Project:
Dilapidations settlement for national retail tenant
Location:
Bristol
In Brief:
Our client, a well-known, national food retailer, was coming to an end of tenancy for one of their main offices in Bristol and had been served a dilapidation schedule with a claim for £150,000 for damage repairs.
Our client felt the claim was both unfair and excessive, and instructed us to review the schedule and provide a response on their behalf.
The Process:
Dilapidations claims can be complex and having expertise in the process makes a huge difference to the outcome.
Our experienced dilapidations surveyor first carefully reviewed the details of the claim and assessed these against the tenant’s obligations as laid out in the terms of the lease. This painstaking work is fundamental to achieving a sound, well-argued response to any claim for damages.
A site inspection was then carried out to assess and record the condition of the property, taking into account the details of the claim and associated repair costs.
This work informed our response to the claims and enabled us to contest several of the items in the dilapidations schedule, with well-documented, detailed evidence to back our arguments.
The claims we contested included:
- Contest suggested costs associated for repairs
- Contest requirement to renew decorations and coverings
- Review of actual loss to landlord
We presented our response using a Scott Schedule which allows each party to set out their respective views.
Outcome:
Our considered and well supported response to the numerous claims for damage repairs, redecoration and refurbishments ultimately resulted in a settlement of just circa £50,000, achieving a significant saving of approximately £100,000 for our client.
If you have been served a dilapidation schedule by your landlord or are coming towards the end of your lease period and need some advice, we would be glad to help.
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