Agreed surveyor or two surveyors? Party wall surveyors explained

A party wall surveyor is someone who sorts out how building work on a shared wall will be done, when the two neighbours haven’t simply agreed it between themselves. The first choice is usually between one agreed surveyor, shared by both neighbours, or a surveyor each. Add the third surveyor, who settles disagreements, and there are three different roles. The names don’t make it obvious who’s working for whom.

This page sets them side by side. If you’re new to all this, the party walls overview is a good place to start.

The three roles at a glance

The agreed surveyor: one surveyor for both of you

This is the simplest set-up. One surveyor looks at the work for both of you and draws up the arrangements. One person to deal with, one set of fees.

It works best when both neighbours get on reasonably well and trust the same person. If you’re the one receiving a notice, you might not want to share the surveyor your neighbour suggests. You don’t have to accept. An agreed surveyor needs both neighbours to agree, so if you’d rather not share, you can appoint your own surveyor and the two-surveyor route applies instead. If you’re asked in writing to appoint a surveyor and do nothing for 10 days, your neighbour can appoint one on your behalf.

Whoever appoints them, a party wall surveyor isn’t there to win for one side. The GOV.UK explanatory booklet says surveyors must consider the interests and rights of both owners and draw up the award impartially. You can’t act as your own surveyor.

Each owner’s own surveyor

Here each neighbour appoints their own surveyor. The two surveyors then agree the details between them. It’s more people and more paperwork, but some neighbours prefer it, especially if they don’t know each other well.

Having your own surveyor doesn’t turn it into a fight. The two surveyors work together on one set of arrangements. What they produce is called a party wall award. It sets out what work will be done, and when and how. It’s binding on both neighbours unless a county court cancels or changes it on appeal, and either neighbour has 14 days from the day it’s served on them to appeal.

The third surveyor

The third surveyor is the tie-breaker. They’re usually only needed if the two owners’ surveyors reach a point they can’t agree on, but either neighbour or either surveyor can call on them to decide a disputed point.

The two surveyors have to select the third surveyor straight away, as soon as they’re appointed, so someone is already named before any disagreement comes up. Either neighbour, or either surveyor, can then call on the third surveyor to decide the disputed points and make an award.

Choosing between one surveyor and two

If you get on with next door and you’re both comfortable with the same person, an agreed surveyor is usually the simpler route. If you’d feel better with someone you chose yourself, appointing your own is a normal thing to do and nobody should take it personally.

Either way, ask any surveyor for their fee in writing before they start. HomeOwners Alliance, using figures from Checkatrade, puts the typical cost with one surveyor at around £900 to £2,700 depending on the job, and says to expect it to roughly double with two surveyors (2026). Our guide to who pays for a party wall surveyor covers the rules on fees.

If you’ve just received a notice, see what to do when your neighbour serves a party wall notice. If you’re the one doing the work, start with the notice, step by step.