The Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors is a body that professionals can choose to join if they work on property boundaries. When a neighbour serves a notice about building work, you might see these letters after a surveyor's name. This guide explains how the organisation is structured, what its grades mean and how you can check if a surveyor is listed.
What the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors is
The Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors is registered in England and Wales. It states that it was born out of a need for education and support for building surveyors and other professionals. The home page tagline reads Providing Training & Regulation. That is the Faculty's own wording and does not mean regulation by the state.
The Faculty's contact number is 01424 883300. The home page says that all accredited members have been screened and interviewed. You can find more details on the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors home page.
Whether membership is a legal requirement
No law requires a party wall surveyor to belong to this body or to hold any formal qualification. The government explanatory booklet confirms that the term surveyor under the Act can include any person who is not a party to the matter. The booklet adds that you can appoint almost anyone you like. The booklet says the person should not have already been engaged to supervise the building work, and it does not set out formal qualification requirements. Owners can agree one Agreed Surveyor who draws up an Award, or each owner can appoint a surveyor.
The government suggests looking for a qualified building professional with some experience or knowledge of party wall matters. A chosen representative should also have a good knowledge of construction and of procedures under the Act. Surveyors must consider the interests and rights of both owners and draw up an award impartially.
Because membership is entirely voluntary, a surveyor can be highly experienced without ever joining this specific organisation. Our guide to party wall surveyor qualifications covers both main party wall bodies briefly, while this guide goes deeper into the Faculty.
The three grades of membership
The Faculty has three grades of membership. Member is for practising party wall surveyors with sufficient knowledge of the Act.
Fellow is for extremely experienced party wall surveyors.
Affiliate is for those professionals within the construction and legal disciplines who are not practising the Act. Examples of Affiliates given by the organisation include Building Control staff and solicitors. The Faculty's grades are its own and are not set by law.
What it takes to become a Member
Before someone can apply for full membership, a construction background or knowledge is a pre-requisite. Applicants must attend the organisation's own two day party wall seminar before making their application for full membership. Eligibility to join the body is then subject to attending an interview.
The applicant must also submit two awards. One must be a case where they acted as the agreed surveyor, and the other where they were one of two appointed surveyors. Alongside these awards, they must provide four specific documents to complete their application:
- The corresponding letters of appointment.
- A notice served on behalf of the building owner.
- A letter naming the selected third surveyor for the dispute.
- The covering letter used for serving the award.
How Fellows and Third Surveyors work
To become a Fellow, an applicant must have been a Member of the Faculty for one year. They must also attend the One Day Third Surveyor Seminar and submit a Third Surveyor Award. Fellows can be recognised as Third Surveyors and are placed on the Third Surveyor register.
GOV.UK says that if two appointed surveyors cannot agree, they select a third surveyor, who would be called in only if the two cannot agree. Because Fellows can be recognised as Third Surveyors, the Faculty's Third Surveyors page lists Fellows.
The two day party wall seminar
This two day training course covers the whole of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and provides 12 CPD hours for attendees. It runs on scheduled dates, for example 15/12/2026 to 16/12/2026, and is designed for surveyors, architects, engineers and all those that have a responsibility for, and associated with, construction works. Completion of this party wall training course means an attendee will be eligible to apply for membership of the Faculty, subject to attending and passing an interview. The course is an educational seminar and is not described as a formal qualification.
The syllabus breaks the legislation down into practical topics for professionals handling boundary work. The specific topics listed on the course syllabus include:
- Interpretation of the legislation and its rules.
- Notifiable works that trigger the statutory process.
- The specific duties of the people involved in the project.
- Notices.
- The resolution of dispute process when neighbours disagree.
- Rules surrounding costs and recovery for the work.
What membership proves and what it does not
Membership is a set of steps the Faculty sets for its own grades. The table below sets out what the Faculty's pages support and what they do not.
|
What it proves |
What it does not |
|---|---|
|
A construction background or knowledge, which is a pre-requisite for becoming a Member |
Regulation by the state, or a legal requirement to practise as a party wall surveyor |
|
Attendance at the Two-Day Party Wall Seminar before applying for full membership |
A party wall qualification required by law, as no such qualification is required |
|
An interview, since eligibility is subject to attending one |
A qualification in itself, as the seminar page does not describe the course as one |
|
Two awards submitted with the application |
A statement that the Find a Surveyor entries have been vetted, or any power for the Faculty to compel action or compensation |
How to check a member on the website
You can verify if a surveyor belongs to the organisation by using the main Find a Surveyor page. The search tool allows you to find member surveyors by surname, company, city or county, and you can enter part of a term if you are unsure of the exact spelling. Each entry shows a name with post-nominal letters, a company name, a membership ID, an address and contact details.
The separate Third Surveyors page says Third Surveyors are Fellows of the Faculty who have a great deal of experience in dealing with party wall matters. Each entry there lists a surveyor's name and qualifications, membership ID, company, address and contact details. You can search by name, company, city or county on this page, or you can search by postcode via the main find a surveyor page. You can also phone the Faculty on 01424 883300 to ask about a member.
The Find a Surveyor page gives no warning and does not say whether listed members have been vetted. An entry is therefore a listing of a name, post-nominal letters, a membership ID and contact details, and it is not a check of that surveyor's work.
Complaints and the Code of Conduct
The organisation operates a Code of Conduct and a Guide to the Code, with the current versions applying from 1 February 2024. If you are unhappy with a member's work, note that each member has its own complaints handling procedure. The Faculty states it has no power to compel any of its members to take action or to pay compensation.
A complaint to the Faculty goes on the Complaints-Disciplinary Questionnaire to the Professional Standards Department. You can send this form by post or by email to professionalstandards@fpws.org.uk, after reading the Faculty's guide to the process. Disciplinary panel decisions are usually only publicised for a period of 12 months. The page says there are currently no further decisions available to view.
Common questions
Does the legislation apply across the whole UK?
The legislation applies throughout England and Wales only, and the Act does not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland. It came into force on 1 July 1997. The government explanatory booklet outlines these rules but clearly states that it is not legal advice.
How much notice must a building owner give?
For works to existing party walls or structures, you must give at least two months before the planned starting date. For a new wall at the boundary or for excavation near neighbouring buildings, you must give at least one month. Notices are valid for a year, and the proposed start date must not be before the relevant notice period has elapsed.
What must the initial written notice include?
A valid notice must include the building owner's name and address. It must also contain a full description of the works and the proposed start date. The booklet says the Act contains no enforcement procedures for failure to serve a notice.
What happens if a neighbour does not reply?
Adjoining owners should reply to a notice within 14 days. For works to existing party walls and for excavation, a non-response means a dispute is deemed to have arisen.
Who pays the costs of the award?
Usually the building owner will pay all costs associated with drawing up the award. However, where work is needed because of a defect or lack of repair, costs may be split based on each owner's use of the structure and responsibility for the defect. Our guide on when you need a party wall surveyor and what it costs explains these fees in more detail.
What does the final document actually do?
The award sets out the work that will be carried out, alongside exactly when and how it will happen. It often contains a record of the condition of the adjoining property before the work begins. A schedule of condition is not required by the Act but is strongly advised.
Can you challenge the final decision?
Each owner has 14 days from service of the award on them to appeal to the county court against the award. Otherwise the award is final and binding.
How much notice of entry does the Act require?
The Act requires 14 days' notice of entry to the adjoining property, except in an emergency. Refusing or obstructing lawful entry is an offence under the legislation.
When do excavation rules trigger the process?
Excavation notices apply within three metres of a neighbouring owner's building or structure where the work will go deeper than the neighbour's foundations. They also apply within six metres where the work meets a line drawn downwards at 45 degrees from those foundations. The Act is separate from planning or building regulations control, so planning permission or building regulations approval does not replace the notice procedure.
Next steps for your boundary project
These points come from the GOV.UK booklet and the Faculty's own pages.
- Check whether the Act applies, as it covers England and Wales only.
- Check the notice period for the type of work, which is at least two months for works to existing party walls or structures and at least one month for a new wall at the boundary or for excavation near neighbouring buildings.
- Remember that adjoining owners should reply to a notice within 14 days.
- If a surveyor says they are a member, look for their entry on the Find a Surveyor page or phone the Faculty on 01424 883300.
- Remember that Faculty membership is voluntary and that no party wall qualification is required by law.
This site lists surveyors and does not check whether any of them belongs to the Faculty. You can find a surveyor near you to discuss your plans.
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