A party wall notice is the formal letter that starts the Party Wall Act process — and getting it right matters, because an invalid notice can void everything that follows it. Here are the three types, the timing rules, and exactly what each must contain.
The three types of party wall notice
1. Party structure notice (section 3) — for work directly to the shared structure: beams, chimney breasts, raising, underpinning. Serve two months before work starts. 2. Line of junction notice (section 1) — for a new wall at or astride the boundary. Serve one month ahead. 3. Notice of adjacent excavation (section 6) — for digging within 3 or 6 metres of a neighbouring structure, served one month ahead and accompanied by plans showing the depth and position of the excavation.
What a valid notice must contain
The owner's name and address, the property address, a clear description of the proposed work (with drawings for excavation notices), the planned start date, and the date of service. It must be served on every adjoining owner — including leaseholders with more than a year's tenancy and all joint freeholders. Miss one owner and the notice is defective for that owner.
Free templates
Download our free party wall templates — including notice templates for all three types — or read the party structure notice guide for drafting detail. Templates work well for simple, friendly situations; where the works are complex or relations delicate, having a surveyor draft and serve carries real weight and avoids validity mistakes.
After the notice: the 14-day clock
Adjoining owners have 14 days to respond. Consent: work can proceed — record a schedule of condition first. Dissent (or no response): a dispute arises under the Act and surveyors are appointed — one Agreed Surveyor for both parties, or one each. The surveyor(s) then produce the party wall award that governs the works. Costs are normally paid by the building owner — see the full cost guide.
Serve it properly, once
Survey Merchant's RICS party wall surveyors draft and serve valid notices within 2–3 working days, UK-wide — with local teams in London, Manchester and Chester. Get your notices served this week →
