Party Wall Act

Party Wall Act 1996

The Party Wall Act does not affect any requirement for Planning Permission or Building Regulation Approval but where applicable a Party Wall Notice must be served.

Where the work requires a notice to be served, it is better to informally discuss the intended work and consider the neighbours comments before serving the notice.

Some of the works covered by the Party Wall Act include:

• Excavations within 3 metres of a neighbouring building where the excavation will exceed the depth of the foundations of an adjacent building.
• Excavations within 6 metres of an adjacent building where the excavation will be below a line drawn 45° downwards from the bottom of the foundations of the adjacent building.
• Increasing the height or thickness of a Party Wall.
• Demolition of a Party Wall or rebuilding a Party Wall.
• Cutting into the Party Wall.
• Underpinning a Party Wall.
• Insertion of a damp proof course.

To find out whether or not your proposed works are affected by the Party Wall Act we suggest you discuss your proposal with a Party Wall Surveyor. For more information regarding Party Walls please contact us and we can provide you with a recommended Surveyor.