Dilapidations in a Nutshell for Tenants and Leaseholders

Further Key Questions About Dilapidations

What is Dilapidations?

It is very difficult to define in a few words, basically it occurs when a Landlord and a tenant have taken out a Lease agreement and the Lease has come to an end or the tenant / business owner has decided to leave, and the Landlord requires the building to be left in a suitable condition for him to re-rent, as set out within the terms of the Lease and any Licences that have been issued.

What is a Licence?

A Licence is a formal approval by a Landlord of an alteration or addition that the tenant requires.

What sort of Chartered Surveyor?

Many Chartered Building Surveyors specialise in Dilapidations work and are the most common type of Chartered Surveyor found carrying out this discipline; in fact some practices specialise in this area.

What sort of fees should I expect?

The RICS guidance with regard to fees is that they should not be based upon a commission basis, i.e. based upon the savings obtained by the Chartered Surveyor working for the tenant or the size of the claim if working for the Landlord. Fees should be based either on an hourly rate, a day rate, or a fixed charge. Very few surveyors will work for a fixed cost due to it being very difficult to establish how much time will be taken in dealing with such a claim.

Please telephone us on 0800 298 54 24 for an hourly or daily rate.