Draft:Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors

The Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) was founded to address the need for education and support for building surveyors and other professionals in the field. It also aims to increase public awareness and offer advice and guidance to individuals who may be affected by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Determining whether a building project falls within the scope of the Act can be a complicated process. Failing to accurately identify the status of your project can lead to the building works being considered unlawful. Therefore, it is crucial to seek the expertise of professionals who specialise in party wall matters.

History
The Faculty has progressed through many stages to what it has become today.

Initially, there was the Faculty of Architects & Surveyors (FAS) together with the Construction Surveyors Institute (CSI) which amalgamated in 1989 to become the Architecture Surveying Institute (ASI) who had offices in St. Marys House in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Among its 6,000 members was a section of 500 members that dealt with Party Wall matters. This would have been under the London Building Acts, the latest being Part VI of the London Building Acts (Amendment) Act, 1939. . This, of course, only covered Party Wall matters in the Inner London Boroughs. Subsequently, a Parliament Bill was passed entitled the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 that now covers the whole of England and Wales.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) took over the ASI in 2002 and kept a department known as the Faculty of Architecture and Surveying, but the CIOB decided they did not want to have the facility to deal with party wall matters and thus the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (FPWS) was born in order to continue dealing with the new Act.

This new Faculty founded by four director members namely Ken Whittick, Malcolm Lelliott, Charles Dawson, and Alex Frame of which, through retirement, only Alex Frame remains and is the current president. The Faculty has increased to about 1000 members.

Current Position
The FPWS has seven directors and a full-time administration office now based in Hastings. These directors cover various departments of Membership, Education, Promotion, Marketing and Administration. All the above departments are voluntary apart from the Administration Team who are full-time. The Faculty is also supported externally by barristers, accountants and IT personnel.

The Faculty is registered at Companies House and every member has a handbook containing:-


 * Articles of Association
 * Bylaws
 * Memorandum of Agreement
 * Code of Conduct and Supplementary Guide

The Faculty is well known in Party Wall circles and applications from surveyors to join continually flow into the office. The FPWS has also been referred to in a number of high profile cases in a very positive way, for example:-

Other cases include:-
 * Power and Kyson v Raheel Shah  [2023] EWCA CIV 239 (Court of Appeal) 7 March 2023
 * Zissis v Lukomski and Anor [2006] EWCA Civ 341 5 April 2005 CA (Civ Div)
 * Nutt v Veda Road Ltd & Podger. (Unreported) Central London County Court, 28 March 2021, HHJ Parfitt


 * Kaye v Lawrence [2011] 1 W.L.R. 1948 26th October 2010, Queens Bench Division (TCC Court). Ramsey J
 * Onigbanjo v Pearson and sections 10(12)(c) and 10(13)(c) 20 June 2008. HHJ Birtles

The Bodies Role
The purpose of the Faculty is to provide education and support in order to administer the legislation introduced by the Government in 1997 both to those practising in the Act and to the general public. Its education and learning disciplines include various teaching seminars, forums, and literature (books and newsletters).

The Faculty's intention is also to raise awareness and provides free advice and guidance by telephone and emails to all members and to the general public alike. Many such referrals also come from other well-known professional bodies such as RIBA, RICS , Citizens Advice Bureaus and Local Authorities.

The Faculty also produces a quarterly newsletter and regular e-bulletins that keep members up to date and which is open to members to share their views and experiences.

The website provides details of various legal cases and a list of members that anyone may use to gain advice from or use to appoint a Party Wall Surveyor for a particular job. The website also includes various teaching Podcasts.

Membership
The Faculty has various grades of memberships:-


 * Affiliate – Non practising members
 * Associates – Those with lesser experience.
 * Members – Practising members (MFPWS)
 * Honorary member – Recognition to party wall matters  (Hon MFPWS)
 * Fellow – Experienced practising Surveyors (FPPWS)
 * Honorary Fellow – Recognition to part wall matters (Hon FFPWS)

All members pay an annual subscription fee which is intended to provide the necessary finances to support the administration of the FPWS as it is a non-profit making organisation.

Application for membership can be made by email or by contacting the head office for an application form.

The Forums
It was one of the main functions of the Faculty to set up local forums all around the country to encourage and support members in their area. Many of these are now undertaken by virtual links such as Zoom and Team Viewer. This is one of the ways that members can obtain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, which is a requirement for further education.

Academic Qualifications
The Act does not demand any form of qualification in order to practise as a Party Wall Surveyor hence the public are exposed and exploited by unscrupulous surveyors. This is why membership can only be gained through seminar training followed by a rigid interview system, including test papers, where applicable.

Books
Various education books written by the FPWS are provided such as:-


 * Misunderstandings and Guidance: The Party Wall etc. Act 1996


 * The Third Surveyor.
 * Party Wall etc. Act 1996 - An Easy Guide.
 * CPD Study Course Books.
 * The Administration Process[TW1].
 * A History of Party Walls.

Other books have been written on connected subjects such as:-


 * Boundary Disputes (A guide for Surveyors).
 * The Complete Easy Guide to Extending Your Home (Construction Details).
 * Mediation – Guide for Surveyors.
 * RICS - Party Wall Legislation and Procedure