Party Wall Surveyor Hammersmith

Harding Chartered Surveyors provides impartial party wall advice for building owners and adjoining owners across Hammersmith. We deal with notices, schedules of condition and Party Wall Awards for work to Victorian and Edwardian terraces, converted flats, mansion blocks, mixed-use buildings and modern riverside developments.

Projects in Brackenbury Village, Brook Green, Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith Grove and around King Street often involve shared structures or close foundations. A loft conversion, rear or side-return extension, chimney-breast removal, new steelwork, basement or underpinning may therefore fall within the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. The Act is separate from planning permission, Building Regulations approval and any consent required under a lease.

We first review the drawings, ownership information and proposed foundations, then explain which notices may be needed and the practical next steps. Early advice can prevent an invalid notice or avoidable delay while keeping the process proportionate.

Independent advice for both types of owner
Clear scope and quotation before appointment
Coverage throughout Hammersmith, Fulham and West London

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales to three broad categories of work:

• building a new wall on or up to the line of junction;
• work to an existing party wall or party structure, including cutting in beams, raising the wall, underpinning or removing a chimney breast; and
• excavation within three metres, or in some cases six metres, where the proposed foundations meet the statutory depth tests.

Not every extension or excavation is covered, so the plans, foundation depth and neighbouring buildings must be checked. In Hammersmith this is especially relevant where terraces are close together, flats share party structures or a rear addition sits near several adjoining owners.

Different notice periods apply. Work to a party structure normally requires two months’ notice; line-of-junction and qualifying excavation work normally require one month. If there is no written consent within 14 days to a section 2 or section 6 notice, a statutory dispute arises and surveyors are appointed. The section 1 procedure is different, which is why the correct notice matters.

Read the GOV.UK explanatory booklet and the RICS consumer guide, or ask us to review your drawings before notices are prepared.

Building owners should obtain advice before serving a notice. We can review the design, identify relevant adjoining owners, prepare the correct notice and discuss access, working hours, protection and making good. A clear set of drawings reduces later uncertainty. See our guide to a Party Wall Notice.

Adjoining owners do not pay simply to receive advice and should not feel pressured to sign immediately. We explain the proposed work, inspect the property where appropriate and advise whether consent is suitable or whether surveyors should be appointed. Read our adjoining-owner guidance.

Once appointed under the Act, a surveyor must act impartially rather than as an advocate or mediator. The owners may appoint one agreed surveyor, or each may appoint a surveyor and those surveyors select a third. Their role is to settle matters within the Act, which may include recording condition, considering the method of work and preparing an Award.

The building owner usually pays the adjoining owner’s reasonable surveyor costs where the work is for the building owner’s benefit, although responsibility can vary. We define our scope and fees at the outset and keep the procedure proportionate to the project.

Common Hammersmith instructions include:

• Loft conversions in terraced houses, where new beams bear into a party wall or the wall is raised;
• Rear and side-return extensions, where foundations may fall within section 6 or a new wall is proposed at the boundary;
• Chimney-breast removals and structural alterations, including pockets for beams or padstones;
• Basements and underpinning, which need particularly careful design information and protective provisions; and
• Refurbishment of flats or mixed-use buildings, where the adjoining owners may include freeholders and qualifying leaseholders as well as the occupiers next door.

The local building type changes quickly. Brackenbury Village and Ravenscourt Park contain many period terraces and conversions; Brook Green has terraces, mansion blocks and flats; King Street and Hammersmith Broadway include mixed commercial and residential ownership; and the riverside contains larger apartment developments. These differences affect who should receive notice, how access is arranged and which parts of the neighbouring property should be recorded.

A party wall appointment does not replace the architect, structural engineer, contractor or building-control process. It deals with the rights and protections created by the Act. We coordinate with the project team so the Award reflects the available design information without trying to control matters outside the surveyors’ jurisdiction.

A schedule of condition is not compulsory in every case, but it is commonly prepared before notifiable work starts. It records relevant parts of the adjoining property with notes and photographs, providing a useful baseline if damage is later alleged. The inspection should be proportionate: a loft conversion and a basement excavation do not need the same scope.

If surveyors are appointed, they may make a Party Wall Award. The Award settles matters within the Act and can address the notifiable works, working methods, protective measures, access, security for expenses where applicable and the making good of relevant damage. It is not a private agreement signed by both owners and it cannot authorise work outside the Act.

For Hammersmith flats and mixed-use properties, ownership can be more complex than the building’s appearance suggests. We check Land Registry information and leasehold interests so notices are directed to the right people and the inspection covers the appropriate premises.

If you receive a notice, check the description of work, drawings, owner names and notice date before replying. Depending on the notice, the usual choices are to consent in writing, dissent and appoint a surveyor, or agree to use one surveyor jointly. Consenting does not remove the building owner’s responsibility for damage, but it normally means there is no Award.

Do not ignore a section 2 or section 6 notice: after 14 days a statutory dispute is deemed to have arisen, and a further request may give ten days to appoint a surveyor before one can be appointed on your behalf. Taking advice early gives more time to request information and consider whether a schedule of condition would be sensible.

Building owners should allow the statutory notice period in the programme and should not start notifiable work merely because planning permission has been granted. If drawings or foundation proposals change after notice, the surveyors may need to review whether further information or a fresh notice is required.

We can review a notice already received or prepare one from your design package. Where a boundary location is the actual issue rather than work governed by the Act, our separate boundary survey service may be more appropriate.

Harding Chartered Surveyors is an RICS-regulated firm serving London and the South East. Our party wall work is led by experienced surveyors, and this page is written and reviewed by Jeremy Goldney MFPWS MPTS.

• advice for building owners and adjoining owners;
• experience with Hammersmith terraces, conversions, mansion blocks and mixed-use buildings;
• clear explanation of the Act, without presenting planning or construction advice as party wall jurisdiction;
• a defined scope and quotation before appointment; and
• coordination with architects and engineers where further design information is needed.

We cover Hammersmith, Fulham, Shepherd’s Bush and neighbouring West London districts. For wider property advice, see our chartered surveyors in Hammersmith page.

Do I need a Party Wall notice for a loft conversion?

Often, if beams bear into a party wall, the wall is raised or related work falls within section 2. The design must be checked; a loft conversion is not automatically notifiable in every case.

Can my neighbour stop the work?

The Act does not normally give an adjoining owner a veto over lawful notifiable work. If there is a dispute, surveyors settle matters within the Act and may make an Award. Planning, lease and property-right issues remain separate.

How long does the process take?

There is no universal number of weeks. The statutory notice period, design readiness, access and whether one or two surveyors are appointed all affect timing. Begin before the intended start date.

Who pays the surveyors?

The building owner usually pays reasonable costs where the work benefits them, but costs can be allocated differently depending on the circumstances and the work.

Can one surveyor act for both owners?

Yes. Both owners may agree to appoint one “agreed surveyor”, who must remain impartial. If they do not agree, each appoints a surveyor.