Do you need to serve a party wall notice?

Answer a few quick questions about your project and check whether the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies — free, in under two minutes.

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Missed notices are a common — and avoidable — cause of neighbour disputes

Answer a few quick questions about your project and we'll check it against the three types of notifiable work under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 — work to a shared wall, building on the boundary, and excavating near a neighbouring building — and tell you which notice, if any, applies.

Please read before you start: this checks your project against the general rules in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. It can't see your actual property, your neighbour's foundations, or the specifics of your boundary — treat the result as a starting point, not a final answer. For anything borderline, a party wall surveyor can confirm what actually applies before you proceed.

Step Through It

A couple of quick questions, then an indicative answer for your specific project.

What are you planning?

Question

Will your new foundations be deeper than your neighbour's existing foundations?

If you're not sure how deep their foundations go, it's safer to assume they might be shallower than yours — this is one of the most common reasons notice gets missed.

Reference Guide

The three types of notifiable work

Based on the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 — confirmed unchanged as of 2026. Always confirm anything borderline with a party wall surveyor before starting work.

Section 2

Work to a shared party wall

Triggers a Notice

Cutting into a party wall (e.g. for a beam)
Raising or rebuilding a party wall
Underpinning a party wall
Demolishing and rebuilding a shared structure

Key Details

2 months' notice required before work starts
Neighbour has 14 days to respond
No response counts as dissent
Notice is valid for 12 months from being served

Section 1

Building a new wall on the boundary

Triggers a Notice

Building a wall astride the boundary line
Foundations projecting onto neighbouring land

Key Details

1 month's notice required before work starts
Building wholly on your own land generally isn't notifiable
Neighbour has 14 days to respond

Section 6

Excavating near a neighbouring building

Triggers a Notice

Within 3m of a neighbour's building, AND deeper than their existing foundations
Within 6m, where a 45° line from the base of their foundations would be cut by your excavation

Key Details

1 month's notice required before work starts
Most common domestic trigger: the 3m rule
Notice must include plans/sections showing depth and site of the excavation

If a dispute arises (including simple non-response within 14 days), both parties appoint a surveyor — either one agreed surveyor for both, or one each — to produce a legally binding Party Wall Award setting out how the work must proceed. The building owner typically covers reasonable surveyor fees, including the adjoining owner's own surveyor. Starting notifiable work without serving notice can expose you to an injunction stopping the work, and civil liability.

Planning A Project?

Factor party wall notices into your timeline early.

Notice periods (1–2 months, plus a 14-day response window) need to sit inside your build schedule, not get discovered halfway through. Book a free consultation and we'll help you plan around it from the start.

Book a free consultation

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Areas We Cover

Based in Manchester, working across the wider North West on design & build, windows & doors, and networks & security projects.

Manchester
Salford
Stockport
Trafford
Bolton
Bury
Oldham
Rochdale
Warrington
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