The Party Wall Helpline

OK, lets be careful here…  what can [and does] happen is that a planning application is submitted and firms[s] of ambulance chains “Party Wall Surveyors” immediately put out quite official looking, quite alarming letters in the hope of signing people up early.  In many cases these actully look like party wall notices event though they are not.   They get the job, and your details by trawling the planning lists and speculatively touting for business it  is perhaps the modern equivalent  of the door to door salesman.  Then, of course, when the owner wants to appoint someone else they advise that the appointment under the act is permanent and surveyors cannot be appointed.

Now, we have no objection to people chasing up work but there are some things to bear in mind -nearly all of the ambulance chasers are not Chartered Surveyors, nearly al of them are expensive and virtually all of them sub contract the work to local “surveyors” who, frankly, don’t get paid especially well.  You will have to decide whether you want that type of firm representing you although their sub contracted surveyor will probably do quite an acceptable job.

As a recommendation you are advised to use experienced Chartered Surveyors who are specialists in Party Wall Matters – look for the letters RICS and to speak to them first, ideally  your surveyor should be local to you and should be experienced in party wall matters.  Firms not associated with the RICS may well have no professional indemnity insurance.