Preventing Dilapidations Disputes

15 / 07 / 2015

Preventing Dilapidations Disputes

Help to avoid the uncertainty of dilapidation discussions that occur at the end of a lease by ensuring you have protected your interest’s right at the start of the process; at the time of drafting the lease.

A large proportion of disputes arise due to unsubstantiated alterations made by the tenant and being unable to prove what was once self-evident when the lease was signed; once the lease term has expired several years later, what was apparent has long since been forgotten. Often, landlords are unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt what alterations have been made and equally, tenants are sometimes asked by landlords to remove alterations which were in place when the lease was signed. The result being both parties spend time and costs defending a claim.

These issues can be prevented before the lease is signed (pre-acquisition) with a Schedule of Condition at the outset to limit future potential liabilities; this can be agreed by both parties and attached to the lease to record the condition and layout of the building.

We can discuss your current and future demands; identifying liabilities for all parties by providing a Schedule of Condition prior to the start of the lease. Once the lease has expired we can advise whether individual items and associated costs within a schedule of dilapidations are reasonable or go beyond what the landlord can claim as damages.

Give me a call on Tel: 0118 921 1533 to discuss or click here for further information.


Matthew Ward

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Matthew Ward

BSc (Hons) MRICS