Party Wall etc. Act 1996

Party Wall Notices — Section 1, 3 and 6, drafted in minutes

The notices building owners must serve before notifiable works. Section 1 (new walls at boundary), Section 3 (work to a party structure), Section 6 (excavation within 3m or 6m). All three covered, with auto-calculated response deadlines and adjoining owner tracking.

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Our approach to Party Wall Notices

A statutorily-correct notice that won't get bounced for a missing recital or a wrong response deadline. Built for the surveyors and agents serving notices day-in day-out: combined-section notices in one document where works span Sections 3 and 6, auto-calculated 1- and 2-month statutory windows, adjoining-owner records that survive across multiple projects, and the section-aware image manager for service evidence (envelope photo, read receipt).

Multi-section

One notice, multiple sections

Where a project includes both Section 6 excavation and Section 3 party-wall works (typical of a side-return + basement), the same notice covers both — not two separate documents, not two separate response clocks.

Photo manager

Service evidence built in

Bulk-import photos — the envelope, the recorded-delivery slip, the email read receipt — and tag them to the relevant adjoining owner. Saves the "did we serve them properly?" argument when works start, and keeps your file ready for any later challenge.

Deadlines

Statutory clocks, calculated

14-day response deadline auto-set from service date. 2-month / 1-month earliest start dates calculated for Section 3 / Section 6. Deemed-dispute trigger fires automatically when the response window lapses — nothing missed, nothing manual.

Your project notes

42 Acacia Ave, side return + rear extension excavation 1.8m within 3m of no.40 foundation cutting in steel beam to party wall with no.44

AI draft — review & sign off

Description of works s.3 + s.6

The Building Owner intends to carry out a side-return and rear extension. Works include excavation to 1.8m within 3m of the foundations of no.40…

Section selection & service surveyor only

Section determination, recipient identity verification and method of service stay with the named surveyor.

AI · statutory format-aware

Plain-English description drafted from notes — statutory choices stay with you

Type the project details from the architect's drawings and the structural engineer's calcs. AI drafts the plain-English Description of Works clause: location, what's being built, what's being cut into, proposed start date.

What AI does not do: it doesn't determine which section applies (1, 3, 6 or combinations), it doesn't identify the adjoining owner from Land Registry, and it doesn't choose method of service. Those are your professional judgement calls — getting them wrong invalidates the notice.

Read our full AI compliance position

What's in the notice

Statutory notice format under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

ABuilding owner detailsName, correspondence address, designated surveyor (if appointed), agent details, signature.
BAdjoining owner detailsPer adjoining owner: name, address, freeholder vs leaseholder >1 year, identifying boundary feature.
CNotice type & sectionSection 1 (new walls at boundary), Section 3 (work to party structure), Section 6 (excavation within 3m or 6m). Multiple sections can be combined in one notice.
DDescription of worksPlain-English description of intended works, drawings annexed (architect's plans, structural engineer's calcs), proposed start date.
EResponse optionsPre-formatted consent / dissent / non-response paths, auto-calculated 14-day response deadline, dispute trigger if no response.
FService evidenceDate of service, method (recorded delivery / personal service / email if agreed), photo of envelope or read receipt.

Notice service timeline

Statutory deadlines under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

Day 0

Notice served

Building owner serves the relevant section notice on each adjoining owner. Notice must be at least 2 months before Section 3 works start, or at least 1 month before Section 6 excavation works.

Day 14

Response deadline

Adjoining owner must respond in writing within 14 days. They can consent, dissent (which automatically triggers a "deemed dispute"), or fail to respond (also deemed dispute).

Days 14–42

Surveyor appointment

If a dispute is deemed, each owner appoints a surveyor (one each, or an agreed single surveyor). Surveyors then have to publish a Party Wall Award (see the Party Wall Award template).

Day 60+

Award published / works begin

Once consent is given or an Award is published, notifiable works can proceed in line with the agreed terms. Works started without notice are tortious and the building owner has no statutory protection.

Party Wall Notice FAQs

Which works require a Party Wall Notice?

Three categories: (1) Section 1 — building a new wall at or astride the boundary. (2) Section 3 — work to a party structure (cutting away, raising, underpinning, repairing, demolishing). (3) Section 6 — excavating within 3m of an adjoining structure to a depth lower than its foundations, or within 6m if the excavation is below a 45° downward line from the foundations.

Who can serve a notice?

The building owner (anyone with a freehold or leasehold >1 year intending to do notifiable works) serves the notice. They can serve it themselves or via a surveyor or solicitor. The notice must be in writing, identify the building owner, describe the works, and propose a start date.

What happens if an adjoining owner doesn't respond?

Failure to respond within 14 days creates a deemed dispute. The building owner can either appoint a surveyor on the adjoining owner's behalf (under Section 10(4)) or escalate; in practice, surveyors then prepare a Party Wall Award. The Act prevents adjoining owners from blocking works simply by refusing to engage.

Can one notice cover multiple sections?

Yes. Where a project includes (e.g.) excavation under Section 6 and work to a party wall under Section 3, both can be covered in a single notice. The template combines section selection so the same document captures all notifiable elements.

What's the difference between a Notice and an Award?

The Notice is the building owner's statutory communication of intent to do notifiable works. The Award is the surveyors' subsequent document recording the agreed terms once a dispute has been deemed (see the Party Wall Award template). One leads to the other.

Is the AI compliant with the RICS 2026 AI Standard?

Yes. SurveyorSuite is designed around the RICS Professional Standard Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice (in force from 9 March 2026). Every AI-assisted Party Wall Notice carries an AI disclosure block with a confirmation field the named surveyor signs before issue, plus an audit-trail timestamp on every generation. Section determination and recipient identification stay surveyor-only on professional-judgement grounds. See our full AI compliance position.

What happens to my notes? Are they used to train AI models?

No. Project notes are sent to Anthropic's commercial API for drafting. Anthropic explicitly commits in their Commercial Terms of Service that customer inputs and outputs are not used to train their models. They retain API content for up to 30 days under their standard Trust & Safety policy, then delete it. SurveyorSuite never shares your content with any third party.