Understand your party wall award
A party wall award reads like dense legal text. This guide explains every clause in plain English, so you know exactly what you are agreeing to before work starts.
A party wall award lands and suddenly there are pages of clauses, schedules and surveyor terms. It is meant to protect you, but it rarely feels that way on first read. Here is what every part actually means.
A party wall award is the legal document, sometimes called the party wall agreement, that the surveyors prepare when a neighbour dissents. It sets out the agreed works, how and when they will be done, how the adjoining owner’s property is protected, and who pays the fees. It is made under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and either owner can appeal it within 14 days.
Tap any clause to understand it
Names the surveyors and confirms they are appointed under the Act. If both sides agreed one surveyor, this is the agreed surveyor. If not, it names both surveyors and the third surveyor chosen to settle any deadlock.
Identifies the building owner doing the works and the adjoining owner next door, with both addresses. This fixes exactly who the award binds.
Describes the works that are allowed, often with drawings attached. You can only do what the award permits. Anything beyond it needs a fresh agreement.
Refers to the dated record of the adjoining property before works start. This is the evidence used to settle any later claim that the works caused damage.
Sets the hours work may take place and any access the building owner is allowed onto the neighbour’s land to carry it out. It balances getting the job done with the neighbour’s quiet enjoyment of their home.
Sets out how the neighbour’s property will be protected during the works and the duty to put right any damage caused. This is the heart of the award for most adjoining owners.
States who pays the surveyors and how much. The building owner normally pays the reasonable fees, including the adjoining owner’s surveyor where one is appointed.
Reminds both owners that the award can be appealed to the county court within 14 days of being served. After that window, the award stands and the works can proceed.
What an award is, in plain terms
When a neighbour dissents to a party wall notice, the surveyors step in and produce an award. Think of it as the rulebook for the works. It says what can be done, how and when, how the neighbour is protected, and who pays.
It is not a sign that anyone did anything wrong. Dissent is a normal route under the Act, and the award is simply how the law makes sure both sides are treated fairly before a single brick moves.
The detail that matters most. Once an award is served, either owner has 14 days to appeal it to the county court. After that, the award is binding and the building owner can start. The building owner normally pays the reasonable surveyor fees set out in it.
Your right to appeal
This is the right people most often miss. If you genuinely believe the award is wrong, you can appeal it to the county court within 14 days of it being served on you. In practice, most worries are sorted long before that by simply raising them with the surveyors, who can correct errors or explain a clause. If a clause does not make sense, ask before the 14 days run out. For the formal route, see our party wall agreements and awards service.
Why this guide helps
Clause by clause
Every standard part of an award explained in one or two plain sentences.
The 14 day clock
It puts your appeal right front and centre, the thing most owners overlook.
Calms the fear
An award stops looking scary once each clause is in language you recognise.
Help on hand
If a clause still worries you, one tap puts a consultant on it.
Three situations London homeowners face
These are representative situations, not named clients, but they show how reading the award properly changes things.
The owner who feared losing their garden
An adjoining owner panicked at an access clause, thinking the builder could roam their garden at will. Read properly, it only allowed limited access at set times to carry out the agreed work. The lesson: access clauses sound broad but are tightly bound to the agreed works.
The appeal raised in time
An owner spotted that the award described works larger than what was actually planned. Because they read it inside the 14 days, the surveyors corrected it before it became binding. The lesson: read the agreed works clause early, while you can still raise it.
The fee that was not a surprise
A building owner understood from the fees clause exactly what they would pay, including the neighbour’s surveyor, so there was no shock when the invoice arrived. The lesson: the fees clause tells you the bill in advance, so read it.
Still unsure about a clause?
Send us your award and we will walk you through it and flag anything worth questioning inside your 14 days.
Message us on WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
A party wall award is the legal document, sometimes called the party wall agreement, that the surveyors prepare when a neighbour dissents. It sets out the works, how and when they will be done, how the neighbour’s property is protected, and who pays the fees.
The award is made by the appointed surveyors, not signed by the owners in the usual sense. It is served on both owners. If you disagree with it, you have 14 days from service to appeal to the county court.
The building owner carrying out the works normally pays the reasonable surveyor fees set out in the award, including the adjoining owner’s surveyor where one is appointed.
Yes. Either owner can appeal the award to the county court within 14 days of it being served. In practice most concerns are resolved by speaking to the surveyors first.
Important: This guide explains the clauses that typically appear in a party wall award. Your own award may be worded differently or include extra terms, and this is not legal advice. If you are unsure about any part, raise it with the appointed surveyors, and remember any appeal to the county court must be made within 14 days of service. Survey of Party Wall can review an award with you.