Party wall agreements, also known as party wall awards, are used to manage disputes and responsibilities between neighbours who share a party wall or boundary. These documents aren’t typically registered in a central database. So, where are party wall agreements registered? Let’s find out.
If you are looking for a party wall agreement from a previous owner or even tenant, you’ll be disappointed to hear it’s not that straightforward. Instead, they are usually documented in writing, signed by the parties involved or their representatives and kept by the owners.
They may be referenced in property transactions and can be recorded in property records or deeds at the local land registry office. In some places, a copy might be kept by a local authority or in a planning office if the agreement was part of a planning permission process.
Unfortunately, in England and Wales, HM Land Registry doesn’t yet require party wall agreements to be filed, making it difficult to find party wall awards if needed.
If you need to find a party wall award for a house you just bought or if you have noticed damage that could be attributed to your neighbour’s notifiable works, we recommend following these steps:
1. Check Your Acquisition Documents
Conveyancing Bundle: When purchasing the house, your solicitor or conveyancer should have provided you with various documents, including any party wall agreements. Review these to see if the previous owner had an agreement in place.
Title Deeds: Sometimes, a party wall agreement may be referenced in the deeds or title documents of the property. These can be obtained from HM Land Registry if you don’t have a copy.
2. Contact the Previous Owner or Solicitor
If you cannot find the party wall agreement in your own documents, contact the previous owner or their solicitor. They should have a copy if an agreement was in place. If they don’t have a copy, ask if they can contact the surveyor they (or their neighbour) used in the past.
3. Speak to Your Neighbour
The party wall agreement involves the adjacent property owners, so your new neighbours might have a copy or information on any existing party wall agreement. Again, if they don’t have a copy, the surveyor they used will have one.
4. Check With Your Local Authority
In some rare cases, party wall agreements may be saved with the local council, especially if the party wall award was part of a planning or building control application. You can check with your local council planning department, although this is not a guaranteed source.
5. Talk to a Surveyor or Party Wall Specialist
If all else fails, you may want to consult a party wall surveyor or specialist. They might have records of any agreements if they were involved in preparing one for your property
You may need to create party wall notices if you plan to carry out any building work that affects a party wall. If you are planning on doing some work, you can learn more about your obligations under the Party Wall Etc. Act 1996.
Alternatively you can use our notice generator to prepare the party wall notices.