What Precautions Can a Tenant Take to reduce dilapidations liability before Lease end?
Dilapidations strategy in most cases is specific to each property, lease terms and the landlord’s intentions. There are a number of tactics available which may help mitigate the cost of dilapidations. Some of these are listed below;
- A tenant is recommended to take appropriate steps to prove that materials and finishes are indeed in repair at the end of the term and are capable of providing the service for which they were originally intended. This evidence may well involve validation testing of mechanical & electrical installations and benchmarking against original design criteria.
- In the first instance, a tenant should ensure that any facilities management team are undertaking periodical inspections in accordance with their mandate. Consideration should also be made as to whether there any items of repair that currently falls outside their mandate.
- Establish whether there is any missing documentation, statutory or otherwise.
- Assess whether there is an opportunity to vacate early in order to undertake some or all of the required works.
- Establish the latest plans and revisions and ensure that these represent the current layout of installations.
- Take photographic evidence of the state and layout of the property immediately before lease termination.
- In all circumstances we recommend specialist Dilapidations advice is sought, as circumstances always vary from lease to lease, which will influence strategy and negotiation tactics.