The short answer
Guidance note 10 deals with engineering input in party wall matters, but in our view it needs revision — modern work needs clearer guidance on appointments, scope, liability, fees and communication between surveyors and engineers.
Why it matters
Engineering input is useful on basements, deep excavations, piling, underpinning and complex structural works, but the process is often unclear. Unclear appointments and vague scopes lead to duplicated work, excessive fees, late comments that delay the project, confusion over who the engineer advises, uncertainty about liability, and disputes over whether the input was necessary. A modern guidance note should provide a standard form of appointment (who instructs, who the engineer reports to, who pays, and what is and is not being reviewed, sometimes with the building owner paying the engineer directly while preserving the adjoining owner’s surveyor’s independence), a clearly defined scope and standard deliverables (a short review letter, a schedule of comments, a risk-ranking table, and a list of outstanding information), clear liability and reporting (responsible to the instructing surveyor unless a wider appointment is agreed, with minimum professional indemnity insurance and standard disclaimers), organised early information flow (a checklist of drawings, calculations, sequencing, temporary works, monitoring and site investigation), indicative fee ranges with encouragement to instruct early, and recognition of modern working methods such as email, annotated PDFs, digital plan exchange, electronic signatures and BIM.
What to do now
- Where engineering input is needed, define the appointment, scope and deliverables clearly at the outset.
- Be clear who instructs, who pays and who the engineer reports to.
- Instruct early with a proper information checklist to avoid duplication and delay.
Common mistakes
- Instructing an engineer with no defined scope or reporting line.
- Leaving liability and professional indemnity cover unclear.
- Instructing late, causing delay and duplicated review.
When to call Coburns
If engineering input is being proposed on your project, send us the scope and we will keep the appointment clear, proportionate and properly limited.