Dilapidations

Dilapidations advice helps landlords and tenants understand their obligations to repair, redecorate, reinstate, and yield up under a lease. Effective dilapidations advice combines careful lease interpretation, building pathology, cost awareness, and professional negotiation to reduce uncertainty, preserve asset value, and achieve proportionate settlements. Our experts provide strategic, commercially focused advisory support for landlords and tenants at lease commencement, during occupation, ahead of break dates, or at lease expiry.

Dilapidations services

Schedule of dilapidations

We prepare interim and terminal schedules of dilapidations for landlords to help protect the value of their property and provide tenants with a transparent view of their responsibilities. We’ll detail property disrepair, breaches of lease terms, and unapproved alterations, outline the required remedial work, and ensure lease obligations are clearly set out and evidenced.

Tenant exit strategy

We provide tenant liability assessments and advice to support an effective exit strategy to minimise financial liabilities and legal disputes. We can also prepare formal responses to landlord claims to ensure tenants are equipped to negotiate fair settlements.

Break clause condition reviews

We undertake detailed reviews of break clause conditions to identify required works and preserve tenants' break rights, and provide advice to ensure tenants comply with lease terms to reduce the risk of costly disputes or failed break notices.

Dispute resolution

Our experts offer support for any arising conflicts to help reach efficient, pragmatic dispute resolutions. We prepare Quantified Demands for landlords to evidence financial losses, draft detailed Scott Schedules to clearly define disputed items, provide an impartial, RICS Red Book-compliant Diminution Valuations (Section 18), and deliver professional settlement negotiation support.

Strategic advice

We provide practical, commercially minded guidance that helps clients make informed decisions during lease-end repairs and achieve favourable outcomes. This includes supersession advice to remove any costs related to works that don’t align with the landlord’s future plans for the buildings, reinstatement advice based on lease obligations, guidance on acceptable repair standards, and settlement options.

Dilapidations advice you can trust

Handling a dilapidations claim can be complex, involving multiple stakeholders and moving parts. As a multi-disciplinary practice, we coordinate with legal advisers, valuers, contractors, and cost consultants to deliver a seamless service. This collaborative approach ensures that all parties are aligned and that the dilapidations process runs smoothly from start to finish.