New walls: section 1
A line of junction notice concerns a proposed new wall at the boundary in the circumstances covered by section 1. The notice must describe the intended wall and be served at least one month before the intended start. [1]
For a wall to stand astride the boundary, the adjoining owner's written consent is needed. Without the relevant consent within 14 days, the building owner may instead build wholly on their own land, at their own expense, subject to the Act's provisions. Silence is therefore not permission to place the wall across the boundary. [1]
A notice for a wall wholly on the building owner's side does not use the same automatic 14-day deemed-dispute rule as a party structure notice. An actual dispute under section 1 can nevertheless require resolution under section 10. [1]
Existing structures: sections 2 and 3
A party structure notice is served under section 3 before exercising relevant section 2 rights. Examples include cutting into a party wall for structural support, raising it or carrying out qualifying underpinning. The normal notice period is at least two months. [4][2]
The notice identifies the building owner, describes the nature and particulars of the work and gives its intended start date. Particular information is required where special foundations are proposed. If written consent is not given within 14 days, the Act treats a dispute as having arisen. [2][5]
Nearby foundations: section 6
An adjacent excavation notice applies where the proposed excavation meets the statutory distance and depth tests. It must be served at least one month before the intended excavation. [3]
Plans and sections must show the site and depth of the excavation and any proposed building or structure. The notice must also state whether the building owner proposes to underpin, strengthen or safeguard the adjoining foundations. A general planning elevation without excavation levels does not supply all that information. [3]
No written consent within 14 days produces a deemed dispute under this route. That response period does not shorten the one-month notice period. [3]
More than one notice may be needed
Review the work operation by operation and owner by owner. A basement involving party-wall underpinning and excavation beside another building may engage both the party structure and excavation procedures. The same project may affect more than the immediate next-door freeholder. [6]
Record the drawings and revisions accompanying each notice, when and how it was served, and the written response. Service must comply with section 15; email is not automatically a valid substitute for the statutory service requirements. [7]
Finally, distinguish an agreement to the work from an agreement to start early. An award does not itself override the applicable notice period unless the owners agree otherwise. [8]