What Is a Dilapidations Survey?
How surveyors assess a commercial property against lease repair covenants.
A dilapidations survey is a professional inspection of a commercial property that assesses the tenant's compliance with lease repair and reinstatement covenants. The surveyor's findings form the basis of the schedule of dilapidations.
Who Commissions the Survey?
The landlord commissions the dilapidations survey to protect their asset as the lease nears expiry, instructing an independent building surveyor to inspect the unit.
Tenants may also commission a dilapidations liability assessment earlier in the lease to understand their future costs and begin planning the required reinstatement works.
What Does the Surveyor Look For?
The surveyor reads the specific lease clauses and any attached licences to alter, then walks the property to find physical evidence of where the tenant has breached those agreements.
They check for unapproved alterations, lack of decoration, damaged infrastructure, and general disrepair. They also review the original schedule of condition, if one exists, to ignore pre-existing defects.
Been served a schedule?
Get a fixed price for the works. We price line by line against your schedule.
How Does the Survey Become a Claim?
After the inspection, the surveyor compiles their findings into a formal schedule of dilapidations, which itemises the breaches and attaches an estimated cost for repairing each one.
This document is then served on the tenant, triggering the formal protocol response period and starting the financial negotiation.
Why Should Tenants Seek Contractor Pricing?
Tenants should seek contractor pricing because the figures generated by the surveyor's survey are estimates designed to protect the landlord, not the true market cost of the works.
By having a contractor price the schedule line by line, you secure a realistic benchmark to challenge the survey's estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need my own dilapidations surveyor?
Yes, tenants should always instruct their own surveyor to review the landlord's schedule and negotiate the technical aspects of the claim.
Is a dilapidations survey the same as a condition survey?
No, a condition survey assesses the physical state of the building, whereas a dilapidations survey assesses the condition specifically against the legal obligations of the lease.
Can a contractor do the dilapidations survey?
Contractors price the works, but independent building surveyors conduct the formal survey and handle the legal negotiations.
Been served a schedule?
Get a fixed price for the works. We price line by line against your schedule.
Once the survey becomes a schedule, you need accurate numbers to defend yourself. We price dilapidations works directly from the surveyor's document, giving you a fixed quote to either use in negotiations or instruct the works.