Schedules of condition
Schedules of condition are a way of limiting landlords’ and tenants’ repairing liabilities. Prepared, in most cases at the commencement of a lease, its purpose is to provide a clear unequivocal record of the property, to avoid future dispute when assessing dilapidations claims.
Most commercial leases require that a property be left in good repair regardless of the condition it was at the start of the lease, in many circumstances this would be considered unreasonable, but this is no defence if accurate records are not made and agreed by both parties. As such, well mitigated schedules of condition – to be attached to the lease agreement – are important to consider.
We can prepare Schedules of Condition, as well as review and agree schedules that have been prepared by others. Where possible schedules should be agreed by both parties’ surveyors to ensure each other’s interests are protected – when done right, this should also help preserve the relationship between tenant and landord.
Schedules of Condition are also used to provide a record of a property or elements of it to enable damage to be identified when construction works are undertaken by neighbouring owners.