Walls have been built to protect us from the weather since time began. They are our shelter and our security and they separate us from our neighbours. Years ago in London the walls dividing neighbour from neighbour were so badly built that in Pudding Lane a fire in one house destroyed the whole of the City of London. It was this catastrophe among others that led in due course to laws being passed to control the quality of separating walls and these laws in modern form were drawn together in the Party Wall Act of 1996.

The Party Wall Act is one of the few laws of which surveyors can be proud. It stands on the one hand to protect the walls which separate us from our neighbours and on the other hand to enable us to carry out work to those walls which we are perfectly entitled to do in a properly structured framework.

Could this be a party wall?

The separating walls between buildings came over time to be known as party walls and in the modern law can also be referred to as party structures. It is the responsibility between neighbours to keep these separating walls in good condition and to agree with each other how to go about the work when one of them wants to repair, alter or extend it.

Although greatly beneficial to owners of all types of buildings the Party Wall Act is nevertheless complex. It applies with equal relevance to commercial and residential properties and cannot be applied without the services of surveyors who are appointed within the meaning of the Act.

Most experienced surveyors in the field of party walls are members of the Pyramus and Thisbe Club, an organisation founded for the exchange of views on party wall matters and who have published guidance notes, commentaries and advice to Government.

As members of the Pyramus and Thisbe Club, we are always pleased to offer an initial informal and free consultation and to accept appointments as building owner's surveyor, adjoining owner's surveyor, agreed surveyor or third surveyor.

For party wall enquiries please contact