What London Property Developers Need to Know About the Party Wall Act Before They Break Ground – Daily Business

If you’re developing residential property in London, the Party Wall Act isn’t something you can leave until the last minute. Get it wrong — or ignore it entirely — and you’re looking at injunctions, project delays, and legal disputes that can cost far more than the work itself. 

AC Design Solution’s party wall surveyor team in London sees this play out regularly. Developers and homeowners alike arrive having started work without the right notices in place — and the consequences are almost always avoidable.

What the Act Actually Covers 

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies to three types of work: 

Work on or near a shared wall with a neighbouring property. Excavations within three to six metres of a neighbour’s building. New walls built on or at the boundary line. 

If any of your planned work falls into these categories, you’re legally required to serve formal notice on your neighbours before you start. That’s not a courtesy — it’s a statutory obligation. 

The Notice Process Is More Involved Than Most Expect 

Serving a party wall notice sounds simple. In practice, it requires the right notice type, served to the right parties, at the right time — and the clock only starts once it’s done correctly. 

Your neighbour then has 14 days to respond. They can consent, dissent, or simply not reply — which is treated as dissent by default. If they dissent, both sides appoint surveyors and a Party Wall Award is drawn up. That document governs how the work proceeds, protects both parties, and can only be agreed by qualified party wall surveyors. 

Skipping any part of this process doesn’t make it go away. It just means the work is being carried out unlawfully, leaving you exposed to an injunction at any point during the build. 

Why Developers Benefit From Getting This Right Early 

The most common mistake developers make is treating party wall compliance as a box to tick after everything else is sorted. In reality, the earlier you engage a party wall surveyor, the smoother the project runs. 

Notices need to be served before work starts — not on the day. Depending on the work involved, you may need to serve notice up to two months in advance. Factor that into your programme and it causes no disruption. Ignore it and you’ve got a problem. 

There’s also a cost consideration. If a neighbour appoints their own surveyor, their reasonable fees are your responsibility. Working with a surveyor who knows how to manage the process efficiently keeps those costs proportionate. 

One Team Across All Three Disciplines 

AC Design Solution handles party wall surveying alongside architectural design and structural engineering — which means the party wall process is coordinated directly with the build programme rather than managed in isolation. 

For developers running multiple London projects, that joined-up approach reduces the administrative burden significantly. Notices, awards, structural calculations, and planning drawings all handled by one practice, with full visibility across each stage. 

If you’re planning a project that involves shared walls, boundary excavations, or basement work in London, speak to a party wall surveyor before you commit to a start date. The earlier you start the process, the less it affects your programme.