Party Wall 3 Metre Rule – Party Wall Services in London by RICS Modrics Chartered Surveyors

The 3 Metre Rule

The Party Wall Act includes a provision known as the “3 metre rule.” This rule applies to excavations that will take place within 3 metres of an Adjoining Owner’s property, where the lowest point of the excavation will be lower than the underside of the footings to the party wall or any parts of their property within three metres of the proposed excavation.

If the proposed excavation will exceed the depth of any existing footings, the legal owner of the land initiating the building works must serve a Notice. This Notice, commonly referred to as a “Three Metre” Notice, must include a section drawing that shows the depth of the new excavations and their position relative to the existing property.

Experienced party wall Surveyors can make an educated assumption about the depth of the existing foundations based on factors such as the property’s construction date. In some cases, a trial pit may be dug to verify the design assumptions once the party wall process has progressed.

At Modrics Chartered Surveyors, we are a team of independent and impartial RICS surveyors based in London. We specialise in handling party wall matters. If you have any questions or need advice, please feel free to contact us at 0208 087 2051.