In the Party Wall etc. act 1996, the term “surveyor” is defined as a person who is not party to the works. This strikes off the possibility for the owners to act for themselves and anyone else is allowed to take on the appointment. As a pre-requisite, the person acting on the owner’s behalf should have the complete and thorough knowledge of the works and should be well versed with the party wall procedures with a relevant qualification. Some of the most popular choices of the building owners include structural engineers and building surveyors.
The party wall surveyors in Cheshire will prepare a document which is termed as party wall award and sometimes referred to as a party wall agreement. This document sets out the owner’s responsibilities and rights with respect to how the work and construction will proceed covering all the items like working hours, and what will happen if there is a damage and the access for the surveyors during the entire course of construction.
It is always to involve a surveyor if your neighbour is unlikely to give you the consent to the planned works or construction. The process normally begins with serving of the notice. Look for some template notices that are easily available. Also, you need to keep in mind that if your notice fails to contain the important and essential information or if it is served in a proper manner, it can stand invalid.
The surveyor is responsible to prepare a schedule of conditions prior to the commencing of the work. It is highly crucial to make sure that the same has been prepared with perfection so that subsequent damage can be attributed in a proper manner. If there are two surveyors involved, it is prepared by the surveyor of the building owner and proof-read by the surveyor of the adjoining owner.
Though it might sound a little unreasonable to some, you need to keep in mind that: whether as agreed by either owner, once the surveyor is appointed under the act, they will act in a complete impartial manner. Also, once a Party Wall Surveyor in Cheshire has been appointed that appointment cannot be withdrawn unless and until the surveyor in question announces himself incompetent of acting or dies.
The most essential element of appointing a surveyor is the fees that will charge for the appointment and who will bear the fees. Under all the normal situations, the building owner is the one who is responsible to bear the fees of the surveyor. It is slightly difficult to talk about the exact figures since it may vary depending on the project and the background of the surveyor. Surveyors will normally quote a fixed fee to the building owners while on the other hand surveyor of the adjoining owner will normally charge on an hourly basis or on visit basis.
You can get in touch with us for complete guidance and consultation on all the party wall related matters.