Party Wall Line of Junction

Party Wall Building on the Line of Junction Explained

Loft Conversion Party Wall Agreement

Loft Conversion Party Wall Agreement: What You Should Know

Party Walls Agreement

What is a Party Walls Agreement?

What is a Party Wall

What is a Party Wall?

party wall section 6 notice

Party Wall Section 6 Explained: The 3m/6m Excavation Rules

Appeal Party Wall Award

Appealing a Party Wall Award: A Detailed Guide

Party Wall Rights of Entry & Access

Party Wall Rights of Entry & Access Arrangements: Scaffolds, Hoardings & Safety

Party Wall Case Law Gyle-Thompson v Wall Street

Choosing a Party Wall Surveyor

Party Wall Case Law Ormiston-Kilsby v Fattahi

Party Wall Case Law Nutt v Podger

Party Wall Case Law Blake v Reeves

Party Wall Case Law Reeves v Blake

Party Wall Case Law Power & Kyson v Shah

Party Wall Case Law Chaturachinda v Fairholme

Party Wall Act History

Party Wall Case Law Jones v Ruth

Home Working & The Party Wall Act

Home Working & the Party Wall Act

Party Wall Case Law Evans v Paterson

Party Wall Case Law Freetown v Assethold

Party Wall Case Law Rodrigues v Sokal

Party Wall Insulation

The Party Wall Surveyor

Party Wall Loft Extension

Do I Need a Party Wall Award for a Loft Extension?

Party Wall Case Law Welter v McKeeve

Party Wall or Not?

Party Wall or not a Party Wall?

Party Wall Case Law Patel v Peters

Party Wall Case Law Masters v 6 Bolton Road

party wall agreement for a garden room

Party Wall Agreement for a Garden Room?

Party Wall Case Law Zissis v Lukomski

Party Wall Case

Ignore Party Wall obligations at your peril

Party Wall Case Law Onigbanjo v Pearson

Party Wall Small Urban Sites

Party Wall Small Urban Sites: Unlocking Development Potential

Party Wall Case Law Knight v Goulandris

Party Wall Glossary

The language used in the Party Wall Act is hard to understand. This Party Wall Glossary is intended to help with some of the main terms.

Much of the language used in the Party Wall Act is very formal and legalistic, so we have put together this Party Wall Glossary setting out some of the main terms. 

The wording of the Party Wall Act can be confusing to the average person trying to understand what their rights and obligations are. 

Section 20 of the Act sets out some definitions of the terminology used, which have ‘meanings hereby respectively assigned to them’, whatever that means.

In the interest of Plain English, we’ve had a go at providing a translation :

The Party Wall Act defines a <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/building-owner-party-wall">Building Owner</a> as

‘an owner of land who is desirous of exercising rights under this Act’.

More simply put the Building Owner is the person proposing to carry out works that are covered by the Act. The Building Owner can be a leasehold or freehold owner.

The term ‘<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-adjoining-owner">adjoining owner</a>’ and ‘adjoining occupier’ respectively mean :

‘any owner and any occupier of land, buildings, storeys or rooms adjoining those of the building owner’.

The adjoining owner is the neighbour affected by the building owner’s proposed work. The adjoining owner can be either a leasehold or freehold owner.

Properly followed the Act gives rights to the Building Owner that they wouldn’t otherwise enjoy. 

In general terms these include the right to raise, thicken, underpin, cut into or to demolish and totally rebuild party walls, party fence walls and party structures.

The Party Wall Act defines a surveyor as ‘any person not being a party to the matter appointed or selected under section 10 to determine disputes’.

This means that a Building Owner or Adjoining Owner can appoint anyone other than themselves as a ‘surveyor’ to mediate a dispute under the Act, irrespective of their training or experience. 

Whilst the Act has no more to say about the suitability of a ‘surveyor’ building works that fall under the auspices of the Act often involve complex excavations and construction.

It should follow that a ‘surveyor’ would be an experienced and regulated chartered building professional. Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or an equivalent regulatory body (CIOB or RIBA) should be a preferred requirement of owners.

The Building Owner’s surveyor and the Adjoining owner’s surveyor appoint the Third Surveyor. The two surveyors call upon the Third Surveyor only when they cannot agree upon a matter.

Party Wall Glossary - What is a Party Wall?

In simple terms a party wall is a wall erected on a property boundary, partly on the land of one owner and partly on the land of another, to provide common support to the structures on both sides of the boundary. 

The boundary between ownerships is usually, but not always positioned at the centre of the wall.

The Party Wall etc. Act provides a definition of two different types of party wall :

‘A wall which forms part of a building and stands on lands of different owners to a greater extent than the projection of any artificially formed support on which the wall rests’.

An example would be a walls that separate terraced or semi-detached houses, such as tose shown in the illustration below.

This is a little more difficult to understand. The actual wording in the Act is as follows :

‘so much of a wall not being a wall referred to above as separates buildings belonging to different owners’

This usually means a wall that stands wholly on one owner’s land but is used by two or more owners to separate their buildings. 

An example would be where a neighbour builds a structure that encloses onto a wall owned by the other neighbour, as in the illustration below :

Only the part of the wall that is enclosed is a party wall.

Under the Party Wall etc Act <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-notice">Notice </a>must be issued to your neighbours if you want to :

- Build on or at the boundary of your two properties

- Work on an existing party wall or party structure

- Excavate below and near to the foundation level of their building or structure

A statutory waiting period of two months starts from the date when the Notice is served.

During this period works cannot start, unless your neighbour agrees to waive this period by mutual consent.

The notice is only valid for a year, so it is also important that it is not served too early. You do not need planning permission for the work before issuing a Party Wall Notice.

We always advise building owners to speak to their neighbours before serving a formal notice. Neighbors who feel they are being consulted and kept informed are much less likely to promptly hire a surveyor when a notice is served. 

This can avoid running up a large bill for surveyor’s fees.

See our detailed article on the <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-notice">Party Wall Notice</a> procedure.

Don't be discouraged by the term, and don't worry about potentially offending your neighbors. A dispute in the Party Wall sense of the word is often not much of a dispute at all even if the Act says it is.

Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, if an adjoining owner expressly disagrees with the proposed work or does not consent within 14 days of receiving notice then the parties are deemed to be “in dispute”.

Even if a neighbor has no objection to the proposed work, it is often wise to dissent and initiate a 'dispute' to ensure that surveyors are appointed to oversee the work and safeguard neighboring properties.

A Party Wall Award is a legal document agreed by the party wall surveyors. An Award is the "<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/news/party-wall-agreement">party wall agreement</a>" between the surveyors for the works and how they will be carried out.

The Award should clearly state details of the two properties, their owners and their owners' addresses. 

It should also contain full details of the two surveyors (or agreed surveyor) and the “Third Surveyor”. If you use an "agreed surveyor," there will be no need for a Third Surveyor.

When and how the work is to be carried out (to limit times of noisy work for instance)

Specifies any additional work required (protective measures to prevent damage for instance)

It usually contains a record of the condition of the adjoining property before the work begins. This is desirable as it can assist in identifying and attributing any damage to adjoining properties for instance.

Allows access for the surveyor to inspect the works while they are going on as may be necessary, to ensure they are in accordance with the award. A time limit for the commencement of works, usually 12 months

Who will pay for which part and how much will be paid, including the surveyor’s fees

See <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/news/party-wall-agreement">Party Wall Agreement (definition &amp; guide)</a> for more details.

Party Wall &amp; Neighbourly Matters Services

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-neighbourly-matters">Party Wall Advice</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/security-for-expenses">Security for Expenses</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/news/schedule-of-condition">Schedules of Condition</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/boundary-disputes-2">Boundary Disputes</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/scaffold-licences-2">Crane Oversail &amp; Scaffold Licensing</a>

We hope this Party Wall Glossary is helpful in providing a translation of many of the formal terms used by Party Wall surveyors.

For information on how the Party Wall Act affects you as a Building Owner, see our <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-fact-sheet">Party Wall Fact Sheet</a>.

You can also find further information in our <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/news/party-wall-faqs">Party Wall FAQs</a>. We have compiled this information from questions we are frequently asked about the Act.

You can also find guidance on <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/news/choosing-a-party-wall-surveyor">choosing a Party Wall Surveyor</a> in our recent news article. For a collection of articles on all aspects of <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/blogs/party-wall-neighbourly-matters">Party Walls see our blog.</a>

There is some further information in the government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-resolving-disputes-in-relation-to-party-walls/the-party-wall-etc-act-1996-explanatory-booklet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">explanatory booklet</a> on the Party Wall process.

For more advice on this Party Wall Glossary and how the Act affects your property please give us a call.

If you would rather we called you instead, please fill in our <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/contact-us#contact">Contact form</a> and we will be in touch.

For a quick online quote for Party Wall advice, <a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/party-wall-quote">send us the details of your project</a>.

To contact a Party Wall surveyor that's local to you, see details of our teams in :

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-london">London</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-birmingham">Birmingham</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-brighton">Brighton</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-bristol">Bristol</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-cardiff-2">Cardiff</a><a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-birmingham"></a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-manchester">Manchester</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-norwich">Norwich</a>

<a href="https://www.ansteyhorne.co.uk/services/party-wall-surveyor-plymouth">Plymouth</a>

Contact Us

For advice direct from one of our Surveyors, please call our Enquiry line on <a href="tel:020 4534 3135">020 4534 3135</a>.
If you are planning work that is covered by the Act, or if you have received notice of work from a neighbour and want advice on how best to protect your property please contact:

Featured News