Short answer: your neighbour can refuse to consent – but they cannot veto lawful work. Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, a refusal (or simply ignoring your notice for 14 days) does not stop your loft conversion or extension; it triggers a defined legal process that ends in a party wall award allowing the work to proceed with safeguards.
What “dissent” actually means
When an adjoining owner dissents, the Act requires surveyors to be appointed – either a single “agreed surveyor” acting impartially for both parties, or one surveyor each. The surveyor’s job is not to take sides: it is to produce an award recording how and when the work will be done, what protection the neighbouring property gets, and how any damage will be made good. Your neighbour choosing their own surveyor does not cost you the project – though as the building owner you normally pay both sides’ reasonable fees.
What a neighbour can and cannot achieve
They can: insist on a schedule of condition, influence working hours and access arrangements, and have a surveyor scrutinise the structural detail. They cannot: refuse indefinitely, demand payment for consent, or block work the Act entitles you to do. If they refuse access for the surveyor or obstruct the process, the Act has mechanisms to keep matters moving.
Keep it neighbourly – and get the paperwork right
Most disputes start with a badly drafted notice or no notice at all. Kingston Surveyors arranges experienced RICS party wall surveyors across London who serve valid notices, act as agreed surveyor where relations are good, and produce awards that protect both homes – see our party wall surveyor cost guide for typical fees, or our guide to party wall matters generally. Call 0204 579 8270 for same-day advice on your notice or your neighbour’s refusal.
