What the whole process costs, by route
These figures are for a typical residential project with one Adjoining Owner and our standard fees.
| Your neighbour's response | What's needed | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Consents | Notices only | £70 + VAT |
| Consents, but wants a condition record | Notices + Schedule of Condition | £420 + VAT |
| Agrees to one surveyor (Agreed Surveyor) | Notices + Award (Schedule of Condition included) | £869 + VAT |
| Appoints their own surveyor | Notices + our Building Owner Surveyor Award | £769 + VAT, plus the other surveyor's fees |
You don't control which route you end up on, because your neighbour chooses how to respond. That's why it's worth budgeting for the two-surveyor route even if you hope you won't need it.
Notice served
Consents
£70 + VAT
Consents + condition record
£420 + VAT
One Agreed Surveyor
£869 + VAT
Own surveyor
£769 + VAT
+ neighbour's surveyor fees
Our fees in full
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Party Wall Notices, up to two Adjoining Owners | £70 + VAT |
| Each additional Adjoining Owner | £30 + VAT |
| Agreed Surveyor, first Award | £799 + VAT |
| Building Owner Surveyor, first Award | £699 + VAT |
| Each additional Award | £499 + VAT |
| Schedule of Condition, where no Award is needed | £350 + VAT |
| 10-day letter, only if your neighbour doesn't respond | £30 + VAT |
| Section 10(4)(b) appointment, only if they still don't respond | £100 + VAT |
| Additional work outside the agreed scope, agreed in advance | £190 + VAT per hour |
Our first-Award fees include a standard Schedule of Condition, so it isn't added as a separate £350. Larger or more complex projects, such as basements, extensive underpinning or several neighbours, are quoted individually before you instruct us.
What will my neighbour's surveyor charge?
This is the biggest unknown for most Building Owners.
If your neighbour appoints their own surveyor, that surveyor sets their own fees. Some quote a fixed fee. Many charge by the hour. Published cost guides put hourly rates anywhere from around £90 to £450 per hour, with an average of about £200. These are market estimates, not quotes from us.
What they charge in practice depends on how complex the works are, how complete your drawings are and how much correspondence is needed. A straightforward loft conversion takes far fewer hours than a basement.
Does the Building Owner pay for both surveyors?
Usually, yes. Where the work is carried out solely for your benefit, which covers almost all extensions and loft conversions, you'll normally pay the reasonable fees of both surveyors.
It isn't automatic, though. The surveyors decide how the costs are split, as part of the Award. If part of the work is done at your neighbour's request, or involves repairing a shared defect, the costs may be shared.
Why the two-surveyor route costs more
Here's an example with one neighbour:
- Agreed Surveyor: £799 + VAT for the Award, and that's the whole surveyor cost.
- Two surveyors: £699 + VAT for us, plus the other surveyor. If they charged £1,200 + VAT, the total would be £1,899 + VAT, which is £1,100 more.
The £1,200 is an illustration, not a typical or guaranteed figure. The difference comes from having two professionals reviewing, writing to each other and agreeing the same Award.
Your neighbour is never obliged to agree to one surveyor. It's their statutory right to appoint their own.
One Agreed Surveyor
£799 + VAT
Two surveyors
£699 + £1,200
= £1,899 + VAT
Illustration only
The point most quotes leave out: "reasonable" doesn't mean "capped"
We can fix our own fee. We can't fix the fee of a surveyor your neighbour appoints.
Their fees must be reasonable, and fees that are genuinely excessive can be challenged. But reasonable fees can still grow as a matter goes on: revised drawings, missing structural details, repeat site visits and long chains of emails all add hours.
So a fixed quote from your own surveyor is not a fixed price for the whole Party Wall process. We think you should know that before you commit to anything.
How to keep the cost down
- Start early. Serve Notices well before your builder's start date, so that time pressure doesn't drive decisions.
- Have complete drawings ready. Missing structural calculations are the most common reason a surveyor's hours go up.
- Talk to your neighbour before the Notice arrives. A neighbour who understands the works is far more likely to consent, or to agree to one surveyor.
- Ask the other surveyor for a fee estimate or cap at the start. Many will give one, and it turns an open-ended cost into something you can budget for.
- Check what your quote leaves out. Ask directly: "What costs could there be on top of this?"
Get a fixed fee for your project
Send us your drawings and we'll tell you which Notices you need, what each route would cost and what could be added on top.
