Party walls and boundaries
Damp-proof injection plugs run along a wall you share with the neighbour. Has the survey decided you may inject the neighbour's side?
No, the survey has not decided that you may inject the neighbour's side of the wall where the damp-proof plugs run. The plugs are a condition observation on a wall you share. They are not permission. GOV.UK's party wall guidance is about works that affect a shared wall, and about notice between owners. The survey does not serve that notice and does not authorise drilling the neighbour's half. Seeing plugs on your face of the wall does not decide their side.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Injection plugs show that someone has already drilled a pattern on the wall that was visible. They do not show consent for a new course on the other side, and they do not show that the first course was agreed. A home survey describes damp evidence and what it can see of the wall. Party wall procedure, where it applies, sits with the owners and the notices the GOV.UK guidance describes. The surveyor does not write an award.
Ask the solicitor whether work to this shared wall needs notice before anyone injects further, and do not start on the neighbour's side because the plugs look unfinished. Show them the survey sentence and keep it as description. If more damp investigation is needed, that instruction still does not include the neighbour's wall unless the legal side is sorted. The report has not authorised injecting their side.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see plugs only on the face you could inspect?
- Have you avoided authorising any injection of the neighbour's side?
- Which damp notes are description, not a party wall permission?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the plugs as a description, not as permission.
- Ask the solicitor before anyone injects a wall you share.
- Do not drill the neighbour's side because plugs are already there.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the neighbour's plugs mirror yours, is their consent proved?
No. Matching plugs, if you can see them, still do not prove you may inject further. The survey has not decided that.
Can the surveyor serve the party wall notice for you?
No. GOV.UK sets out notice between owners for certain works. The home survey does not serve that notice and does not authorise the neighbour's side.