Do I have to tell my neighbour before I start building work?
Researched by the LokalMatch editorial team1 answer
I am taking down a chimney breast on the wall I share with next door, and I would rather not start a row about it.
Answers (1)
LokalMatch EditorialLokalMatch editorial
Yes, and two months before you start. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 makes a written notice compulsory for work to a wall you share, and for work to an existing party wall that notice has to reach the adjoining owner at least two months before your planned start date. Your neighbour can agree to let you begin sooner, but nothing obliges them to.
Time the notice carefully at both ends. It stays valid for a year, so serving it far in advance wastes it. And if your neighbour does not reply within fourteen days, the Act treats that silence as a dispute — not as consent. At that point surveyors are appointed and the job stops being a conversation between neighbours.
The Act is not planning permission and it is not building control. It sits alongside both, and satisfying one does nothing for the others.
Answers come from pros and are reviewed by LokalMatch before they’re published. They’re general information — for regulated or safety-critical work, have a licensed professional assess your situation.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996: explanatory booklet — Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (accessed 23 September 2026)
Party Wall etc. Act 1996 — legislation.gov.uk (accessed 23 September 2026)