Party Wall Surveyor in Borehamwood

WD6 — Borehamwood and Elstree, just outside Greater London, with inter-war semis and larger detached houses

Grey & Associates are party wall surveyors in Borehamwood, covering WD6, Borehamwood, Elstree, the Shenley and Radlett borders and the A1 corridor. The town sits just outside Greater London but inside our M25 service area. Fixed fees start at £165 + VAT per adjoining property.

Key takeaway

Borehamwood is a Hertfordshire border market with a London-style housing mix: 1930s semis, post-war estates and larger detached houses towards Elstree and the studios. The common projects are lofts, rear and side extensions, and garden walls. Most cases involve one neighbour, but the Act applies in the same way as in London.

If a notice has arrived and you own a flat in a converted house or block, the position is usually stronger than people assume: in a dispute the Building Owner pays the reasonable fees of both sides' surveyors.

What Borehamwood cases turn on

The Borehamwood semi and the standard extension

Much of Borehamwood is 1920s to 1970s semi-detached and terraced housing. The party wall runs the full depth of the pair and into the roof, so a loft conversion, rear extension or chimney-breast removal can touch the shared structure even when the project is entirely within the owner's plot.

Most of these cases involve one adjoining owner and sit on the fixed fee. The notice still has to be served early enough for the two-month section 2 period.

Elstree, the studios and larger houses

Towards Elstree and the studios the plots widen and the houses become more often detached. Projects can include two-storey additions, basement schemes and new build. A new wall on the line of junction is section 1; excavation below the neighbour's foundations is section 6.

On larger plots access is easier, but the structural and drainage review is more important. A basement or lower-ground scheme is priced separately after we see the plans.

Garden walls and the Hertfordshire border

Borehamwood has a lot of boundary-wall work. Rebuilding a garden wall in brick, raising it or replacing a fence with a wall can engage section 1 or the party fence wall provisions. The deeds and the physical position of the wall decide which applies.

Because Borehamwood is outside Greater London, owners sometimes assume the Act does not apply. It does: the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers England and Wales, and the same notice and award process applies.

What catches people out in Borehamwood

  • The Act applies in Hertfordshire too. Borehamwood is outside Greater London but inside England, so the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in the ordinary way.
  • Check the boundary wall before replacing it. A new wall on the line of junction is section 1; an existing party fence wall is section 2.
  • Do not assume a detached house is outside the Act. Excavation close to the neighbour's structure can still be section 6 work.
  • Record the existing garden and drainage. On larger plots, the schedule should cover the boundary, outbuildings and drainage as well as the house.

For the underlying law, the Party Wall Act explained sets out the framework. Our party wall notice guide, schedule of condition guide and party wall award guide cover the three documents every case runs through.

Fees for party wall work in Borehamwood

Fixed and published: £165 + VAT per adjoining property to serve notice, £620 + VAT per Schedule of Condition, and £350 + VAT per adjoining property for an award acting for the Building Owner. A one-neighbour dispute — notices, one Schedule of Condition and the award — is £1,135 + VAT. All prices exclude VAT at 20%.

Basement and underpinning works are priced differently. Deeper excavation, more engineering input and more extensive schedules put them outside the fixed figures above. We review your plans and the proposed works first, then present a formal written quote before anything is agreed or any notice is served.

The full breakdown, including the statutory position on who pays for both sides' surveyors, is on our London party wall surveyor page. The regional hub for this page is North London.

Borehamwood party wall questions

Does the Party Wall Act apply in Borehamwood?

Yes. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 covers England and Wales, so it applies in Borehamwood and Elstree in the same way as in London. The notice periods and the award process are the same.

Do I need a party wall notice for a loft conversion in Borehamwood?

If the work touches the party wall between two semis, yes. Cutting in a steel, raising the wall, forming a gable on the boundary or altering a shared chimney breast is section 2 work with a two-month notice period. A detached-house loft may fall outside the Act if no shared structure is affected.

My neighbour is building a new wall on the boundary. What notice should they serve?

A new wall on the line of junction is section 1 work, and the notice period is one month. If the wall is to be built astride the boundary, the neighbour may also need your written agreement to the position. The Act does not oblige you to pay half unless you agree to do so.

What does a party wall surveyor cost in Borehamwood?

£165 + VAT per adjoining property to serve notice, £620 + VAT per Schedule of Condition, and £350 + VAT per adjoining property for an award acting for the Building Owner. A one-neighbour dispute is £1,135 + VAT. Basement and underpinning work is quoted separately.

Further reading

North London work runs from basement terraces to 1930s semis and new-build boundaries. These articles go into the detail:

See also our section-by-section guide to the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, our party wall FAQs, how the notice process works and about the practice.

Talk to a Borehamwood party wall surveyor

Grey & Associates have worked exclusively on the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 since 2008, including basement, structural and multi-owner schemes across London and the surrounding counties. The first conversation is free.

  • Fixed fees per adjoining property, agreed before work starts.
  • Schedules of Condition that stand up as evidence a year later.
  • Experience of listed buildings, conservation areas and converted houses.
  • Representation for owners building, and owners who have received a notice.

Call 020 8150 3762 or email info@greyandassociates.co.uk.

Nearby: Stanmore, Edgware, Pinner and Harrow. Digging out a basement? That work has its own page: basement and underpinning party wall surveyors.

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