Party Wall Services. Handled by Professional Surveyors.
For most London projects, one to three months, depending on the works and your neighbour's response. If your neighbour consents, works can begin once the notice period ends. If they dissent, the Party Wall Award usually adds four to six weeks.
The notice period itself is the biggest fixed factor: one month for boundary or excavation works, two months for works to the party wall. Serving early is the single best way to keep your start date on track.
For most London projects the answer is one to three months. The single biggest factor is whether your neighbour consents to the notice or dissents. Consent keeps you on the short route, while dissent adds the time needed to prepare a Party Wall Award.
On a straightforward project where the neighbour consents, the process is effectively the notice period: one month for boundary or excavation works, and two months for works to the party wall. Once that period ends, the works can begin. Where the neighbour dissents, or does not respond, the Award process adds roughly four to six weeks on top, so a dissented project commonly runs to around three to four months from serving the notice.
The process follows the same stages every time. These durations are typical for a London project and run in sequence, not in parallel.
Confirm which notices apply and prepare them.
The notice period starts from this date.
The neighbour consents or dissents in writing.
One month for boundary or excavation, two for party wall.
Surveyors are appointed and the Award prepared.
On consent after the period, on dissent after the Award.
Two projects can take very different times. The main factors that lengthen or shorten the timeline are:
The answer depends on which of these two routes applies. Here is the typical timeline for each.
| Stage | If your neighbour consents | If your neighbour dissents |
|---|---|---|
| Notice period | 1 to 2 months | 1 to 2 months |
| Surveyor appointment | Not needed | About 1 to 2 weeks |
| Award preparation | Not needed | About 4 to 6 weeks |
| Typical total | 1 to 2 months | 3 to 4 months |
Most delays are avoidable with a little planning. The timeline stays on track when you:
Serving the wrong notice, or missing an owner, restarts the clock and is the most common cause of delay. Where a neighbour dissents, a surveyor is required to prepare the Award, and one who handles this daily moves it along faster than one who prepares awards occasionally. At LENIO every instruction is led personally by a Chartered Civil and Building Engineer (ICE and CABE).
Only with your neighbour's written agreement. The notice periods are statutory minimums set by the Act and cannot be cut on your own. A neighbour can agree to an earlier start in writing, but they are not obliged to. This is why serving early matters: the period runs from the date of service.
As soon as the Award is served on both owners. There is no further waiting period once it is in place, for the works the Award covers. Either party can appeal within 14 days, but that does not usually hold up a fair Award.
Usually, yes. A single Agreed Surveyor acting for both owners avoids the back-and-forth between two surveyors, which often shortens the Award stage. It is not always the right choice, but where both sides are comfortable with one impartial surveyor, it is typically the quicker route.
Allow at least the notice period, plus a buffer. For party structure works, serve around two to three months before your planned start. For boundary or excavation works, allow one to two months. If a dissent is likely, add the four to six weeks for the Award.
Not indefinitely. If your neighbour ignores the notice, the Act lets you serve a further request and, after 10 days, appoint a surveyor on their behalf. A neighbour cannot use dissent to block reasonable works; it only moves the project onto the Award route, which has its own defined timeline.
The most common cause is a notice served late, incorrectly, or on the wrong owner, which restarts the clock. Complex works and unresponsive parties also add time. Almost all of these are avoidable by serving valid notices early with the right owners identified.
Tell us your planned start date and a LENIO chartered surveyor will explain the timeline for your project, with free initial advice and no obligation.
