Use our Free Plan Checking Service to Ensure Party Wall Act Compliance

By Nathan Foley | 7 March 2020 | Party Wall Surveyor

Any mistakes made during the construction process can quickly become expensive – both in terms of time and money – to correct. That’s why they say you should always “measure twice, cut once”. The same principle can be applied to every aspect of construction, including the planning process. This is why more people are choosing to invest in a plan checking service to save more money in the long-run.

Plan checking providers will be with you during the entire design process. They will go over the plans and come up with insightful opinions and offer their own recommendations about how to proceed. This includes, of course, making sure that the plans are in adherence to any building codes and building requirements. In particular, we offer a free specialised plan checking service that ensures your project complies with the Party Wall Act.

What is the Party Wall Act?

Every building planner and contractor should be aware of the Party Wall Act and the regulations it sets out. It means that neighbours should be alerted to any building work that takes place in the shared property boundary; known as the party wall. The Party Wall Act helps to preserve structural integrity with shared walls and prevent disputes between neighbours. You should also take “party structures” into account, which are floors, partitions, and other building elements that separate a building into different ownerships.

The Party Act covers new buildings on the boundaries of two properties, works to any existing party structures, and excavations near the foundation level of neighbouring buildings. It could also be applied in other situations. It’s always worth consulting a professional if you aren’t sure whether your planned project falls under the Party Wall Act or not.

How Does the Free Plan Checking Service Work?

We provide a free Plan checking service where we identify any party walls and structures on your property. Knowing where the party walls are – if there are any – means you are better prepared when putting together a plan. You’ll have a better idea of whether or not your projects could be affected by the Party Wall Act.

It’s important that you understand the ways in which the act could affect your design. Our check will look at any and all important information to check whether or not party walls are affected. With the results of the check, builders and architects can tell if the act will be invoked with a project and then provide advice about how to proceed with the project.

We only need a few things from you to get started with the free service check. We need a description of the work to be carried out, the approximate location of any buildings or walls within the area, I.E, walls within 3-6 meters of the build, and the location so that we can check it on Google Earth. We also need PDF copies of any plans and mockups that you’ve designed and created yourself.

This will help us – and you – determine if the Party Wall Act will get in the way of your project; whether or not the building owner is able to step in and put a stop to things. Our easy to use checking service means you don’t need to worry about finding party walls because we do all the work for you. By using our services, you’ll know if the Party Wall Act applies to your build and whether or not you need to seek permission from the other building owner to go ahead with the work.

Get in touch today to learn more about our free service check and send your own plan checking services, by going to services and Free Plan Checking Service or click the button below