Dilapidations

When a lease comes to, or nears it end, a landlord can prepare and serve a schedule of dilapidations requiring the tenant to repair and redecorate the property in question. This is a complex area of legislation and many thousands of pounds of repair work may be at issue. This is also a potentially very litigious field where dispute between landlord and tenant is all too easy to fall into.

We can advise and act for either party, and ensure their rights are upheld, and look to achieve the appropriate solution to the matter, depending on the circumstances.

If you are a tenant, and have been served a schedule of dilapidations, or are approaching the end of your lease, and the landlord has notified you of his intention to do so, or you suspect that he/she will be serving a schedule of dilapidations, early contact with ourselves may well be in your best interests to safeguard your position and prevent perhaps inappropriate claims for repairs on you.

If you are a landlord, and your lease with your tenant is approaching its end, we can advise on the preparation and serving of the appropriate schedule of dilapidations, in its correct form and content, so that it is compliant and respectful of the terms of the lease, and the legislation that covers this complex field of landlord and tenant law. In doing so, you are protecting yourself and your building to the extent within your rights.

Commercial Leases

If you are a tenant entering into a commercial lease, or a landlord looking to grant a lease, often your only advice is from a solicitor, who is unlikely to have visited the building, knows nothing of its condition, and therefore unaware of ongoing maintenance/future maintenance liabilities.

We can advise you, whether you be landlord or tenant, as to the most advantageous lease terms to safeguard your interests in the lease and the building.

Party Wall Matters (The Party Wall etc. Act 1996)

If you are building close to your neighbour’s building (within 3m), or are attaching/cutting into a wall that is shared with your neighbour, the above legislation more often than not comes into effect and imposes obligations on each party. We can advise and act for either or both parties in the matter, and always look to take the view that the easiest, least costly and correct but practical route is the best method to resolve these issues between neighbours – unlike some firms who do look to maximise their fee earning potential in such situations – often to the detriment of either or both neighbours.

If you suspect that works your are intending on carrying out may well be liable under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, contact us for an initial free consultation, and advice on the best way to proceed.