Whether you're the one extending or the one receiving a notice from a neighbour, the party wall process only works as intended if it's followed properly and on time. Rushed or informal handling of it is the most common reason relationships between neighbours sour during otherwise straightforward building projects.
These are the points worth checking whichever side of the notice you're on.
Was notice served early enough?
Check the notice period required for the specific type of work against your planned start date, and confirm notice was actually served — not just discussed informally with the neighbour — well before that date. A verbal 'heads up' over the garden fence is not a substitute for a formal written notice, however good the relationship with the neighbour currently is.
If you're the one extending, build the notice period into your programme from the outset rather than treating it as something to sort out once building control paperwork is under way — this is one of the most common causes of an avoidable delay to a start date.
Is the adjoining owner correctly identified?
Check that notice is served on the actual legal owner of the neighbouring property, which for a rented property is the landlord, not the tenant. Serving notice on the wrong party can invalidate the process and mean starting the notice period again from scratch.
Where a property has multiple owners — for example, jointly owned — check that notice has been served correctly on all of them.
Does a schedule of condition actually exist?
Ask whether a schedule of condition has been prepared for the adjoining property before work starts, covering the shared wall and nearby structure with photographs and written notes. If you're the receiving neighbour, it's reasonable to ask for a copy or to have your own independent one prepared, since it protects you if damage is later claimed or denied.
A schedule prepared after work has started, or not at all, removes the evidence base that a fair resolution depends on if something does go wrong.
If there's a dispute, is a surveyor genuinely independent?
Where an award is needed because consent wasn't given, check whether an agreed surveyor is being used for both parties, or whether each side has appointed their own. Either is valid under the Act, but if a single surveyor is appointed, both parties should be genuinely comfortable that they're acting impartially rather than favouring whoever is paying the fee.
Ask to see the finished award once it's produced — it should set out the specific work permitted, protective measures required, and how the schedule of condition will be used to assess any later damage claim.
Is the work actually being carried out as the award or consent describes?
Once notices are served and consent or an award obtained, check the works on site match what was actually agreed — particularly around excavation depth and any protective measures specified for the shared wall or nearby structure. Deviating from an agreed award without going back to the surveyor can undermine the protection the process was meant to provide.
If cracking or other change appears in the adjoining property during or after works, refer back to the schedule of condition promptly rather than letting the observation go unrecorded, since timing matters if it needs resolving formally later.
Common questions
I've received a party wall notice — do I have to agree to it?+
You can consent, do nothing (which is treated as a dispute after the notice period), or dissent and appoint a surveyor. You're not obliged to simply accept the works, but you also can't unreasonably block lawful works — the process exists to manage exactly this tension.
Who pays for the surveyor?+
Generally the person carrying out the works pays reasonable surveyor fees, including the adjoining owner's surveyor if they choose to appoint their own, though this should be confirmed in the specific award.
Can work start before the notice period ends if my neighbour agrees informally?+
It's safer to get written consent, which does allow work to start before the full notice period elapses. A purely informal or verbal agreement doesn't carry the same legal protection if a dispute arises later.
Get advice on a party wall notice you've sent or received
We can talk you through the process from either side and put you in touch with a surveyor where one's needed.