ARCHITECTURAL & SURVEYING
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6 Shillinglee Waterlooville Hampshire PO7 5RW
Tel -
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PARTY WALL AWARDS & PARTY WALL SURVEYOR SERVICES
Party Wall Awards & Party Wall Surveyor
Registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Pyramus & Thisbe Society, we are Party Wall Surveyors able to provide Party Wall Awards (aka Party Wall Agreements) and Party Wall Surveying Services. As such, we are qualified to act impartially and as:
Party Wall Surveyor for the Building Owners (the building owners wishing to carry out the works)
Party Wall Surveyor for the Adjoining Owners (owners of the neighbouring properties)
Party Wall Surveyor for the Agreed Surveyor (who acts for the Building Owners and Adjoining Owners)
The Party Wall etc.Act 1996 is about fairness; it exists to protect all parties and party wall surveyors act impartially to provide that safeguard to all parties.
Overview of The Act
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 states that you must tell your neighbours if you intend to carry out any building work on or astride the shared boundary, excavating within three/six metres of an adjoining structure, and works to the party wall, in England and Wales.
The Act came into force on 1 July 1997 and applies throughout England and Wales. The Act provides a framework for preventing and/or resolving disputes relating to party walls, party structures, boundary walls, excavations near neighbouring buildings and structures, and building on or astride the boundary.
Party walls stand on the land of 2 or more owners and can either form part of a building or not form part of a building, such as a garden wall. Walls on one owner’s land used by other owners (2 or more) to separate their buildings are also party walls. When considering an extension or a loft conversion you are likely to be considering works covered by the Act, especially if your property is a terraced or semi-
Anyone intending to carry out works that fall within the Act are required by law to give adjoining owners written notice of their plans. This applies to private properties, government, local authority, Crown and other properties.
If a dispute arises in relation to works covered by the Act and a notice has been served then the Act is invoked, and party wall surveyors resolve the dispute.
Main Parts of The Act
There are three main parts of The Act that may need to be considered before you start works.
Line of Junction
Comes into effect if an owner intends to building a wall on/astride or up to the line of junction. Often occurs with ground floor extensions in terraced or semi-
Structural Works to the Party Wall
Includes all works to the party wall, party fence wall, party structure or shared boundary wall. This is very common place with loft conversions, removal of a chimney on a party wall, and such like in terraced and semi-
Excavations within Three or Six Metres of an Existing Structure
Any form of excavations such as digging for foundations within 3 or 6 metres of a neighbouring building or structure, depending on the excavations or proposed foundations. In properties that are terraced and semi-
Summary
As you can see from the above, many alterations to properties such as extensions, loft conversions, removal of chimneys and more, can fall within The Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Most people value the relationships they have with neighbours, who may also be friends, and therefore appointing an impartial professional to ensure that both or more parties are treated fairly can be an essential part of any building work.
We provide our Party Wall Award and Party Wall Surveyor Services in the following areas:
Portsmouth Southampton Eastleigh Winchester Havant Waterlooville Hayling Island Fareham Gosport Petersfield Guildford Ringwood Basingstoke
Bournemouth New Forest Chichester Bognor Regis Worthing Brighton Arundel Horsham Crawley Woking Farnham Aldershot Farnborough Camberley
and other areas in Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Dorset.