The short answer
Party wall fees are usually charged by hourly rate, fixed fee or menu pricing. Fixed fees and menu pricing give the most certainty; open-ended hourly rates should be treated with caution. An agreed surveyor keeps costs predictable and avoids the expense of a second surveyor.
Why it matters
Hourly billing does not always reward efficiency and can climb if the process drags. Fixed fees give certainty; menu pricing, a set cost per task, is usually the clearest. An agreed surveyor acts impartially for both owners and avoids a second fee. An adjoining owner can appoint their own surveyor, with the building owner usually paying reasonable fees for both, but that right should not generate unnecessary cost; if the adjoining owner’s surveyor will not act as agreed surveyor when that was reasonable, there may be an argument that unnecessary fees were incurred, and Amir-Siddique v Kowaliw [2018] is often cited here. Complex projects can justify genuine extras — engineer’s input, design clarification, monitoring, or third surveyor referrals — but a surveyor buying in specialist help should not charge as though doing it personally.
What to do now
- Favour fixed fees or menu pricing over open-ended hourly rates.
- Where suitable, encourage an agreed surveyor appointment.
- Ask whether the adjoining owner’s preferred surveyor will act as agreed surveyor.
- If a fee looks excessive, ask for a timesheet explaining what was done, why and how long it took, and compare with local norms.
- Refer a fee dispute to the third surveyor if it cannot be resolved.
Common mistakes
- Accepting open-ended hourly billing without a likely overall figure.
- Defaulting to two surveyors when one agreed surveyor would do.
- Paying specialist-level fees for work that was bought in.
- Challenging fees with emotion rather than evidence.
When to call Coburns
If you want clear, proportionate fees from the start, or a high fee claim reviewed, send us the details and we will set out exactly what each stage should cost.