Why is my neighbour’s Party Wall Surveyor fee higher than mine?

party wall surveyor

Jason Edworthy Party Wall Experts Stewkley

 

The neighbouring owner’s surveyor usually charges more than the building owner’s.
Before investigating the causes, make sure you’ve exhausted the “Agreed Surveyor” option and aren’t paying for two sets of surveyor services.
The existing quo benefits Party Wall Surveyors, who would receive more if the public pays for the two-Surveyor route.
The Party Wall Act’s biggest flaw is low “Agreed Surveyor” adoption.
Surveyors should deliver the Agreed Surveyor route or inform appointing owners of a cheaper dispute resolution option.

If the Agreed Surveyor path fails, two Surveyors must serve the Party Wall Award.
This article will highlight why the Building Owner’s Surveyor is usually cheaper than the Adjoining Owner’s.

Their duties may have included:

1. Includes a note.

2. Attending and doing condition checks.

3. Award terms are being settled.

4. Re-inspecting

The fact that one person gets more value from the organisation than another is not frequently recognised.

Being an industry professional, I instantly noticed the price difference.
Unfortunately, the public is unaware.
When you’re a competing Surveyor, it’s harder to get a Building Owner’s Surveyor’s fees, and the public may not know about pricing variations within the same business.
The general public is more aware of price variations between firms, however this may be a deceptive misconception, as in the scenario above, where one consumer thinks they’re a good deal and another thinks they’re a rip-off.
They’re both right.

Building owner surveyor rates are lower due to industry competition.
Simply put, clients should shop about, and many companies will fight for their business.
Cost-cutting methods include adopting new technologies and reducing work profit margins.
Due to tremendous demand, low prices often indicate bad service.
Price, quality, and time trade-offs are well known.
Consider this.
Many people, especially Building Owners who pay the cost, pick the cheapest Surveyor who can complete the Work quickly.
The Adjoining Owner wants a Surveyor to safeguard their interests and guarantee that their neighbor’s construction causes them the least amount of discomfort.
The less expensive and faster surveyor may blame the more comprehensive surveyor for delays.

The Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor doesn’t compete on pricing.

They’ll charge extra, but not necessarily based on time.
Adjoining Owner’s Surveyors charged me £1,000 plus VAT to provide no Award remarks.

Money is entitled, but actions are not.
Because people have varying definitions of “fair,” determining a charge’s fairness can be challenging.
The Third Surveyor will set fees, but experienced surveyors know how to charge high prices, so as long as there are no evident incidents of inappropriate fees, the status quo of high fees will persist.
Higher fees increase the odds of a Third Surveyor referring you.

The Building Owner’s Surveyor’s fee is sometimes exaggerated for no cause, therefore the Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor’s cost may be too.
Surveyors in price competition should tell property owners of their decreased fees.
This will reduce pressure and help you manage expectations.
A surveyor competing for business will likely charge a flat rate, while an adjoining owner’s surveyor will likely charge by the hour.
Next, party-appointed Surveyors with different agendas create tension.

Quality versus cost and delivery speed

I’ll repeat it here.
The Building Owner’s Surveyor’s rates were often lower and ensured a quick, easy resolution.
Party Wall Awards must be produced competitively—fast and cheap—to satisfy the public.
Consistency, the surveyor’s main goal for the neighbouring property owner, may suffer.

Because awards are always being appealed, and to be honest, many will contain flaws, assessing quality can be difficult.
Case law often includes blunders by notable surveyors.
These surveyors charge large prices and are respected (see Property Supply and Development Ltd v Verity).
The Verity case involves numerous high-ranking members of The College of Party Wall Surveyors, yet Chartered Surveyors often lose judgements.
This can truly blur the boundary between avarice and ethics.

Nonetheless, some instances warrant the unusually high charge.
The Adjoining Owner’s Surveyor takes over when the low-cost Building Owner’s Surveyor sends drawings and a RICS template Award.
The Building Owner may reject, dismiss, or criticise acceptable information requests if they conflict with its goals of solving problems quickly and cheaply.
Surveyors rarely tell their clients that they need additional information to charge more.
Few building owners realise the risks of partially responding to requests for section drawings and process explanations.
These goals fighting with each other create adversarial friction, which leads to fee differences at the end.
This may cause neighbouring owners’ surveyors to unfairly delay award signing until payment is received.

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