What is a Party Fence Wall?

Essentially, a party fence wall is a wall that sits astride the boundary between two separate pieces of land, with different owners on each side of the wall. Part of the wall above ground (not just the foundations, or footings) must be astride the boundary. The party fence wall does not form part of a building or structure on either portion of land.

An example of a party fence wall is a wall between the gardens of two properties, which acts as a single boundary feature. Because the ownership of a party fence wall is shared, both owners have certain rights and responsibilities under the Act. As such, party fence walls are included in the Party Wall Act. Certain works to party fence walls would require a Notice to be served under the Party Wall Act, to the relevant adjoining Owners. As with party walls, and party structures, once a Notice has been served, the processes as described in the Act need to be followed, before works can commence.

A party fence wall is usually formed of masonry or brick, a timber fence with timber posts is not usually treated as a ‘party fence wall,’ even if it is the only boundary feature between two properties.

At Harding Chartered Surveyors, we’re a team of independent and impartial RICS surveyors that can carry out party wall matters. If you have any questions or need advice don’t hesitate to call us on 020 3598 6730.