Latest blog posts

There are many reasons why neighbours do not respond to party wall notices - they may have moved out of the property and not updated the Title Register, they may be on a long holiday or they may just be the type of person that doesn’t do paperwork (more than you might think). Whatever the reason, I would estimate that between 10 and 20% of party ... Read more >>

Being legal documents, party wall notices must be ‘served’ and the acceptable methods of service are set out is section 15 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Service by Hand Sometimes our clients prefer to hand deliver their party wall notices as it gives them an opportunity to add a personal touch to the legal process. However, the Act ... Read more >>

It’s essential that the time periods relating to party wall procedures are followed to the letter as they are taken directly from the Act and many of those time periods relate to the service of and response to notices. The first point to clarify is when the time periods run from as it’s not obvious. Regardless of the date that is entered on ... Read more >>

The next decision once you’ve confirmed the requirement to serve party wall notices is whether to employ the services of a surveyor or do it yourself. I am of course a surveyor that offers the service but I will attempt to provide an impartial view. There are various templates available online (including this one that I helped to design and ... Read more >>

Once you’ve established that your works are covered by the Act the next step is to identify who the affected adjoining owners are. An ‘owner’ is defined in section 20 of the Act as ‘a person in possession of land, otherwise than as a mortgagee or as a tenant from year to year or for a lesser term or as a tenant at will’ or, in other ... Read more >>

The very first step in the process is to establish whether your proposed works fall within the scope of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and, if so, which adjoining owners are affected. Sections 1, 2 & 6 of the Act set out an owner’s rights but those rights are only exercisable if the necessary party wall notices are served, let’s look at ... Read more >>

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 sets out a framework to facilitate works that have the potential to affect shared structures or adjoining properties but seeks to ensure that such works are undertaken without adjoining owners and occupiers suffering unnecessary inconvenience. This balance is achieved by requiring the party intending to undertake ... Read more >>

Welcome to the Taylor Mitchell Blog. The content of this blog will be primarily based around the two aspects of surveying in which I specialise - party wall procedures and residential property surveys. In the coming months I'll be breaking down the party wall process step by step, and providing practical advice which I hope will make the ... Read more >>