Do I Need to Appoint a Party Wall Surveyor or Could We Do Something Less Formal?

Question

I have received notice from the Council about my neighbours planned single storey rear extension. Our Victorian houses are adjoining. We fortunately get on well with them. Do I need to appoint a Party Wall Surveyor for my own protection or could we do something less formal?

Answer

I would suggest that you first ask your neighbour to serve the necessary notice as that is a legal requirement. You will then have the option to either consent, or dissent and appoint a surveyor. If you consent then surveyors will not be appointed and your neighbour will not incur any costs.

It would be advisable for you to prepare a schedule of condition covering the parts of your property that are most at risk. It could consist of just a series of photographs although if there are hairline cracks you may be better to sketch them out as they will not show up on a photograph. The schedule will be useful if damage does occur and there is some disagreement as to whether it was caused by the works.

Your neighbour could use this tool to prepare the notice and acknowledgment.

Follow-up

Thanks very much for your advice and giving me some peace of mind