If your extension or renovation touches a wall shared with a neighbour, excavates near their property, or involves work on a boundary wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies. Ignoring it is a bad idea. Here is a practical walk-through for homeowners in Redditch, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
When does the Act apply?
- Cutting into a shared wall (for example to insert a steel beam for a loft conversion or extension)
- Building a new wall astride or up to the line of a shared boundary
- Excavating within 3m of a neighbour’s building to a depth lower than their foundations
- Excavating within 6m of a neighbour’s building if the excavation goes below a 45° line taken from the base of their foundations
The notice process, step by step
- Serve a Party Wall notice at least two months before work starts for wall notices, and one month for excavation notices.
- Wait for the neighbour’s response. They have 14 days to agree, dissent, or do nothing. Doing nothing counts as deemed dissent.
- If dissented, appoint surveyors. Either an agreed single surveyor or one surveyor each. The surveyors prepare a Party Wall Award that records the agreed scope of works and conditions.
- Schedule of condition. The surveyors inspect and record the state of the neighbour’s property before work starts, so any damage can be fairly assessed later.
- Works proceed under the Award.
Typical costs in 2026
- Serving notices yourself: free (we can draft them for you)
- Specialist party wall surveyor to serve notices: £150-£350 per notice
- Single agreed surveyor acting for both parties: £800-£1,500 all in
- Two surveyors (one each): £1,500-£3,500 total (owner pays both)
Practical tips
- Talk to your neighbour first. A friendly chat before the formal notice goes a long way towards getting agreement.
- Serve early. Two months is the statutory minimum. Serve as soon as you have outline drawings.
- Keep records. Photographs of the neighbour’s property before and during works protect everyone.
- Do not try to skip it. If a neighbour later claims damage and you have not followed the Act, you have no legal protection.
How we help
On every CK Construction project where the Party Wall Act applies we draft the notices for you, maintain the relationship with the neighbour throughout the build, and work closely with the appointed surveyors. Call 01527 521835 or use the contact form.