Multi-storey Basements
The defining local project. Digging deep and close to neighbouring foundations almost always triggers the Act, usually with several notices.
Section 6Party Wall Services. Handled by Professional Surveyors.
Planning works on a Kensington home, or just received a Party Wall Notice from a neighbour? LENIO Party Wall Surveyors handles the whole process for you.
Looking for a party wall surveyor in Kensington? LENIO Party Wall Surveyors works across South Kensington, Cornwall Gardens, Holland Park and Gloucester Road, on both sides of the wall.
This is part of our Central London coverage, and the busiest basement area in the city. Most basements, underpinning and structural works here engage the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Most owners here ask this before a basement, underpinning or extension, usually when an engineer raises it. Whether you need a notice depends on the works and how close they sit to your neighbour.
This guide sets out exactly which works are notifiable, how proximity to the boundary matters, and what to do if you are uncertain.
Kensington's deep, tightly packed homes mean works almost always dig close to a neighbour's foundations or affect a shared wall. That is why most projects are notifiable, and the party wall notice Kensington projects require is the first formal step. Our guide on whether you need a Party Wall Notice covers it in full.
Kensington is the home of the London basement. Across South Kensington, Cornwall Gardens and Holland Park, owners of stucco townhouses dig down, sometimes several storeys, to add space they cannot add above.
These multi-storey digs sit between or beneath grand period homes, where the ground is shared and the foundations are old. Excavation and underpinning are the defining works.
That puts neighbouring foundations at the centre of every project. A careful notice and record matter more in Kensington than almost anywhere.
Most Kensington projects engage the Act through one of four works. Each triggers a different notice.
The defining local project. Digging deep and close to neighbouring foundations almost always triggers the Act, usually with several notices.
Section 6Strengthening an older townhouse's foundations is notifiable work to a party structure, especially where it adjoins a neighbour.
Section 2Digging within three or six metres of a neighbouring building can trigger the Act, even when the party wall is untouched.
Section 6In a townhouse or terrace, cutting into, thickening or altering a shared wall is notifiable work to a party structure.
Sections 2 & 3The most common mistake we see in Kensington is assuming a basement that stays within your own footprint cannot affect next door. Owners reason that if they do not dig under the neighbour, the Act does not apply.
It still does. Excavating within three or six metres of a neighbouring building triggers the Act, whatever your footprint. Removing ground beside a neighbour's foundations can cause settlement on its own.
So a within-boundary basement is almost always notifiable in Kensington. We confirm the position from the engineer's drawings and serve the right notices.
Whichever stage you are at, LENIO Party Wall Surveyors handles the full process for Kensington owners. The work falls into a few clear services, for Building Owners and Adjoining Owners alike.
We confirm which party wall notice Kensington homeowners need and serve it on the right Adjoining Owners. Serving the notice correctly keeps the project on programme.
Explore Party Wall Notices →
Our party wall survey records the photographic baseline of the neighbouring property before works begin. It protects both sides if a damage claim arises later.
Explore Schedule of Condition →
Where your neighbour dissents, we prepare the Party Wall Award that lets the works proceed. It sets out how the works proceed and how both properties are protected.
Explore Party Wall Awards →
If you are planning the works, we act as your surveyor, serving the notices and steering the process so your Kensington project stays on track.
Explore Building Owner Surveyor →
If a neighbour has served a notice on you, we act for you, protecting your property and your rights, usually at the Building Owner's expense.
Explore Adjoining Owner Surveyor →
Where both neighbours are happy with one impartial surveyor, LENIO can act as the Agreed Surveyor for both. It is the quicker, more cost-effective route after a dissent.
Explore Agreed Surveyor →Three terms Kensington homeowners ask about most, and what each one actually means for your project.
A Party Wall Award is the document surveyors prepare when a neighbour dissents to your notice. It sets out how the works are carried out, the working hours, access arrangements and a Schedule of Condition. You only need one if your neighbour dissents, or does not respond within 14 days. If they consent in writing, the works proceed on the notice alone.
Many owners say party wall agreement when they mean either written consent or the Award that follows a dissent. A verbal yes gives no protection. If your neighbour consents in writing, that written consent is the agreement Kensington owners rely on. If they dissent, the Award becomes the formal agreement that governs the works.
Before works begin, a party wall survey records the condition of the neighbouring property in photographs and notes. On these period homes, where the dig runs deep beside next door, that baseline is what settles any later question about damage. Both owners hold the same record, so neither side can argue about what the property looked like before the works.
A quick review of your plans usually confirms whether notice is required, which notice applies, the likely timescales, and the next steps. LENIO Party Wall Surveyors gives free initial advice before work starts, with no obligation. For Kensington, that usually starts with a look at how your multi-storey basements sits relative to the boundary.
A good party wall surveyor in Kensington is not just someone who posts a notice. The real job is working out which notices your project actually needs, serving them on the right owners, and sorting any disagreement before it can delay the build.
LENIO Party Wall Surveyors is a specialist practice, led by a Chartered Civil Engineer and Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The lead surveyor is also a Chartered Building Engineer and Member of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE). On Kensington basements, underpinning and deep digs, that mix of engineering and party wall knowledge is exactly what the job needs.
LENIO knows the local basement schemes and period stock well, and handles the process end to end. We keep your neighbour relationship calm while the works go ahead. LENIO is the party wall surveyor Kensington homeowners call first.
Chartered Civil Engineer, Member of the ICE
Chartered Building Engineer, Member of the CABE
LENIO is based in central London and covers Kensington and the wider Central London area in person. We attend for the party wall survey and the Schedule of Condition, so wherever your project sits in Kensington, a chartered surveyor comes to you.
Call LENIO TodayIn practice, a party wall matter has little to do with disagreement. It is about carrying out the works correctly, protecting the home next door, and keeping things civil with a neighbour who is not going anywhere. That is what a specialist party wall surveyor in Kensington takes care of, without drama. Here that most often means multi-storey basements, so it is usually the first thing we ask about.
The consequences of doing it badly are not hypothetical. An improperly served notice has to start again from scratch. Without a Schedule of Condition, a damage claim becomes very hard to argue against. And an Adjoining Owner who feels shut out is much more likely to dissent, which slows everything down.
LENIO Party Wall Surveyors takes a calm, straightforward approach rather than a dramatic one. The initial conversation costs nothing, and the quote that follows is clear once we have reviewed your drawings.
Still working through a party wall question? These guides answer the most common ones in full. Start with the one closest to your situation, or explore the full library.
Which works are notifiable, how proximity to the boundary matters, and what to do if you are uncertain.
Explore The Guide →If your neighbour dissents, your project is not blocked. The surveyor route, the Award, and how long a dissent adds.
Explore The Guide →What each one is, when each applies, and how a notice can lead to an Award, so you know which applies to you.
Explore The Guide →The timeline stage by stage, what makes it longer or shorter, and how serving notice early keeps you on schedule.
Explore The Guide →Typical fee ranges for notices and Awards, who pays, and how to keep your party wall costs down.
Explore The Guide →What it includes, when you need one, what it costs, and how it protects both sides if damage is alleged.
Explore The Guide →Yes. LENIO works across the whole of Kensington, from South Kensington and Cornwall Gardens to Holland Park, Gloucester Road and Kensington High Street. If your street is not named on this page, a quick call confirms that we cover it.
We travel to you for the party wall survey and the Schedule of Condition, as part of our Central London coverage.
Usually, yes. The Act is triggered by excavation within three or six metres of a neighbour's building, whatever your footprint. Removing ground beside their foundations can cause settlement on its own.
A party wall notice in Kensington is decided by proximity and depth, not by where your walls sit. We confirm it from the drawings.
Yes, always in practice. A multi-storey dig goes deep and close to neighbouring foundations, triggering the Act under several notices. The deeper it goes, the greater the risk.
Because of that, the Award is detailed, and a surveyor who reads the engineering is essential.
As an Adjoining Owner, you can appoint a surveyor, usually at the Building Owner's cost. They secure a full Schedule of Condition and set protective conditions in the Award.
That is how the Act protects your home during a deep dig next door. We can act for you.
There is no single price, because the cost depends on how your neighbour responds and how many owners are involved. A consented notice sits at the low end, while a party wall award in Kensington, after a dissent, costs more.
LENIO gives free initial advice and a clear quote after reviewing your drawings. You will know the cost before any work begins.
Whether you are planning works or have received a notice, LENIO Party Wall Surveyors can help across Kensington and Central London. Contact us for free initial advice and a clear quote based on your project. Multi-storey Basements is the project we see most often here, so we usually know the ground before we start.