Who Pays for a Party Wall Surveyor? (2026 UK Guide)

Short answer: the building owner — the person doing the works — pays for the party wall surveyor. That's true for their own surveyor AND for the adjoining owner's surveyor. It's set out in Section 10(13) of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

The rule in one paragraph

If you're extending, converting a loft, digging foundations or removing a chimney breast, you are the building owner under the Act. If a party wall Award is drafted, the Act says you pay the reasonable fees of every surveyor involved — yours and your neighbour's. Your neighbour (the adjoining owner) pays nothing for the surveyor role.

The three scenarios and who pays

1. Neighbour consents to the notice. No surveyor is appointed. You pay the notice drafting fee (£50 for the first, £30 for each additional) and that's it. Nobody else pays anything.

2. Neighbour dissents and both sides agree one "Agreed Surveyor". One neutral surveyor acts for both owners. Building owner pays the whole £650 fixed fee. Adjoining owner pays £0.

3. Neighbour dissents and appoints their own surveyor. Two surveyors, each acting for one side. Building owner pays their own surveyor (£850 fixed) AND the adjoining owner's surveyor's reasonable fees (typically £850–£1,275). Adjoining owner still pays £0.

Why the Act puts the cost on the building owner

You are the one benefiting from the works and creating the potential for disturbance or damage. The Act balances that by making sure the neighbour isn't out of pocket for having to protect their property.

The four exceptions where an adjoining owner CAN be charged

In practice, these are rare, but they exist: - Unreasonable delay — refusing to engage, ignoring correspondence, or forcing avoidable meetings. - Frivolous demands — asking for a Schedule of Condition of the whole street when only one wall is affected. - Works instigated by the adjoining owner (e.g. counter-notice under Section 4 requiring the building owner to do extra work for the adjoining owner's benefit) — those specific extras are typically the adjoining owner's cost. - Third-surveyor referral driven by the adjoining owner's unreasonable position — the Third Surveyor can allocate their fee against the party at fault.

A competent surveyor will steer you well clear of any of these on both sides.

What "reasonable" means

Section 10(13) doesn't say the building owner pays whatever the adjoining owner's surveyor invoices — it says reasonable fees. If the adjoining owner's surveyor is charging £2,500 for a straightforward loft conversion, the building owner's surveyor can and should challenge that, and if it can't be agreed the Third Surveyor decides.

Party Wall Hub pricing

• Building owner: £50 first notice, £30 additional, £650 Agreed Surveyor or £850 own surveyor (Schedule of Condition included in both).
• Adjoining owner: £0.

Run our free 60-second checker to see exactly which fees apply to your project.

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