Floor problems in leased properties

Independent Building Surveyors

We can provide help and advice with regard to leases, dilapidations, schedules of condition, dilaps claims, Scott schedules, building surveys, structural reports, engineers report, specific defects report, structural surveys or any other property matters. 

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How a mezzanine floor could cause you problems

Whether it is a warehouse, an office or a shop you can sometimes have a mezzanine floor in it. Please read on to see what sort of costly problems this can lead to. Also have a look at the floor example which can be just as costly. In a case that we came across recently with a warehouse being rented which had a mezzanine flooring although it was not identified within the lease plan. This meant that although it looked like it came with the warehouse it was actually the previous tenant’s fixtures and fittings.

Unfortunately, if you take on the lease whether you use the mezzanine or not it will become your responsibility and you may have a dilapidations claim if carried out at the end of the lease (and why wouldn’t a landlord carry one out as they are free of charge as the tenant normally pays for them). It is always a win win situation with landlords and dilapidation. You may end up taking out the mezzanine or just as bad may vacate the property, then have a monetary only settlement with regard to the removal of the mezzanine floor.

What does a mezzanine floor looks like when it has been taken out?

Stored carpet tiles	General storage

How much does the mezzanine floor cost?

To those of you that do not know, putting in the mezzanine floor can cost tens of thousands of pounds depending upon the size, the quality and the fit out. It can also cost tens of thousands of pounds to remove particularly if bolts have rusted in place.

No Schedule of Condition means no proof of condition

We came across recently where a company had taken on the lease of a shop and in good faith they took it over from a company that were having a hard times / going bankrupt so they took it on still with their signage on the outside of the property and indeed still with their floor and layout of the property in place. The company then refurbished the property and made it a lot nicer that it was when they moved in. Unfortunately, without a Schedule of Condition there is no way of proving this and the dilapidations from the landlord surveyor requires the removal of the floor and also the removal of various partitions that where there which our client / tenant says when they originally leased the property. There are all sorts of evidence that the tenants brought forward but it has all fallen on death ears as everything from the original leasing literature which shows photos of the layout of the property to a website of the original company that is still on the internet to the company that has put the floor down and actually putting their name to it and the year (which the landlord surveyors imply that we may have done) and they are still pushing to have them replace the entire floor. We are fighting the corner for the tenant at this very moment.

Free phone 0800 298 5424

Surveying Articles

Please read the articles we have written listed below which may be of help to you.

What is a Scott Schedule?

What are Dilapidations?

What is a Schedule of Condition?

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