A Schedule of Dilapidations is a schedule of works and items required to be carried out by the tenant of a property in order to meet their obligations under the agreed lease. A Schedule of Dilapidations is usually engaged by a Landlord either towards/at the end of a lease or sometimes, can be carried out part-way through the lease term (known as an interim Schedule of Dilapidations). However, it is not uncommon for tenants to commission their own Schedule of Dilapidations if they would like a report outlining the items of work they need to carry out to meet their obligations in the agreed lease.
The Schedule of Dilapidations will refer to the relevant clauses in the lease, mutually agreed by the Landlord and Tenant and will set out the items of work required for the tenant to meet their obligations. Some of the common items required in leases refer to general maintenance items and repairs, certification for items like periodic testing of services to the property and requirements for reinstatement, should the lease allow the Tenant to make any alterations to the property. However again, each lease can be different which is why it is important that your Chartered Surveyor has been given a copy of the agreed lease prior to commencing their instruction so that they can ensure the schedule only relates to the tenant’s legal obligations under the lease.
The Schedule of Dilapidations is also typically costed with the estimated cost of each item of work required to be carried out by the Tenant set out. This is usually included as when the Landlord serves the Schedule of Dilapidations on their Tenant, if the Tenant does then not carry out the works and items set out in the schedule, then the Landlord may seek to recover costs via a Quantified Demand using estimated costs of each item set out in the schedule where not undertaken or not undertaken to a reasonable standard, or in line with the requirements of the lease.
It is not uncommon for a Tenant and Landlord to enter a dispute in respect of Tenant obligations under the lease and items set out in a Schedule of Dilapidations served on them and sometimes, the Tenant may engage their own Surveyor to assist them with Schedule of Dilapidations if they feel the schedule served on them is incorrect or unreasonable.
At Cockrams Surveyors, we can not only carry out Schedules of Dilapidations on behalf of both Landlords and/or Tenants but may also be able to assist with negotiation.
If you require assistance with a dilapidations matter, give our office a call on 01872 277230 to have a friendly discussion with a member of our team or email info@cockrams-surveyors.co.uk
