Party Wall Surveyor Chiswick | Fixed Fees From £165

Grey & Associates are party wall surveyors in Chiswick, covering W4, Bedford Park, Turnham Green, Grove Park, Strand on the Green and Chiswick Mall. We act for owners building and for owners who have received a notice. Fixed fees start at £165 + VAT per adjoining property.

Key takeaway

Chiswick is not a terrace district in the way Hammersmith or Fulham is, and that changes the shape of a party wall case. Much of the housing is semi-detached or detached on generous plots, so a project often has one neighbouring house rather than two — but a larger footprint, more garden, more boundary wall and more room to dig. The consequences are that section 6 excavation, section 1 work on the line of junction and the party-fence-wall question come up far more often here, while the classic two-notice side-return case is less common.

On the riverside streets the additional factor is water. On the High Road it is the number of separate interests above and below a commercial unit.

What makes Chiswick different

Semi-detached and detached stock: fewer neighbours, bigger projects

A semi-detached house shares one party wall with one adjoining owner. That sounds simpler than a terrace, and in notice count it often is — but it changes the nature of the works rather than reducing them. Bigger plots mean more room for a rear extension, a deeper basement and a larger new footprint; they also mean garden walls, boundary walls, outbuildings and long runs of excavation. Where a new wall is built on the line of junction rather than alongside it, section 1 applies with a one-month notice, and this arises in Chiswick far more often than in the terraced districts to the south and east. Where a boundary wall is not part of any building, stands on land of different owners and separates those lands, it is a party fence wall rather than a party wall — a distinct category under the Act, with its own notice position. Checking the title plan before work, rather than assuming, is the difference between a straightforward project and an argument.

Bedford Park and Grove Park

Bedford Park is a conservation area of considerable architectural interest, and Grove Park contains large Edwardian houses on substantial plots. Two consequences follow. First, the finishes matter: the Schedule of Condition has to record original fabric in detail, because that is what a neighbour's claim will be about. Second, the scale of permitted work on these houses — rear and side extensions, garden structures, basement schemes — means the excavation often passes below the neighbouring foundations along a considerable length, which makes section 6 the governing provision.

Strand on the Green and Chiswick Mall

The riverside streets combine older, frequently listed houses with ground conditions that make below-ground work demanding. Ground water is a live consideration on basement schemes, and the neighbouring property's existing cellar, tanking, sump and drainage form part of what has to be recorded before the dig. On a riverside site the record has to be taken properly the first time; there is no opportunity to reconstruct it after the excavation begins.

The High Road: flats above commercial premises

Chiswick High Road and the streets around Turnham Green have a continuous run of flats above shops and restaurants, where the freehold is typically held by a landlord or investment company and the units are let separately. Converting, extending or strengthening a flat above a commercial unit engages a separating floor or the structural frame, and therefore interests above, below and beside the works. The adjoining owner here is usually a title, not a person, and the occupier of the shop below may be affected even though they hold no party wall interest of their own.

Basements and underpinning under Chiswick houses

Chiswick's larger houses and generous plots make basement schemes more feasible than in the denser districts — and the depth and extent of them is what makes the party wall work substantial. Four points govern a scheme here.

Section 6 notice, one month before the dig. Where the excavation is within three metres of a neighbouring structure and deeper than its foundations, or within six metres where it would cut a 45-degree line drawn from the bottom of those foundations, notice must be served at least a month in advance. Because the houses here are larger, the 45-degree line frequently reaches further into the neighbouring land than owners expect.
The duty to compensate is not fault-based. Section 7 requires the building owner to compensate the neighbour for loss or damage caused by work executed under the Act, so damage from the excavation is compensable whether or not anyone was negligent. The Schedule of Condition taken before work starts is what separates the condition that was already there from the consequence of the dig.
Section 2 runs alongside it. Loading a party wall, inserting a beam or padstone, underpinning or thickening the wall are section 2 works with a two-month notice. Most basements under a semi-detached or terraced Chiswick house do at least one.
Water and riverside ground. On the streets near the river, dewatering and tanking are part of the project, and existing water-related damage in the neighbouring property must be recorded before work starts. It is the most common source of a claim after a neighbouring excavation.

Basement and underpinning work is quoted separately from the fixed fees, after we have reviewed the structural drawings and method statement. Our basement and underpinning party wall page sets out how we run those cases.

Fees for party wall work in Chiswick

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, charged at 20%: the £1,135 figure carries £227 of VAT, so £1,362 including VAT.

Basement and underpinning works are priced differently. Deeper excavation, more engineering input and far 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. Dispute and non-compliance work is charged separately at £185 per hour plus VAT. Nothing in this section is an offer.

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

Chiswick party wall questions

My Bedford Park house is semi-detached. Do I need one party wall notice or two?

It depends on what you are building, not on how many neighbours you have. A semi-detached house shares a single party wall with one adjoining owner, so a project that only affects that wall needs one notice. But Bedford Park houses sit on generous plots with boundary walls and garden structures, and a rear or side extension can bring the excavation within three metres of the neighbouring house, which is section 6, or put a new wall on the line of junction, which is section 1. A garden wall that is not part of any building, stands on land belonging to different owners and separates those lands is a party fence wall rather than a party wall, and which category it falls into decides the notice position. We look at the title and the proposed works before deciding how many notices are needed.

What is different about a basement near Chiswick Mall or Strand on the Green?

The legal tests are the same — section 6 applies once excavation is within three metres of a neighbouring structure and deeper than its foundations, or within six metres where it cuts a 45-degree line from the bottom of those foundations. What differs on the riverside streets is water. Basement schemes close to the river have to deal with ground water as a matter of course, and the neighbouring property's existing cellar, tanking, drainage and damp need to be recorded in the Schedule of Condition in full detail before the dig starts. Many of the houses on these streets are also listed or in a conservation area, so the record has to describe historic fabric rather than generic finishes.

I am converting the flat above a shop on Chiswick High Road. Who do I serve?

The interests that hold the structure and any premises the work affects. Above commercial premises the freehold is often held by a landlord or an investment company while the shop and the flat are let separately, so the adjoining owner is rarely the person you deal with day to day. Where the works involve a separating floor or the structural frame, the occupier of the commercial unit below can also be affected. We establish the title position from the register before serving, because a conversion with several interests can need a notice, and if it is disputed an award, for each of them.

What does a party wall surveyor cost in Chiswick?

Fixed fees: £165 per adjoining property to serve notice, £620 per Schedule of Condition, and £350 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 all-in. All figures exclude VAT at 20%. Basement and underpinning works are priced differently, and a formal quote is presented after we have reviewed the plans and the proposed works.

Talk to a Chiswick party wall surveyor

Grey & Associates have worked exclusively on the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 since 2008, including basement and structural schemes across W4 and the riverside streets. The first conversation is free.

Fixed fees per adjoining property, agreed before work starts.
Schedules of Condition written for basement and riverside risk.
Experience of listed buildings, conservation areas and commercial freeholds.
Representation for owners building, and owners who have received a notice.

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

Nearby: Hammersmith, Ealing, Kensington, Chelsea and Knightsbridge. The wider picture is on our West London party wall surveyor page.

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Party Wall Surveyor in Chiswick