How much does a party wall agreement cost in London?
Last updated: 19 July 2026
Serving the notice is free, in London as anywhere. But if a neighbour dissents, London surveyor fees of £750–£1,800 per neighbour are commonly quoted — and London homes have more neighbours than most. Here's why, and what keeps the bill down.
The London numbers
| Situation | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Serving your notices yourself | Free — or £39 for a ready-to-serve pack |
| Neighbour consents in writing | £0 further — most cases end here |
| Dissent — London surveyor fees | £750–£1,800 per neighbour |
| Dissent — national single-surveyor averages, for comparison | Loft ≈£1,575 · extension ≈£2,025 · basement ≈£3,375 |
| Surveyor hourly rates | £90–£450 (£150–£200 typical) |
Why London runs higher
Two multipliers, and neither is the hourly rate. First, neighbour count: the fee is per adjoining owner, and a London terrace touches a property on each side — a rear extension can engage both, plus sometimes the property behind. Second, flats: under the Act a flat has two owners to serve — the leaseholder and the freeholder — so a converted-terrace neighbour can double the paperwork on its own. Three dissenting owners at London rates is £2,250–£5,400 before anyone lifts a tool.
The three things that keep London costs down
- A notice your neighbours can say yes to. Most neighbours consent — and consent costs £0. A clear, complete notice with the official reply form enclosed makes yes the easy answer. That's exactly what the free checker and the £39 pack are for.
- One "agreed surveyor" instead of two. If a neighbour dissents, sharing a single impartial surveyor is usually the cheaper route — the national averages above are agreed-surveyor figures.
- Serve every owner first time. Missing a freeholder is a classic London mistake that can restart the clock with surveyors already engaged. Our pack generates a separate letter set per owner, freeholders included.
Who pays — same in London as everywhere
The building owner normally pays both sides' reasonable surveyor fees under section 11 — a dissenting London neighbour doesn't pay for their own surveyor in the standard case. The full breakdown is on our costs page.
Start with the free 90-second check — it tells you which notices your London project needs and the cost band for your specific works.