HARLOW
THE PARTY WALL PEOPLE
We are the people to help you with the Party Wall Etc. Act 1996 in Harlow. We can prepare and serve party wall notices,
we undertake schedules of condition and if required, produce and serve party wall awards (party wall agreements).
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​We hold membership with the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
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​The Party Wall People are based in Chelmsford, Essex and travel all over the southeast of England.
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If you have any questions about the party wall act, please feel free to contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.
The Party Wall Etc. Act 1996 is a small piece of legislation which was intended to protect property owners' interests when a project is required, while at the same time ensuring that the project can continue in a timely manner.
The Act states that when an owner of a property carries out certain works such as digging a foundation within 3m of their neighbour's property, removing a chimney from a party wall, cutting into a party wall for steelwork or building a new wall on the boundary (line of junction), they inform all affected adjoining owners (neighbours) of their intention by serving the correct notices.
As one of the original New Towns, Harlow was built with a highly structured "Master Plan" by Sir Frederick Gibberd. The vernacular is consistent—clean lines, brick-built 1950s and 60s terraces, and a focus on green wedges. Because these homes were often built using standardised construction methods, we find that the structural issues are often repeating. For instance, many Harlow homes share specific types of concrete floor slabs that can be sensitive to nearby excavation.
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The ground in Harlow is primarily London Clay. Like Basildon, this means homeowners must contend with high plasticity soil that moves with the seasons. A common scenario in Harlow is a Building Owner wanting to build a new conservatory or garden room right on the line of junction. We act to ensure that the correct Section 1 notice is served, giving you the legal right to build your wall across the boundary (with consent) or purely on your own land while maintaining the right to access the neighbour's garden for rendering and maintenance.
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Please contact us for free advice on any party wall matter.
COMMON PARTY WALL QUERIES
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CAN I START WITHOUT A PARTY WALL AWARD?
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You can’t start any of the notifiable works without a consent from your neighbour or until a Party Wall Award has been served. However, you may be able to do some works related to the project which have been approved by planning approval for example. Lots of people serve the notices and even get an award in place before planning is approved to save time.
WHO WILL PAY THE FEES?
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Most of the time, the Surveyors fees are covered by the Building Owner. The cost of two different surveyors will usually be higher than that of an Agreed Surveyor. It is worth knowing that the time to agree the Party Wall Award might also be longer.
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CAN I JUST SERVE MY OWN PARTY WALL NOTICE?
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Yes, you are able to produce and serve your own notices… But if they are served incorrectly they are invalid, and you will need to start all over again which could delay the start of your project. Having this done early on by a Party Wall Surveyor will deal with this potential risk.
DO I NEED TO INFORM MY NEIGHBOUR IF I WANT TO PUT UP A SHELF OR MOVE AN ELECTRICAL SOCKET?​
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This sort of work would be considered to be minor and such works would not need to be notified under the Act.
IS A TIMBER FENCE A PARTY WALL?
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No, although references are sometimes made to shared or 'party fences'. These do not fall under the Act..
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WHEN DO I NEED TO NOTIFY MY NEIGHBOURS?
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Timing is really important, so reviewing your project with a Party Wall Surveyor to run through your project and check if any elements will require serving notice removes stress from the project early on, allowing you to concentrate on the rest of the job. We would recommend getting in touch as soon as a planning application has been submitted, if you intend to begin works promptly.
CAN MY NEIGHBOUR STOP MY PROJECT?
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Your neighbour can’t stop you carrying out the project by not responding within the required timeframe. If this happens then the Act allows you to appoint another Surveyor on their behalf so that a Party Wall Award can be served. You can’t have an Agreed Surveyor in this scenario.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS IF I DON’T SERVE A NOTICE?
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It is illegal to begin any notifiable works without a notice. Your neighbour has the right to serve an injunction and stop the work.
If you have done some work which might hinder your neighbour’s ability to have a project of their own, without serving the correct notice, you will be liable to compensate for any remediation or damages caused under common law. You will have to cover the cost for undoing this work and any related design fees.
CAN THE ACT BE USED TO RESOLVE A BOUNDARY DISPUTE?
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No, The Act is not the tool to resolve boundary disputes and party wall surveyors have no powers to do so… The Act cannot be applied until a boundary dispute is resolved. In the case of a section 6 notice, which deals with excavations within a certain distance of the adjoining owner's property, the boundary location is irrelevant.