What should I look out for when appointing a party wall surveyor near me?
Check the Party Wall Act etc. As defined in section 20 of the Act of 1996, a surveyor is someone who is appointed or selected to resolve disputes by the Act. The ‘surveyor’ doesn’t have to be a thoroughly trained and regulated professional, and there’s no advice on who should do the job.
There’s no requirement for a Party Wall Surveyor to be qualified. So how do you pick one, whether you’re a building owner proposing a work or an adjoining neighbor living next to a developer proposing one? First, make sure your surveyor protects your building’s rights and integrity before, during, and after any proposed work.
You must follow the Party Wall Act, etc. Surveyors need to know the Party Wall Act 1996 and building construction, dispute resolution, and building design – if your surveyor has a broad skill set, you can rest assured that your interests are protected.
We’ve identified the ingredients required for your chosen Party Wall Surveyor’s expertise, knowledge, and experience. But, of course, you have to manage the process as a building owner.
Your surveyor will deal with many people, including other surveyors, architects, structural engineers, contractors, and checking consultants.
It’s essential to hire a surveyor who understands the design concept and the level of detail the building owner needs to provide. Building owners can move their projects with the slightest delay and cost by hiring a surveyor.
In the party wall process, dealing with other professionals with a construction background with experience in planning and executing a wide range of projects is a great advantage. Therefore, we believe you are a construction professional and a party wall surveyor second to evolve as an expert on party walls.
There’s also personality, which no governing body, university, or professional association can teach you, but comes with experience working with other professionals on many projects over time.
As the Party Wall Surveyor will be dealing with several other people during the process, strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with other people are imperative to a successful and cost-effective process.
Notifiable works under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 often poses a severe structural risk to adjoining buildings and owners’ rights during the work.
A qualified Party Wall Surveyor’s job is to apply the legislation to mitigate and reduce risks to adjoining structures while still allowing the building owner to carry out the notifiable works.
It’s also essential to take adjoining owners’ rights into account. Before work starts, it’s common for the Party Wall Surveyor to recommend and administer changes to drawings.
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