Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Disputes definition

What does Disputes mean? In legal practice, disputes are disagreements giving rise to potential legal rights and remedies between parties, addressed through dispute resolution including litigation, arbitration and ADR such as mediation and negotiation. The term is descriptive rather than a defined statutory concept; the substantive rights and procedures arise from statute and common law. Typical features include identification of the cause of action, applicable limitation periods, choice of jurisdiction and forum, compliance with pre-action protocols or pre-action correspondence, disclosure/discovery, evidence, settlement, costs and enforcement. Usage is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, though civil procedure differs: CPR in England...

Party Wall etc Act 1996: Notices, Boundary and Excavation Works, Dispute Resolution and Awards, Costs, Access, Special Foundations, and Protections for Adjoining Owners

Published by a LexisNexis Property Disputes expert

Practice notes

If a building owner intends to carry out work on an existing party wall or construct a new wall, what steps must they take?

This Practice Note outlines the categories of work covered by the Party Wall etc Act 1996 (PWA 1996), formal notice requirements, the Dispute resolution route, plus party wall awards, costs, access, special foundations, and safeguards for adjoining owners.

The PWA 1996 sets out rights and duties for property owners wishing to:

undertake works to existing party walls or party structures
erect a new wall or structure on the boundary with an adjoining property
excavate within three or six metres of an adjoining building or structure, depending on how deep the works will be

Owners proposing such works must serve notice on any affected adjoining owners. In the absence of consent, a dispute resolution process generally follows, involving the appointment of surveyors and culminating in a party wall award authorising the works subject to stated conditions.

Definitions

The PWA 1996 employs a number of technical terms...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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