Signing onto any new Lease can be very daunting, and what happens at the end of the Lease can seem a long way off. With the increase of spurious Landlords claims for dilapidations at the end of the term, it is vital for tenants to ensure that they have suitable protection in place. To help protect against a Dilapidation Claim, a landlord or tenant can instruct JBH Property Consulting to conduct a Schedule of Condition.
Schedules of Condition are commonly undertaken prior construction or upon completion of a project in order to determine condition at that moment in time. Typically, this would be undertaken by your building surveyor to establish the previous condition of the work area or fabric of the building’s elements.
Utilised in both the residential and commercial sectors, a Schedule of Condition protects the interests of the landlord or tenant by providing clarity on the condition of a property at that moment in time. If correctly referenced in a new Lease, the value of the SoC report becomes evident when used to mitigate repair obligations and/or claims for damages under dilapidations.
The 3 main areas in which the SoC protects are Leases, Construction Work & Party Wall Disputes
Lease clauses often dictate the terms of repair obligations, often during and at the end of a lease. Having a snapshot of the buildings condition will aid mitigating repair responsibilities which have the capability of becoming costly.
Schedules of Condition are commonly undertaken prior construction or upon completion of a project in order to determine condition at that moment in time. Typically, this would be undertaken by your building surveyor to establish the previous condition of the work area or fabric of the building’s elements.
A key element to the Party Wall Act is documenting the condition of building. A Schedule of Condition will provide clarity of condition, prior to work commencing. This is an insurance of sorts, likely avoiding potential disputes from arising. Should a dispute still occur, the evidence of prior condition is at least, still documented.
JBH Property Consulting use an aerial drone to inspect roof coverings and upper levels of buildings. Our newest recruit ‘The Drone’ often used whilst performing Schedule of Condition surveys. This greatly reduces costs to Clients, as it negates the need for cherry pickers and other access equipment to view high level and roof areas.
Please get in touch via our Contact Us page if we can help you with a Schedules of Condition.
