Do I need to serve a party wall notice?

Yes. Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, you must serve a written notice on all adjoining owners before carrying out any work that affects a shared (party) wall, building on or near a boundary, or excavating within 3–6 metres of a neighbouring building. Failure to do so can result in injunctions stopping your work.

What are the three types of party wall notice?

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 requires three different notices depending on the work: (1) Party Structure Notice — for works to an existing shared wall or structure, such as extensions or underpinning; (2) Line of Junction Notice — for building a new wall on or at the boundary; (3) Excavation Notice — for digging within 3 metres of a neighbouring structure where the excavation will go deeper than their foundations, or within 6 metres under the 45-degree rule.

How much notice must I give before starting work?

A Party Structure Notice must be served at least two months before work begins. A Line of Junction Notice requires one month's notice. An Excavation Notice requires one month's notice. Work cannot start until the notice period has expired and the adjoining owner has either consented in writing or a surveyor has been appointed.

What happens if my neighbour does not respond to the party wall notice?

If your neighbour does not respond within 14 days, a dispute is deemed to have arisen under the Act. Both parties must then appoint surveyors (or agree on a single 'agreed surveyor') to draw up a Party Wall Award. This process adds cost and delay, which is why a prompt, correctly drafted notice with a consent letter is so important.

What is the difference between a party wall notice and a party wall agreement?

A party wall notice is the written document you serve on your neighbour before works begin — it is the first step in obtaining your party wall agreement. A party wall agreement (also called a Party Wall Award) is the end result: either your neighbour signs the consent letter (most common), or appointed surveyors produce a formal award. BoundaryFinder generates the notice and consent letter for the first, simpler route.

Does a party wall notice need to be in a specific format?

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 does not prescribe a mandatory form, but the notice must contain specific information: the building owner's name and address, the adjoining owner's name and address, a description of the proposed works, the planned start date, and a statement that it is served under the Act. BoundaryFinder produces notices that meet all of these legal requirements.

Party Wall etc. Act 1996 — England & Wales

Party Wall Agreement

Get your party wall agreement online. Fill in your details, we generate the legally required party wall notice and consent letter — your neighbour signs and your agreement is complete. Covers all three notice types under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. No solicitor required.

Party Wall Agreement — Notice & Consent Letter — £14.95

✓ England & Wales only ✓ Instant PDF download ✓ All 3 notice types covered ✓ Up to 5 adjoining owners ✓ No account needed ✓ Secure payment via Stripe

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How this gives you your party wall agreement

A party wall agreement is what you need before carrying out works near a shared wall or boundary. There are two ways to get one:

Neighbour consents (most common) — you serve them a party wall notice, they sign the consent letter. That’s your party wall agreement done — no surveyor needed.
Neighbour disputes — both sides appoint surveyors, who produce a formal Party Wall Award. This adds cost and delay, but is relatively rare.

BoundaryFinder generates the party wall notice and consent letter — everything your neighbour needs to sign to complete your agreement quickly.

Party wall agreement explained — YouTube video

2-minute explainer — what is a party wall agreement?

Get your party wall agreement below

Fill in your details and we’ll generate your party wall notice and consent letter instantly — your neighbour signs the consent letter and your party wall agreement is complete. Just print, sign, and hand them over.

1Notice Type

2Works Address

3Your Details

4Works Description

5Adjoining Owners

1. Notice Type

Select the type of works

Which notice do I need? ▾

Party Structure Notice

Works to an existing shared wall or structure — e.g. building an extension off a party wall, cutting in a new beam or opening, underpinning, or repairing a shared chimney. Needs 2 months' notice.

Line of Junction Notice

Building a brand-new wall on or astride the boundary line — e.g. a new garden wall, new side extension wall, or new garage wall sitting on the boundary. Needs 1 month's notice.

Excavation Notice — 3m

Digging within 3 metres of a neighbouring building or structure (measured horizontally) where your excavation will go deeper than their foundations. Typical for basements or deep footings close to the boundary. Needs 1 month's notice.

Excavation Notice — 6m

Digging within 6 metres of a neighbouring building where the bottom of your excavation intersects a 45° line drawn downward from the base of their foundations (the "45-degree rule"). Used for deeper or wider excavations further from the boundary. Needs 1 month's notice.

Party Structure Notice

Works to a shared wall, floor, or structure (e.g. chimney, beam, openings). Requires 2 months' notice.

Line of Junction Notice

Building a new wall on the boundary line or astride it. Requires 1 month's notice.

Excavation Notice — 3m

Excavating within 3 m of a neighbour's structure to a depth lower than their foundations. 1 month's notice.

Excavation Notice — 6m

Excavating within 6 m of a neighbour's structure if the works intersect a 45° plane from their foundations. 1 month's notice.

Excavation details

Excavation depth (metres) *

Distance from neighbour's structure (metres) *

2. Property Where Works Will Take Place

Address line 1 *

Address line 2

Town / City *

County

Postcode *

3. Building Owner (You)

The person carrying out the works. This name and address will appear on the notice.

My address is the same as the works address

Full name *

Address line 1 *

Address line 2

Town / City *

County

Postcode *

Email address *

Your download link will be sent here.

Phone number

Optional — included on the notice.

4. Works Description

Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, the description of works in the notice must be sufficient for the adjoining owner to understand what is being done. It does not need to be in legal language, but it must be specific enough to describe the actual notifiable works.

Description of proposed works *

This wording appears verbatim on the legal notice — be specific about what is being built or altered. Vague descriptions such as “building work” or “home improvement” are not sufficient.

💡 What should I write? — Examples by notice type

Party Structure Notice

Use when cutting into, raising, or carrying out major works to a shared wall.

Construction of a single-storey rear extension, including insertion of two 152×89 RSJ steel beams into the party wall at first-floor level, together with underpinning of the existing party wall foundations to a depth of 900mm.
Removal of the existing chimney breast on the ground floor (party wall), making good of the party wall and installation of a padstone and steel beam to support the remaining structure above.
Raising the party wall by approximately 600mm to the full width of the rear elevation, including rebuilding the top courses in facing brick to match the existing, and installation of a new coping.

Line of Junction Notice

Use when building a new wall on or astride the boundary where no wall currently exists.

Construction of a new single-storey rear extension with a 215mm brick wall built astride the boundary with the adjoining property, extending approximately 4m from the rear of the existing building.
Erection of a new 215mm blockwork garden wall along the boundary line between the properties, approximately 18m in length and 1.8m in height, with the wall centreline placed on the boundary.

Three Metre / Six Metre Notice (Excavation)

Use when excavating within 3m or 6m of an adjoining building’s foundations, to a depth below their foundation level.

Excavation for the construction of new strip foundations for a single-storey rear extension. The excavation will reach a depth of approximately 1.2m, within 2.5m of the existing foundations of the adjoining property.
Construction of a new basement beneath the existing dwelling. Excavation will extend to a depth of approximately 3m below ground level, within 5m of the foundations of the neighbouring property.

⚠️ Not covered by the Party Wall Act: fences, garden walls that do not straddle the boundary, internal decorations, roof repairs that do not affect the party wall, or general maintenance. If you are unsure whether your works are notifiable, consult a party wall surveyor.

Proposed start date *

Must be at least 2 months from today (party structure) or 1 month (other types).

5. Adjoining Owner(s)

The neighbour(s) who share the wall or are affected by the works. A separate notice will be generated for each owner. You can add up to 5.

Full name *

Address line 1 *

Address line 2

Town / City *

County

Postcode *

Relationship to works

You can add up to 5 adjoining owners

What You Get

✓ Party Wall Agreement Pack — emailed instantly as a ZIP
✓ Party Wall Notice PDF (one per adjoining owner)
✓ Consent Letter PDF — your neighbour signs this to complete the agreement
✓ Party Wall Act & Notice Guide attached separately to your email
✓ Covers all 3 notice types under the Party Wall Act 1996

Important Notes

⚠ You must serve the notice yourself — by post to the last known address, or by hand. Keep proof of service (s.15)
⚠ Works must not start until the full notice period has expired and either consent is given or a dispute is resolved
⚠ The adjoining owner may serve a counter-notice within 1 month requesting additional works or materials (s.4)
⚠ A notice is valid for 12 months from the date of service — if works don't start within that time, you must re-serve
⚠ If your neighbour disputes the works, you will each need to appoint a qualified party wall surveyor (s.10)
⚠ This service generates the notice — it does not constitute legal advice

Read our full Party Wall Act guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

Q Do I need a party wall agreement?
Yes — and this is how you get one. Serve the notice on your neighbour using the documents we generate, they sign the consent letter, and your party wall agreement is complete. A formal surveyor-produced award is only needed if they dispute the works, which most neighbours don’t.
Q Who do I send the notice to?
Every owner of each affected adjoining property — not just the occupier. If a property is leasehold, you must serve both the freeholder and the leaseholder separately. If there are joint owners, each must receive their own copy.
Q How do I serve it?
By hand, or by first-class or recorded post to the last known address. Section 15 of the Act also permits fixing a copy to a conspicuous part of the premises if it is unoccupied. Keep proof of postage or delivery.
Q What if they don't respond?
If no written response is received within 14 days of service (not the date on the notice), they are deemed to have dissented — a dispute arises and surveyors must be appointed.
Q Can they demand extra works?
Yes — under s.4 the adjoining owner can serve a counter-notice within 1 month asking for works to be carried out in a particular material or requesting additional protective works at your expense.

Act References

Party Wall etc. Act 1996 — key sections on legislation.gov.uk:

s.1 — New walls on or astride the line of junction
s.2 — Permitted party structure works
s.3 — Party structure notice requirements
s.4 — Counter-notices
s.5 — Disputes arising under s.3 & s.4
s.6 — Adjacent excavation notices (3m & 6m)
s.7 — Compensation & adjoining owner's rights
s.10 — Resolution of disputes (surveyors & award)
s.15 — Service of notices & documents

Official GOV.UK explanatory booklet →

Party Wall Agreement

Party Wall Act & Notice Guide

How this gives you your party wall agreement

Get your party wall agreement below

1. Notice Type

2. Property Where Works Will Take Place

3. Building Owner (You)

4. Works Description

Party Structure Notice

Line of Junction Notice

Three Metre / Six Metre Notice (Excavation)

5. Adjoining Owner(s)