Who pays party wall surveyor fees?

The rule in the Act

Section 10(13) says that the reasonable costs incurred in (a) making or obtaining an award, (b) reasonable inspections of work to which the award relates, and (c) any other matter arising out of the dispute “shall be paid by such of the parties as the surveyor or surveyors making the award determine.” The Award may deal with costs as part of “any other matter arising out of or incidental to the dispute” (s.10(12)(c)).

The government’s explanatory booklet sets out the normal position: usually the building owner pays all costs associated with drawing up the Award, including the adjoining owner’s surveyor’s fees, if the works are solely for the building owner’s benefit. The logic is simple: the neighbour did not ask for the work and should not be out of pocket because of it.

Surveyor fees and building costs are different things

Do not confuse the surveyors’ costs (section 10) with the cost of the building work itself (section 11). Under section 11(1) the building owner pays for the work, except where the Act says otherwise. The two often follow the same pattern, but they are decided under different provisions.

When the adjoining owner might pay

What “reasonable” means

There is no fixed scale of fees for party wall surveyors. Fees must be reasonable for the work involved: the nature of the project, the time spent inspecting and preparing the Schedule, reviewing drawings, negotiating the Award and checking the work. If you think a fee is unreasonable, the booklet says you can ask for a breakdown, such as the hourly rate and the number of hours charged. In a two-surveyor case, the building owner’s surveyor will usually review the adjoining owner’s surveyor’s account before it is agreed in the Award, and if the surveyors cannot agree, the third surveyor can determine it.

How the choice of surveyor affects cost

• Consent, or consent with a Schedule of Condition: no Award, so no Award costs. You pay only for the notices and Schedule.
• Agreed Surveyor: one impartial surveyor, one fee. With us that is within the full package.
• Two surveyors: you pay your own surveyor and, normally, the neighbour’s surveyor’s reasonable fees.

The neighbour is entitled to choose their own surveyor, and that choice is right for complex or contentious works. For most domestic projects, consent with a Schedule or an Agreed Surveyor is quicker and cheaper for everyone without reducing the neighbour’s protection, because every surveyor appointed under the Act must act impartially.

Checking inspections and later costs

Section 10(13)(b) also covers “reasonable inspections of work to which the award relates”. Most Awards provide for the surveyors to inspect at the end of the works, or if damage is alleged. Those costs are normally the building owner’s too. If damage is found, the cost of putting it right, or a payment in lieu under s.11(8), is separate from the surveyors’ fees.

Worked example

Illustrative only. Sophie’s neighbour dissents from her rear extension notice and appoints their own surveyor. Sophie appoints us. The two surveyors agree a Schedule of Condition and an Award, which provides that Sophie pays both surveyors’ reasonable fees. The neighbour’s surveyor submits a fee with a breakdown of hours; we review it as part of agreeing the Award. Halfway through the works the neighbour asks for their side of the garden wall to be repointed while the scaffold is up. That is extra work for the neighbour’s benefit, so the neighbour pays for it directly.

Our fees

Our fixed fees for domestic work (all + VAT): party wall notices £150 (all your neighbours); notices plus a Schedule of Condition £499 (each extra Schedule £399); Party Wall Award £400; full package of notices, Schedule and Award £899 (£999 in London). Acting as Agreed Surveyor normally carries a £50 supplement, currently waived. If your neighbour appoints their own surveyor, you will normally also pay that surveyor’s reasonable fees (s.10(13)); those are set by them, not us. See our prices.

Neighbours can also appoint us; see adjoining owners.

Fees when the neighbour simply consents

If the neighbour consents, there is no dispute and no Award, so section 10(13) costs do not arise. The building owner pays their own costs of preparing and serving the notices and, if agreed, the Schedule of Condition. A neighbour who consents but wants independent advice before signing can take it at their own expense; that is a private arrangement, not a cost under the Act.

For neighbours: what you should not be asked to pay

On a typical domestic project for the building owner’s benefit, an adjoining owner should not normally expect to pay the building owner’s surveyor, the Agreed Surveyor, or their own appointed surveyor’s reasonable fees for the Award. If you are asked to pay, ask why: it may relate to a defect you share responsibility for, extra work you requested, or a matter the surveyors have determined. You can ask for a breakdown, and you can appeal an Award, including its costs, to the county court within 14 days of service (s.10(17)).

Surveyors’ fees and the account for works

Where the adjoining owner must contribute to the cost of the building work itself, the building owner serves an account within two months of completion, and the adjoining owner has one month to object (s.13). That process concerns building costs, not surveyors’ fees, but it often runs alongside them on repair projects.

Worked example: a shared defect

Illustrative only. A brick garden wall astride the boundary is leaning and partly collapsed. One owner serves a party structure notice to demolish and rebuild it under s.2(2)(b). The neighbour dissents and each appoints a surveyor. The surveyors find the defect is due to age and both owners use the wall equally, so they award that the rebuilding cost is split equally under s.11(5), and the surveyors’ fees likewise, since the work benefits both. Contrast that with a loft conversion, where all the costs fall on the building owner.

Practical tips for building owners

• Budget for the neighbour’s surveyor from the start, in case they choose one.
• Offer consent with a Schedule or an Agreed Surveyor; both keep costs down.
• Ask for fee breakdowns early, not after the Award.
• Provide complete drawings so surveyors’ time is not spent chasing information.

Sources and further reading

• Party Wall etc. Act 1996, section 4: Counter notices (legislation.gov.uk)
• Party Wall etc. Act 1996, section 10: Resolution of disputes (legislation.gov.uk)
• Party Wall etc. Act 1996, section 11: Expenses (legislation.gov.uk)
• GOV.UK: The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 explanatory booklet
• GOV.UK: Party walls and building work
• Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS)

Section references are to the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 as it applies in England and Wales, checked against legislation.gov.uk. This guide is general professional guidance, not legal advice; every project should be assessed on its own drawings.

For the overall picture, see who pays for a party wall agreement.

Sources: Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (legislation.gov.uk) · The Party Wall etc. Act 1996: explanatory booklet (GOV.UK) · Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS). Last reviewed 27 October 2026. General guidance on the law in England and Wales, not legal advice.