Commercial Dilapidations

It can come as shock at the end of a lease when the landlord requires a tenant to remedy items of damage or disrepair to a property.

If the tenant does not carry out this work, he or she may be required to pay the cost of doing so to the landlord.

A tenant may however be able to challenge the landlord’s list of required repair work - referred to as a schedule of dilapidations.

We offer expert advice to landlords and tenants regarding liabilities, the law relating to repairing covenants and the estimated cost of itemised works.

An in depth knowledge of the latest case law is needed to best advise the parties on precisely which repairs can or cannot be included.

Tenants should really take advice on their potential liability for dilapidations at an early stage. Similarly landlords need not wait until the final months of a lease term before advising a tenant of a potential claim for a breach of a repairing obligation.