You may have heard the term ‘schedule of dilapidations’ if you are leasing a property, or thinking about leasing one. But what exactly does it mean? Firstly, we need to look at what dilapidation means in this context. Dilapidation is when a building no longer looks like it did when it was first leased. This can occur from mistreatment, poor maintenance, or underlying issues, and if those issues come from were part of the lease, then the lease could be seen as having been breached.
When this happens, a landlord can issue a schedule of dilapidations (which can be prepared by the landlord but more often is prepared by a surveyor or other expert) so that the tenants know what they need to do and by when they need to do it. Once the items on the schedule of dilapidations are completed, the tenant will no longer be in breach of their tenancy agreement and lease.
There are three different types of schedule of dilapidations. The first is the interim schedule. This is issues whilst the lease is still current. Next is the terminal schedule of dilapidations which is issues at any point within the last three years down to 18 months of the lease. Finally, we have the final schedule of dilapidations, and this is issues once the lease is expired. At Alexander Surveying Services we can help you produce a valid, reasonable, and sensible schedule of dilapidations so that your tenant understands exactly what is required of them. To get in touch to discuss this, or any of our other many services, please email us on info@alexandersurveyingservices.co.uk/alexsurv or phone our dedicated team on 020 8524 2228.