Schedules of Condition
To avoid this, well advised business tenants are now documenting the condition of premises before they acquire a lease and ensuring that the lease limits their liability by reference to the Schedule of Condition. The reasoning behind this is that most business premises in the UK are let on Full Repairing and Insuring Leases. This means that the tenant is liable for all the repairs required to keep and put the premises in good condition, and this can include such expensive repairs as the replacement of a roof covering - where this isn't deemed to be an 'improvement'.  To avoid the liability of putting the premises into a better condition than they where at the start of the lease it is necessary to have a professionally prepared Schedule detailing the Condition of all the elements of the accommodation and for this Schedule to be attached and referred to in the lease documentation. The Right Surveyors frequently come across Dilapidation Claims which can run into tens of thousands of pounds. The cost of preparing a Schedule at the commencement of the lease is thus just a fraction of the costs of repairs for which the tenant would otherwise be liable. The Schedule of Condition itself typically takes the form of an extensive table, breaking the subject property down into component parts and recording accurately its condition on the date of inspection. Frequently, clients commission a Full Building Survey or similar at the same time, taking advantage of the fact that the surveyor is already out on site, to gain a better view of maintenance requirements and potential remedial works. Still unsure? Click on the link to find out more about each survey, as written by a qualified Chartered Surveyor:
If you have further questions about the types of survey available or would be interested in booking a survey, go to the 'contact us' page and speak with one of our Chartered Surveyors.
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