Site Sage are specialist party wall surveyors based in Harlow, Essex. We cover all of London and the surrounding counties.

If you are planning work that comes under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, or your neighbour is, we can help.

For the building owner

You must serve notice before you:

• build a new wall on or near the boundary
• repair, alter, raise, cut into or underpin a party wall
• dig foundations within 3 or 6 metres of a neighbour's building

For the adjoining owner

If a neighbour has served notice on you, or has started work without one, we will:

• explain your options and reply to the notice for you
• act as your surveyor or as the agreed surveyor
• record the condition of your property before work starts
• check the plans and agree the award with the other surveyor
• deal with any damage and compensation

Why Site Sage

Dennis Brett is a Fellow of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors with over 40 years in construction. He handles every instruction himself.

Fees

Minimum fee £700 for a new instruction. If you are the adjoining owner, your neighbour normally pays your surveyor's fees.

Site Sage prepare access agreements so building owners can carry out work that needs a neighbour's land.

When you need one

You may need to put scaffolding on or over a neighbour's land, swing a crane over their roof, put up hoarding, take materials across their site, or dig trial pits or ground anchors on their side. None of this can be done as of right. Without a signed agreement, work can be stopped by injunction at short notice.

What the agreement covers

• what is allowed and for how long
• protection and insurance
• what happens if there is damage
• what the neighbour receives in return

What we do

We act for building owners who need access and for neighbours who have been asked to give it. We agree the scope, prepare or check the licence, record the condition of the neighbour's property before work starts, and check it is handed back in the same state.

Where the work comes under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, we deal with access as part of the party wall process. For repairs and maintenance, the Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992 may apply.

Fees

Minimum fee £700 for a new instruction. Hourly rate £185. If you are the neighbour, the building owner normally pays your fees.

PRINCIPAL DESIGNER SERVICE

Site Sage have worked on CDM since 2007, first as CDM Coordinator and now as Principal Designer under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Projects have ranged from £30,000 to £2 million, for developers, architects, contractors and property managers.

Principal Designer

We plan, manage and coordinate health and safety at the design stage, so risks are dealt with before anyone is on site. We keep the paperwork to what the law needs, and we write in plain English.

• Pre Construction Information
• design risk reviews with the project team
• the Health and Safety File at handover

Construction Phase Plans

Work cannot legally start without one. We prepare the plan setting out the site rules and safety arrangements, ready before you start.

Construction Traffic Management Plans

We prepare CTMPs covering site set up, hoarding and scaffold, vehicle routes, deliveries, waste and the programme. They follow the local authority's standards and, where needed, Transport for London's CLOCS scheme.

Site safety visits and advice

We inspect the site and the site files, then report whether things are acceptable or need action. We also give general health and safety advice.

Fees

See our Fees page for Principal Designer and health and safety fees, or ask us for a quote.

Site Sage carry out independent building surveys on homes and commercial property across Harlow, Essex, London and the surrounding counties.

What a building survey is

A building survey, once called a structural survey, is the most detailed report you can get before you buy. It is separate from your lender's valuation and is written for you, not the bank.

When you need one

• older, listed or unusual buildings
• a property you plan to extend, convert or renovate
• anywhere you are not sure of the condition
• commercial premises

What you get

A clear report on how the building is built, what condition it is in, what needs doing and how urgent it is. Major and minor defects are covered, with photos. It goes further than an RICS Home Survey Level 2.

Commercial leases

We also prepare Schedules of Condition before you take a lease, and Schedules of Dilapidations when a lease ends or is renewed.

Fees

Minimum fee £700 for a new instruction. Use the survey calculator on our Fees page for a guide price.

Site Sage diagnose building defects such as cracking, damp and mould, roof leaks, sagging roofs, timber decay and insect attack.

We inspect the problem, find the cause and write a clear report. It tells you what is wrong, why it happened and what repairs are needed, in order of priority.

Who uses this service

• homeowners worried about a crack or damp
• landlords and housing associations dealing with tenant complaints
• buyers who want one defect looked at before they exchange
• solicitors who need the facts before deciding on a claim

If the matter goes to court, we can prepare a full expert report under CPR Part 35. See Expert Witness.

Fees

Minimum fee £700 for a new instruction. Most single defect reports are £700 to £900.

Independent, court ready expert reports for housing disrepair and building defect claims. We act for defendants, for claimants and as Single Joint Expert.

Who instructs us

Housing associations, local authorities and their solicitors. Claimant firms. Property managers and freeholders. Recent instructions include Hornsey Housing Trust, Spitalfields Housing Association and London borough councils, through solicitors including Trowers & Hamlins and Capsticks LLP.

What we cover

• Damp, mould and condensation
• Building defects and disrepair under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018
• HHSRS hazards and Awaab's Law timescales
• Standard and scope of remedial works and whether costs are reasonable
• Scott Schedules, drafted or responded to
• Rebuttal reports and desktop reviews of other experts' reports
• Part 35 questions, joint statements and meetings of experts
• Attendance at court to give oral evidence

How we work

Every report follows CPR Part 35 and Practice Direction 35. Our duty is to the court, not to the party paying. Reports are evidence led, proportionate to the claim and written in plain English so that a judge, a housing officer or a tenant can follow them. Each one sets out the instructions, the inspection, the findings with photographs, the opinion and the reasoning behind it, with appendices and a signed statement of truth.

Timescales

Inspection within 7 days of instruction. Report within 14 days of inspection, sooner where possible. Most instructions are completed within three weeks, against a typical industry timescale of six to eight weeks.

Why Site Sage

Dennis Brett MCIOB FFPWS LCGI is a Chartered Building Consultant with over 40 years in construction. He began on site in 1985 in his father's building business and went on to qualify with the Chartered Institute of Building. That background means opinions on workmanship, cause and cost come from someone who has built, repaired and inspected the very defects in dispute. Site Sage covers London, Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties.

How to instruct us

Email your letter of instruction to enquiries@sitesage.co.uk or call 07793 056226. Please include the property address, the pleadings or letter of claim if available, any previous reports and your preferred inspection dates. We confirm conflicts, availability and terms within one working day.