Party Wall and Neighbourly Matters

Our team of surveyors are highly skilled, able to listen, assess and identify issues before they happen.

Bechtel House, Hammersmith

We take a proactive approach to managing third-party matters by integrating with the project team to ensure delivery of optimum solutions to address the concerns of adjoining owners. Our breadth of knowledge, experience and ability to understand, communicate and lead, whilst acting with impartiality, is an essential part of our service. For us, it’s more than just a job, we are part of your team.

With more than twenty years’ experience in the industry, GIA is equally at home being involved in the biggest projects in London as we are helping with your residential extension or basement conversion. We minimise risk, add value and deliver the best support for a successful project.

Aside from Party Wall matters, there can be other third-party constraints imposed by neighbours to a site.  At the onset of your project, we can review and identify risks and opportunities that arise out of Party Wall matters, boundary conflicts, access licences and easements. Whether this is a simple overview at pre-acquisition stage or a detailed report on your chosen scheme, we have the experience and expertise to identify all third-party risks and put forward a cohesive strategy to manage them for you.

Acting for developers and homeowners alike, GIA can act as a Building Owner’s Surveyor to ensure that your statutory obligations under the Party Wall Act are correctly discharged. This includes reviewing the proposals, serving the correct notices, preparing schedules of condition and, where necessary, negotiating Party Wall awards.

If you are a neighbour and have received a party wall notice, GIA can act as the Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor to ensure that your interests are protected and, where necessary, provide guidance and advice in connection with Security for Expenses, consent for special foundations, enclosure costs and compensation.

If the Building Owner and Adjoining Owner agree, GIA can act as the Agreed Surveyor to impartially administer the Party Wall Act for both parties.

Boundaries can often be a point of dispute between neighbouring landowners. Through a forensic review of historical data and present-day conditions, we identify where conflicts exist and provide clarity on the true position of the boundary. Whether arranging a topographical survey, giving advice on the boundary position, plotting the boundary prior to a proposed development or acting as Expert Witness, GIA can assist by drawing on their expertise in this field.

Redevelopment or refurbishment of a building often requires access over neighbouring land. We can advise whether statutory rights exist, or if consent is required from a neighbour.  GIA has experience of negotiating access rights ranging from minor works through to complex high-rise city towers acting for both the developer and the neighbour.

It is important to understand whether your land has the benefit of, or is burdened by, a right-of-way or easement. We don’t just review your title information and that of the neighbouring land, we also inspect the site boundary and advise whether any undocumented easements may have been acquired. This could include, ventilation ducts, boiler flues or fire escapes.  We can also advise on the legal status of land and how this affects rights over it.

GIA are often the interface between a development and the immediate neighbourhood dealing with Party Wall and Neighbourly Matters.  A natural extension to this role is to assist with neighbour engagement, community liaison meetings, schedules of condition and the set up and management of a neighbourhood contact telephone service to filter and direct queries to the project team.

Certain construction activities give rise to the risk of vibration. Accordingly, vibration monitoring is sometimes requested; particularly where neighbouring buildings are susceptible owing to their age or construction. GIA can provide Vibrock GSM enabled vibration monitoring equipment and provide real time monitoring and weekly reporting on vibration levels received at specified locations. Trigger levels can also be set so that pre-agreed actions or contingencies can be implemented if those levels are reached or exceeded.

“No project is too big or too small for us. From iconic structures in the City of London to all-important residential projects, you always get the same expertise and dedication from our team.”

Aidan Smyth , GIA
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