The Difference Between a Party Wall Notice and a Party Wall Award

CONTENTS:
What is a Party Wall Notice?
When is a Party Wall Notice Required?
What Happens After Serving the Notice?
What is a Party Wall Award?
What is included in a Party Wall Award?
The Key Differences Between a Party Wall Notice and a Party Wall Award
Welcome to The Party Wall Guru

Understanding the difference between aparty wall noticeand aparty wall awardis crucial..

When you are about to undertake a construction project on a house that involves shared

Boundaries. The notice is there to initiate the process, while the award is there to protect and

resolved disputes that may arise. Both components fall within and are part of the Party Wall Act.

1996 ; a key piece of legislation that is designed to prevent disputes between neighbours and

Ensure that projects run smoothly and fairly. While both are closely related, they serve distinct

Within this blog, we discuss the main differences and why both are essential.

What is a Party Wall Notice?

The first step in The Party Wall Act 1996 process is a Party Wall Notice. If you plan to undergo construction work on your property that can or will affect your Party Wall or falls under the remit
of The Party Wall Act, you must notify your adjoining neighbours (Adjoining Owners) before the work starts. This is the official way to communicate your plans and intentions, and it provides
your neighbours with the opportunity to agree, object, or request amendments to the proposed work.

When is a Party Wall Notice Required?

Below we have listed some examples on when a Party Wall Notice is necessary:

● Repairing, amending or demolishing part or all of the Party Wall.
● Building a new boundary wall on a boundary.
● Digging and excavating near a neighbour’s property.

Please liaise with one of our Party
Wall specialists for the exact distances and specifications of when this is required.

What Happens After Serving the Notice?

As the property owner and the person that is responsible for the proposed construction work on
the Party Wall, it is your responsibility to serve the Party Wall Notice as the Building Owner
intending to carry out proposed works. Once you have done this your neighbour has three
options:

●Consent to the proposed work, allowing the project to start and work to be undertaken.
●Dissent to the proposed work, resulting in the need for a Party Wall Award (also known
as a Party Wall Agreement) to be issued.
●Not reply. If your neighbour does not respond in 14 days, then the law considers this a
dispute to the work and so the process to resolve any issues begins.

What is a Party Wall Award?

A Party Wall Award (also known as a Party Wall Agreement) is a legally binding document that

is created by a Party Wall specialist and is used when a neighbour disagrees/dissents with

proposed work to a Party Wall or fails to respond to a Party Wall Notice. The Award clearly

outlines the rights and responsibilities of both parties involved and makes sure that the work

proceeds with minimal risk of disputes or damage.

What is included in a Party Wall Award?

●Details of the work that is due to take place.

●A Schedule of Conditions for the adjoining property.

●What measures are being introduced to protect the adjoining property?

●The procedure for resolving disputes.

●Architectural and/or Structural drawings.

As soon as the Award is agreed upon, it becomes a legally binding document and both parties must adhere to its terms.

The Key Differences Between a Party Wall Notice and a Party Wall Award

●Purpose – A Party Wall Notice is about informing your neighbour (Adjoining Owner) of

your planned work, whilst a Party Wall Award is there to resolve issues and disputes that

may arise, and it evidences the terms that the work and contractors must adhere

to.

●Timing – A Party Wall Notice is issued at the beginning of the process, and the Party

Wall Award is created only if there are disagreements and so can be at any point of the

project. Proposed notifiable work can only commence or continue once the Party Wall

The award is completed and served to all relevant parties.

●Legislation – A Party Wall Notice is about informing and communicating with your

neighbour and the Party Wall Award is the legally binding document that both parties

must follow. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 outlines how and what a valid Notice must

entail and how a Notice must be served. The legislation also details how the Award must

be served and each responsible party’s duties.

Why Are These Important?

Both the Party Wall Notice and the Party Wall Award are essential for you to comply with the

Party Wall Act 1996. If you do not serve a valid Notice, this can result in legal disputes, delays,

and even fines. In addition to this, ignoring the need for and therefore not issuing a Party Wall

Notice or an Award when required, can result in further disagreements and potential liabilities.

Welcome to The Party Wall Guru

Navigating the intricacies of Party Wall Notices, Awards and the Party Wall Act can be complex.

Here at The Party Wall Guru, we can make sure that you adhere to every step of the process,

that it is managed professionally and that you, as the property owner, comply with the law.

If you find yourself in the middle of a dispute with your neighbour due to construction work that has commenced and is affecting a Party Wall, or if you are planning to carry out building work and are keen to understand all that you need to do to ensure that you are being fully compliant and fair to yourself and your neighbour, then please contact us on 020 8058 9883. We would be happy to help guide you through any conflict you may be experiencing and discuss your up-and-coming project, please call 0208 058 9883 or email surveyors@thepartywallguru.com for more information.

020 8058 9883