Party wall nightmare

nadsat

We are adjoining owners to a semi whose owners are doing major structural work. We thought it best to appoint our own surveyor as the party wall act allows but it turns out that he appears to be rather greedy and we have just found out he has racked up £5000 in fees and the neighbour's surveyor has rejected his terms and half his fees and referred things to a third surveyor. Has anyone any advice/experience with this as I know we are ultimately liable for his full fee but apart from choosing a possible rogue surveyor - he has chartered status though - we are blameless and also having to put up with months of disruption from the works. I'm sure our surveyor will not hesitate to sue us, his client. Seems you can be a victim by trying to do the right thing.

moneyistooshorttomention

Didn't you get a "written quotation" from your surveyor before appointing him?

I use the words "written quotation" deliberately - because the law allows "estimates" to be changed afterwards, but not "written quotations".