Specialist
Dilapidations Surveyors
We act for commercial landlords and tenants on dilapidations matters across the UK. Schedules of dilapidations, quantified demand review, terminal and interim claims, Scott schedules and lease-end strategy. Whatever stage you are at, we will give you a clear view on your position the same working day.
Request specialist dilapidations advice
Send a brief (schedule, quantified demand, lease end date or context) and we will respond the same working day.
Specialist UK Dilapidations Surveyors
- Acting for landlords and tenants
- £1m Professional Indemnity
- Nationwide UK coverage
- Same working day response
In summary
What are dilapidations?
Dilapidations are breaches of a tenant's repairing, decorating, reinstatement or yielding-up obligations under a commercial lease. The landlord's claim quantifies the cost of remedying those breaches, capped by Section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927. Specialist surveying input materially changes the settlement position on both sides.
- Who we act for
- Commercial landlords, tenants, managing agents and property solicitors, never both sides on the same matter.
- When to instruct
- Pre-expiry for strategy, on receipt of a schedule or quantified demand, or as soon as the dispute is in play.
- What CBC provides
- Schedules of dilapidations, quantified demand review, Section 18 valuation input and Scott schedule preparation, across England, Scotland and Wales.
- Response time
- Same working day specialist response on every enquiry.
Specialist dilapidations advice for commercial property
Dilapidations is a discipline in its own right. It draws on building surveying, lease interpretation, valuation principles and commercial negotiation, and the cases that settle well are almost always those handled by specialists from the outset.
We advise commercial landlords and tenants on the full lifecycle of a dilapidations claim. That covers pre-expiry strategy, preparation and service of schedules of dilapidations, quantified demand review, response drafting, Scott schedule preparation, and negotiation through to settlement.
Our work is grounded in the lease, the Pre-Action Protocol for Dilapidations Claims and the statutory cap on the landlord's recovery under Section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927. Every position we take is one we can defend evidentially.
We act for tenants under FRI commercial leases, landlords protecting the reversion, managing agents, property solicitors and occupiers facing lease-end exposure, across offices, retail, industrial, logistics, leisure, healthcare and mixed-use schemes throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Dilapidations claims settle well when handled by specialists from the outset
The difference between a claim that settles cleanly and one that escalates is almost always the quality of the surveying input on each side, not the underlying merit of the dispute.
Most claims that escalate do so because one side, or both, has relied on generalist surveying input that misses the lease interpretation, the Section 18 cap, or the realistic settlement position. The cost of getting this wrong is paid in legal fees and time, not surveying fees.
For tenants, a properly handled response can reduce the claim materially, sometimes to a fraction of the figure originally sought. For landlords, a properly prepared schedule and quantified demand recovers what is actually owed, without the credibility damage that a poorly prepared claim suffers in negotiation.
Either way, the value created by specialist input substantially exceeds the fee. That is why both sides routinely instruct specialists once the numbers in play are meaningful.
Built for commercial occupiers and their advisors
Tenants
Pre-expiry advice, response to schedules served, quantified demand review and negotiation through to settlement.
Landlords
Schedules of dilapidations prepared, quantified demands drafted, claims progressed through negotiation and the Pre-Action Protocol.
Managing agents
Specialist surveying input on portfolio dilapidations matters, instructed on behalf of landlord clients.
Solicitors
Surveying input that supports the legal strategy, the Pre-Action Protocol process and any subsequent proceedings.
What CBC delivers on a dilapidations instruction
Every instruction is handled to the same evidential standard, grounded in the lease, the Pre-Action Protocol and the Section 18 cap.
Schedules of dilapidations
Interim and terminal schedules, prepared evidentially and structured to progress straight into a quantified demand.
Quantified demand review
Independent specialist review of demands served on tenants, with a clear view on the realistic settlement position.
Section 18 valuation input
Diminution analysis under Section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, the statutory cap on the landlord's recovery.
Scott schedule preparation
Item-by-item schedules used in the negotiation and dispute stages, structured for both sides to work from.
Lease exit strategy
Pre-expiry advice on reducing exposure, break clause considerations and strip-out versus cash settlement.
Through to settlement
We negotiate through, working alongside instructed solicitors and counsel where matters reach proceedings.
A specialist practice, not a generalist surveyor
Specialist focus
Dilapidations is the discipline, not a sideline. Every instruction is handled by surveyors who do this work daily.
Acting for both sides
We act for landlords and tenants. Full visibility of how the other side will think materially sharpens our advice.
Evidentially grounded
Every position we take is supported by lease interpretation, photographic record and Section 18 valuation reasoning.
Same working day response
Every enquiry receives a specialist response the same working day. Dilapidations matters move on tight clocks.
Nationwide UK coverage
One specialist team, consistent methodology, instructed across England, Scotland and Wales.
Commercial property only
We do not split attention across residential and commercial. Commercial dilapidations is what we do.
From brief to evidential report
A clear four-step path from initial enquiry to a report ready to annex to your lease.
- 01
Send a brief
Property, lease end date, your role and the position so far. Enough to give us a meaningful first view.
- 02
Same-day response
A specialist surveyor reviews the brief personally and comes back the same working day with a clear view.
- 03
Specialist instruction
Schedule prepared, claim reviewed, response drafted, or strategy advised, on a fixed-fee or agreed-rate basis.
- 04
Through to settlement
We negotiate through to settlement, working alongside your solicitor where formal proceedings are in play.
Dilapidations surveyors across the UK
We are instructed nationwide and travel routinely. The locations below are popular hubs, if your property sits between them, we still cover it.
Recent specialist instructions
A small selection of commercial instructions across offices, industrial, retail and mixed-use property.
Logistics warehouse, M62 corridor
West Yorkshire
Pre-lease Schedule of Condition for a 120,000 sq ft logistics letting on a 10-year FRI lease.
Central London office, EC2
City of London
Floor-by-floor Schedule of Condition supporting a tenant's lease renewal negotiation.
Retail unit, prime high street
Manchester
Schedule of Condition limiting repairing liability ahead of a 5-year retail letting.
Dilapidations, common questions
Practical answers for tenants, landlords and their advisors.
Related pages
Talk to a specialist dilapidations surveyor
Send a brief and a specialist will respond the same working day with a clear view on your position and the next practical step.