Dilapidations Surveyors for Commercial Landlords and Tenants
Whether you are serving a schedule or defending one, dilapidations turns on evidence, the repairing covenant and the section 18(1) cap — not on the headline number in the first letter.
We act for landlords and tenants, but never both on the same building.
Get a dilapidations assessment
Send us the lease expiry date and the property type and we'll tell you what the realistic exposure looks like.
What dilapidations actually covers
Dilapidations are breaches of a tenant's covenants to repair, decorate and reinstate at the end (or during) a commercial lease. The landlord's remedy is a claim for the cost of putting the breaches right, or for the loss in value of the property caused by them.
The claim is limited by section 18(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927: damages cannot exceed the diminution in the value of the landlord's reversion. If the landlord is going to strip the building out and refurbish it anyway, a large repairs bill can collapse to very little.
- Repair — returning the fabric, services and finishes to the standard the lease requires
- Redecoration — usually specified in the final year of the term
- Reinstatement — removing tenant alterations where a licence requires it
- Statutory compliance — items the lease makes the tenant's responsibility
The three schedules and when they are served
| Schedule | When | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Interim | During the term | Force repair while there is time to remedy |
| Terminal | Near or at expiry | Quantify breaches and open the claim |
| Scott Schedule | In dispute | Side-by-side landlord and tenant positions for the court or expert |
Schedules follow the Dilapidations Protocol; endorsement by a surveyor and a solicitor is expected.
How tenants reduce a claim
- Check the repairing covenant is full repairing and insuring before conceding anything
- Establish the schedule of condition attached to the lease — it caps the standard
- Test the landlord's intentions: refurbishment or redevelopment plans engage section 18(1)
- Price a competing schedule from your own surveyor rather than the landlord's costings
- Do the works yourself before expiry where it is cheaper than paying damages plus loss of rent
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dilapidations survey cost?
For a typical small commercial unit a terminal schedule is usually a few hundred to low thousands of pounds depending on size and complexity. We quote a fixed fee once we've seen the lease and floor area.
Can a landlord claim more than the cost of the works?
A landlord can also claim loss of rent for the period the works would take, plus fees. But the total is still capped by section 18(1) — the actual fall in the value of the landlord's interest caused by the disrepair.
What is a schedule of condition and why does it matter?
A photographic and written record of the property's state at the start of the lease. Where one is attached, the tenant only has to return the property in no worse condition — which can remove most of a terminal claim.