Party wall surveyor

[00765]

I have received planning permission to do a loft & kitchen extension.

 

I have a terraced house.

 

Re the party wall agreed surveyor, my neighbour to the right is ok to a ‘agreed surveyor’ being appointed by me. However after I received planning permission late in 2018, my neighbour to the left instructed a surveyor.  I spoke to this neighbour last weekend explaining that i am now in a position to hopefully commence the work but that a party wall award needs to be secured. I inquired from them if we can agree an impartial surveyor preferably of my choosing, since i will be paying the fee. The wife said they'd speak to their surveyor, whilst her husband seemed hesitant.

 

I have now received the attached letter from their surveyor.  His remarks such as '‘after some delay' (surely it is for me to determine when i being any building work on my property having consideration of a myriad of matters), gives me pause as to his impartiality, at that he is not just money chasing.

 

Is a surveyor permitted to make an approach to a property owner,  re offering to be appointed as the agreed surveyor, in advance of the party wall notices being issued to the relevant neighbour?

 

I do not trust the impartiality of indeed integrity of this surveyor.

 

Both my neighbours, already have both a loft & kitchen extended kitchen, so i just don't understand why this neighbour, is seemingly trying to make this process as protracted and even more expensive as possible.

 

How can i convince them to use my surveyor as the agreed surveyor, short of threats of me not being cooperative of any work they may wish to undertake.

 

Tnanks

 

scan0048.pdf

[king12345]

Nothing unusual or dodgy about this letter.

In fact, it would work cheaper for you if the same surveyor was doing the work for both neighbours.

[Silvervanman]

So your cheapest option here will

likely to be to appoint this Surveyor as the ‘Agreed Surveyor’. This guy will charge more or less the same acting as the Agreed Surveyor, or as the Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor, but then you will have to pay two.

 

Once a PWS has been appointed there is no way to remove him/her, it is a statutory appointment.

 

Unfortunately, neighbours of those who propose to have work done are plagued by letters from surveyors, they are nothing more than ambulance chasers. They are often unaccredited and have terrible reviews. Ironically, they also charge more than those of us who are reputable and qualified.

 

I advise Adjoining Owners to simply check the bona fides of those they are thinking to appoint, just because they may not initially think they have to pay for the surveyors services, if he acts unreasonably they might.

 

Lastly, try to ensure that you don’t take any more of the Surveyors time than is necessary, make sure the drawings he requests are prepared without him having to chase the architect. Beyond his usual fee he will charge by the hour, therefore ensure he can only has to spend the minimum of amount of time to avoid adding costs.

 

If you need any further assistance feel free to contact the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors.

 

[00765]

Thank you both for your comments. For now my neighbour now appears to have agreed to having an agreed surveyor of my choosing