Glossary
Party wall surveyor fees on a London extension in 2026
Fees of agreed surveyor under the Party Wall Act, paid by the building owner.
Fees of agreed surveyor under the Party Wall Act, paid by the building owner.
Party wall surveyor fees are usually paid by the building owner — the person doing the work. In London a straightforward award with an agreed surveyor typically runs £900 to £1,400 per neighbour; where each owner appoints their own, the combined cost is commonly £1,500 to £2,500 per neighbour.
Section 11 of the Act allocates expenses to the party for whose benefit the work is done. Since the extension or loft benefits the building owner, they pay the adjoining owner's reasonable surveyor fees as well as their own. The surveyors determine what is reasonable in the award.
The main lever on cost is therefore persuading the neighbour to consent in writing, or to agree to a single agreed surveyor, rather than appointing their own.
Reviewing the notice and drawings, inspecting both properties, preparing the schedule of condition with photographs, drafting and serving the award, and attending afterwards if damage is alleged. Additional inspections during the works are usually charged separately.
Serve accurate notices with clear drawings first time — a defective notice restarts the clock. Serve early. Talk to the neighbour before the notice arrives, because an unexpected legal document is the commonest reason a neighbour dissents. And propose an agreed surveyor explicitly in the covering letter.
A worked Greenwich example of party wall surveyor fee: with 20 conservation areas — the Greenwich Town Centre (World Heritage Site) Conservation Area and the Blackheath Conservation Area among the best known — Royal Borough of Greenwich (Greenwich Council) sees party wall surveyor fee constantly, and there is no borough-wide Article 4 direction, so permitted development generally survives outside conservation areas. Where party wall surveyor fee pushes a Greenwich scheme out of permitted development, the route becomes a £548 application decided in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks.
| Agreed surveyor, typical London | £900–£1,400 per neighbour |
|---|---|
| Two surveyors, typical London | £1,500–£2,500 per neighbour |
| Paid by | Building owner, under section 11 |
| Consent in writing | Costs nothing |
| Third surveyor | Selected by the two appointed surveyors |
| Our party wall service from |
Only where the work benefits them — for example a shared repair.
Yes. If the neighbour consents in writing within fourteen days, no surveyors are appointed.
The award determines reasonable fees; unreasonable ones can be challenged.
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