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Blog: neighbours and checks

How much does a party wall notice cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

A party wall notice in London costs £45 from us for each adjoining owner, with no VAT to add, and that includes the drawings that show the neighbour what you plan. The notice is cheap because it is paperwork. The expensive outcome is a dispute, which starts the moment a neighbour is silent for fourteen days of silence is treated as dissent, and a dispute is deemed to have arisenParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 5.

From £45 total

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  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What the notice costs, and what costs more

    Our notice service is £45 per adjoining owner. We write the notice, attach the drawings that show the work, and serve it for you. If you have a terrace with a neighbour on each side, that is two notices. Our party wall notices page explains what each one contains.

    The notice itself is rarely the big cost. The costs that follow come from a dispute. If a neighbour does not consent, surveyors are appointed, an award is made and the award decides who pays: the right to execute work, its time and manner, and the costs of making the awardParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 10. Many disputes are avoided by a polite conversation, which is the most useful use of the time before a notice goes out.

    What the fee includesA notice for each adjoining owner; Drawings that show the neighbour the work; Service of the notice with dates recorded; A record of the dates each notice was served; Plain-English next steps if the neighbour dissentsWhat the fee includesA notice for each adjoining ownerDrawings that show the neighbour theworkService of the notice with datesrecordedA record of the dates each notice wasservedPlain-English next steps if theneighbour dissentsFixed fee from £45, no VAT to add
    What our party wall notice service includes.

    Which work needs a notice, and how early

    Three kinds of work are covered. Building a new wall on the boundary: a notice served at least one month before the building work startsParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 1. Work to a wall or floor you share, such as cutting in a beam or raising it: a party structure notice must be served at least two months before the work beginsParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 3. And excavation near a neighbour's building: at least one month before excavating within three metres, or six metres in some casesParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 6.

    Those periods are minimums. In practice, serve earlier, because a neighbour has time to answer and you may have to wait for surveyors. If your builder wants to start on a fixed date, work back from it.

    Row of colour-washed Victorian terrace houses on Falkland Road in Kentish Town under a blue sky
    In a terrace, almost every extension, loft or basement touches a shared wall. Photo: Images George Rex, CC BY-SA 2.0

    What the neighbour can do

    A neighbour can consent, dissent, or counter-notice. A counter-notice asks for extra work to be done: a counter notice must be served within one month of the party structure noticeParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 4. Whichever they choose, the clock for them is short. fourteen days of silence is treated as dissent, and a dispute is deemed to have arisenParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 5. That is the point at which the cost of a party wall matter changes, because surveyors take over.

    A good notice helps here. Ours include the drawings and a plain description, so the neighbour can see the work and, in most cases, consent in writing. The Act also lets you enter their land for the works, with notice: not less than fourteen days' notice of the intended entryParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 8.

    After the award

    If surveyors make an award, either side can challenge it, but only for a short time: fourteen days from service of the awardParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 10. Otherwise it is binding. That is why we suggest you get the first conversation right and keep a record of the neighbour's agreement.

    A notice is not a planning decision and does not stand in for one. Planning permission and the building regulations are separate: see our planning drawings and building regulations drawings pages.

    How the job runs, step by stepTell us the work and who your neighbours are Then: Drawings of the work prepared for the notice Then: Notices written for each adjoining owner Then: Notices served by the right method, with dates recorded Then: Neighbour consents, dissents or counter-notices Then: Work starts after the notice periodTell us the work and who yourneighbours areDrawings of the work prepared for thenoticeNotices written for each adjoiningownerNotices served by the right method,with dates recordedNeighbour consents, dissents orcounter-noticesWork starts after the notice period
    From the drawings to a served notice.

    Keeping the cost down

    Talk to your neighbours early, show them the drawings, and serve the notice properly with the right dates. A neighbour who has been told in person usually consents. One who finds out from a builder's skip does not.

    If you want us to prepare the notices alongside a drawing job, say so at the start. The same survey and drawings serve both.

    The figures, with sources

    Notice to build a new wall on the line of junction
    a notice served at least one month before the building work startsParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 1Checked 25 October 2026
    Notice for work to a party structure
    a party structure notice must be served at least two months before the work beginsParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 3Checked 25 October 2026
    Notice for excavation near a neighbour's building
    at least one month before excavating within three metres, or six metres in some casesParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 6Checked 25 October 2026
    Deemed dissent
    fourteen days of silence is treated as dissent, and a dispute is deemed to have arisenParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 5Checked 25 October 2026
    Counter notice
    a counter notice must be served within one month of the party structure noticeParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 4Checked 25 October 2026
    When a party structure notice ceases to have effect
    if the work has not begun within twelve months of the noticeParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 3Checked 25 October 2026
    Notice to enter a neighbour's land
    not less than fourteen days' notice of the intended entryParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 8Checked 25 October 2026
    What an award can decide
    the right to execute work, its time and manner, and the costs of making the awardParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 10Checked 25 October 2026
    Time to appeal an award to the county court
    fourteen days from service of the awardParty Wall etc. Act 1996, section 10Checked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Do I need a party wall notice for every extension?

    Only where the work touches a shared wall or boundary, or digs close to a neighbour's building. We check against your drawings and tell you which neighbours need a notice.

    What if my neighbour says no?

    A dispute arises and surveyors are appointed to make an award. It adds time and cost, but it does not stop the work in principle. A conversation first usually avoids it.

    Does the notice replace planning permission?

    No. It is a separate law between neighbours. Planning permission and building regulations are decided by the council.

    Do you act as the surveyor?

    We prepare and serve the notices. If a surveyor is needed for a dispute, that is a separate appointment and we tell you plainly before it happens.

    Header photo: A terrace of yellow-brick Victorian cottages with white sash windows and red door surrounds on a London street by trailerfullofpix, CC BY-SA 2.0.

    The fixed fee for party wall notices

    Fixed fee
    from £45
    Total you pay
    from £45

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A notice for each adjoining owner
    • Drawings that show the neighbour the work
    • Service of the notice with dates recorded
    • A record of the dates each notice was served
    • Plain-English next steps if the neighbour dissents
    • More about our party wall notices
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
    Second-floor plan laid out on a drawing board with a parallel rule, pens and a scale

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    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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