PWS Kent homeowner resource
The Party Wall Knowledge Centre for Kent
Practical, plain-English guidance for people planning building work and neighbours who have received a Party Wall Notice. Explore project guides, statutory procedures, costs and property protections under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Browse our Party Wall guides
Choose your proposed building work or the part of the Party Wall process you need to understand.
Loft Conversions
A loft conversion often requires Party Wall Notices when steel beams or padstones are supported by a shared wall, chimney breasts are altered, or the work affects the party structure.
Rear Extensions
A rear extension may require Notices for boundary walls and for foundations excavated close to a neighbouring building, even where the extension has planning permission.
Excavation
Excavation can be notifiable when it is within three or six metres of a neighbouring structure and meets the depth or 45-degree tests in Section 6.
Steel Beams
Cutting pockets into a party wall for steel beams, bearings or padstones is a classic example of work covered by Section 2 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Chimney Removal
Removing a chimney breast from a shared wall usually involves cutting, structural support or making good to a party structure and may therefore require a Party Structure Notice.
Party Wall Notices
A Party Wall Notice is a formal statutory document. The correct Notice type, owner details, drawings, service method and timing all matter.
Schedules of Condition
A Schedule of Condition is a dated written and photographic record of the adjoining property before relevant building work begins.
Party Wall Awards
A Party Wall Award is the formal document made by appointed surveyor or surveyors when a dispute has arisen under the Act.
Costs and Fees
Party Wall costs depend on the work, number of neighbours, response received, access and whether one or two surveyors are appointed.
Adjoining Owners
If you receive a Party Wall Notice, you should understand the proposed work and respond in writing within the stated period rather than ignore it.
Guidance written for Kent projects
Kent combines historic terraces, coastal housing, village properties and expanding commuter towns. The varied age and construction of neighbouring buildings makes project-specific review important, especially for older shared masonry and excavation beside established foundations.
PWS Kent covers Canterbury, Maidstone, Ashford, Whitstable, Medway, Sevenoaks and towns across Kent. If you are unsure whether the Act applies, send us the drawings before construction dates are fixed.
Need advice before work begins?
We can review your plans, identify likely Notice requirements and explain the next practical step.