Q&A session with Andrew Schofield

In this episode, Andrew Schofield gives his views, interpretations and opinion on invoking the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 without serving a notice; the scope of Section 7(2) compensation; rights and obligations in using drones for surveys; demystifying the old conflict between the Pyramus and Thisbe Club and the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors.
You can also watch this interview on YouTube.
Transcription
Philippe: Hi and welcome to another edition of Party Wall PRO the Podcast. Sorry it took me so long to get back online but we’ve been very busy with lots of new customers for our party wall software and also developing a software for schedule of condition that we’re going to release in a few months, which is quite exciting.
I’m very excited today because I’ve got Andrew Schofield with me of Schofield Surveyors and he has agreed to come on the show because…you owe me one, right?
Before we dig into the questions, because this time, it’s a little bit different. I actually went out to our community of users and our mailing list to ask people – to ask you questions directly and we had a ton of responses. So I’m not going to go through all of them but we will try to at least talk about the common themes that came through.
But first of all Andrew, how did you get to where you are? How did you end up doing Party Wall and neighbourly matters?
Andrew: A bit of check on my background. Not a very nice boy at school. Went to sea when I was 16. Spent eight years in the merchant navy, went everywhere, had a thoroughly good time. I met lots of people, some with negotiable affection and well, I met a girl, came to shore, bummed around. Sold brushes door to door, worked at pubs, security guard and then one day I walked past the estate agents where I’d recently bought this flat and I had a young barrister sleeping on the floor to help pay the rent and I walked in to get a job and like the Boys from the Blackstuff – and started off as an estate agent. Did about 12 months of that and then decided I want to be an auctioneer. How to be an auctioneer? You’ve got to a chartered surveyor. Didn’t know any of this of course. Then I met an awesome building surveyor by the way, Mike Rutherford. He’s just brilliant and he – learned with him and went on to Brittain Hadley, partnership, then Conrad Ritblat, as it was in the day, as a senior. Then I signed at another practice for about 10 years10 years, went to Delva Patman where I was a partner and was there for nearly 10 years I think. And then I thought why not try and regain a bit of high ground. I felt that building surveying generally, the standards have dropped – I think the RICS, since the labour reform has changed a lot and I wanted to start something that’s a bit different, also on a different structure to a practice rather than having – I believe very much employee owned so everyone has vested interest in business and it’s a very transparent organisation as much as the people ask a question about – for example, what I earn and I answer it and there’s no hidden secrets about this. We’ve got a business plan to build it up to a certain size and structure it for longevity and it’s not for me, the practice really, I’ve already made the decision. When I’m 65, I resign as a director and they can keep me on as a consultant if they’re not sick of me by then. That’s basically it. It’s a bit of a swan song try to get a high ground, a bit more moral, a bit more – as I say, try and get back to the genuine core interests of construction and the inquiring mind that that requires.
Philippe: So what’s the grand plan? Because I’ve seen you’ve managed to poach some young talent.
Andrew: Poach? Poach? I am so hurt by that comment – these people came to me! They are – I’m really lucky, I’ve got the finest surveyors available really who are great. Yeah, they’re awesome. I mean they’re a lot better than I am. Everything we’ve – obviously Jack is a tour de force. He’s now a mediator with everything that goes with it. a