Each rule on this site sits beside the section of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 it comes from, such as section 5 or section 6(2). That lets you look up the wording yourself on legislation.gov.uk.

Where a figure comes from somewhere else, such as a surveyor's fee or a published cost, the sentence names the organisation that published it and the date it was checked. Figures like these change, so the date tells you how current it was when it was written down.

Where a page points you to a document or a service outside this site, it names what that document is and what it costs, whether that's free or otherwise, so you know what you're opening before you click through.

A rule about your extension, your loft conversion or your basement is only worth acting on if you can see where it came from. That's what stands behind every page here.

A rule from the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 carries its section number in the same sentence. A figure that came from outside the Act, a cost, a date, a number of documents, names who published it and when. A link that sends you off this site names the organisation behind it, says what the document actually is, and says what it costs.

• A rule without a section number is not published.
• A figure without a named publisher and a date is not published.
• A link without the organisation, the document and the price is not published.

That's what lets you open the Act, section by section, or a second tab to legislation.gov.uk, and check any sentence here against where it came from.

Reading the Act tells you what the rules require. It does not serve a notice on your behalf, negotiate with a neighbour, or draw up an award if the two of you disagree. That is work for a person.

This site does not do that work either. It is not a surveying practice, and it takes no fee for pointing a reader toward one. Where a job calls for someone who can act for you, the relevant section names the organisation that can, and what it costs to reach them.

Getting in touch

If something on the site is unclear, or a link no longer goes where it says it does, write to partywallagreements.