Why the adjoining owner’s surveyor needs an engineer

This paper explains the reasons for the appointment of an engineer by an adjoining owner’s surveyor in the context of party wall and adjacent excavation works. Recent changes in contract procedures and professional relationships, together with associated downward pressures on fees, are identified as having contributed to a vulnerability for adjoining owners in these circumstances. The engineer’s role in scrutinising temporary works is therefore demonstrated to provide an increasingly important safeguard for adjoining owners.