Schedule of Dilapidations
As a landlord there are few more important (and potentially expensive) considerations than the state of repair of your property. In order to ensure that a tenant is complying with the terms of their lease it is necessary that an accurate schedule of dilapidations is produced.
A schedule of dilapidations is effectively a list of all those items which the landlord believes constitute a breach of the lease, such as the tenants’ requirement to:
- keep the premises in good repair and condition
- maintain the services and installations
- redecorate
- not to alter the building without consent
Collertons team of property professionals will produce a schedule of dilapidations, for your property, either during the lease term or at its end with a full understanding of your need to protect your property investment.
We will produce one of 3 types of schedule:-
- Interim Schedule – served mid way through often to coincide with a rent review date.
- Terminal Schedule – served as the lease is coming to its end – often in the last 12 months.
- Final Schedule – served after the end of the lease.
All the schedules will detail the alleged breach and will contain actions to remedy the breach.
In the case of a final schedule the tenant will not be in a position to carry out the remedial works as the lease will have ended, consequently the landlords’ course of action is to sue for damages. This will include not only the cost of the works, but also any loss of rent, service charge, rates, professional fees and VAT.
Our Surveyors will advise in the following principal areas:-
For the Landlord:
Prepare an accurate schedule that will stand legal scrutiny and can be negotiated and enforced.
For the Tenant - (where you want to defend a schedule served on you):
- Whether the schedule of dilapidations served on you is accurate.
- Whether the standard of repair required by the schedule is justified.
- Whether any statutory reliefs may be available to the tenant.
- How and when any repairs should be conducted or whether negotiation of a financial settlement in lieu of damages would be preferable.
For further advice please contact Collertons head office where we will be happy to give you further assistance.
Condition Survey
A condition survey is a way for the tenant and landlord to record the condition of a property at the start of, or extension of the lease.
Collertons will provide a condition survey which is presented clearly and concisely to avoid any ambiguity and is supported with a photographic record of the premises.
Collertons will carry out an objective review of the property both internally and externally noting the condition of each element as at the date of inspection. We then go through the property room by room recording the condition of the:
- Ceilings
- Walls
- Floors
- External joinery
- Services, etc.
As with all our surveys the condition survey will be carried out by a Chartered Surveyor who will lend to the survey considerable expertise in respect of building construction and identification of both cause and effect of defects. This is essential for highlighting a problem which hasn’t yet manifested itself. In such instances we could literally SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OF POUNDS in potential future claims for damages.
For further advice please contact Collertons head office where we will be happy to give you further assistance.
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