Recover costs where your tenant has breached the lease.
Often at no cost to you.
When a commercial tenant vacates, you are entitled to recover the cost of making good any damage, disrepair and other costs, subject to the lease wording, under the terms of the lease. PHD Building Advisory prepare and pursue dilapidations claims for commercial and industrial landlords. Under many commercial leases our fee is recoverable from the tenant, meaning this process costs you nothing net.
Book a free initial call
No commitment. Honest assessment of your position.
Most landlords leave money on the table. Here is why.
A dilapidations claim is only as good as the schedule that underpins it. If your surveyor has not properly assessed the full extent of the disrepair, including areas that are difficult or impossible to access at ground level, your schedule will undervalue the claim before negotiations have even begun.
On large commercial and industrial properties, the roof is often the single largest item in a legitimate claim. A surveyor without drone access may miss it entirely, or rely on a visual inspection from ground level that cannot identify the full extent of deterioration. On a large industrial unit, that oversight can represent £100,000 or more in unrecovered loss.
PHD Building Advisory include drone surveys on every instruction as standard, at no additional cost. We assess the full extent of the property, roof included, before we put a figure to paper.
Director-led advice that delivers results.
Every instruction at PHD is handled by a director-level chartered surveyor. The person who takes your initial call is the person who inspects the property, prepares your schedule and pursues your claim. There are no junior surveyors or graduates involved in your recovery.
“If you want great advice underpinned on strong knowledge and experience, I would highly recommend PHD. They've been working with us for over two years, having started with a 10-year PPM plan and continued on to scope, tender, and manage various projects as a result. Their communication is clear and concise and their project management professional and pragmatic. Construction projects are rarely straightforward, but PHD are a pleasure to work with throughout the process.”
In many cases our fee is paid by your tenant.
Under many commercial leases, the tenant is obliged to pay the landlord's reasonable surveyor fees as part of the dilapidations process. This means that in a significant number of cases, instructing PHD Building Advisory to prepare and pursue your claim costs you nothing net.
We review your lease at the outset and advise you clearly on whether this applies. If it does, we pursue our fee as part of the claim. If it does not, we are transparent about that too.
We know industrial leases. And what they should include.
The majority of our landlord-side dilapidations work is in the industrial sector. We understand what is and is not a reasonable expectation under a typical industrial lease, which items are routinely missed by generalist surveyors, and where landlords most commonly undersell their claim.
That sector knowledge means our schedules are thorough, defensible, and calculated at rates that reflect the real cost of the works. Not figures that a tenant's surveyor can dismiss in the first round of correspondence.
What happens when you instruct us
Free initial call — Day 1
Tell us about the property, the tenant, and the current situation. We give you an honest initial view of the likely claim value and confirm whether your lease allows for fee recovery.
Inspection & schedule — Weeks 1–3
We carry out a full inspection of the property including a drone survey of the roof and external elevations, then prepare a comprehensive Schedule of Dilapidations based on the lease obligations and the actual condition of the property.
Negotiation — Weeks 3+
We serve the schedule and enter into correspondence with the tenant or their surveyor. We manage the negotiation on your behalf and keep you informed at every stage.
Settlement
Once a figure is agreed we confirm the settlement in writing and, where applicable, pursue our fee as part of the recovery.
This service is for you if…
- You are a commercial landlord whose tenant has vacated or is due to vacate.
- You own or manage industrial, warehouse, office or commercial premises let on a commercial lease.
- You want to maximise your legitimate dilapidations recovery without the process consuming your time.
- You are a property asset manager responsible for a portfolio of commercial or industrial units.
This service is not for you if…
- You are a residential landlord. Dilapidations is a commercial lease matter.
- You are a tenant who has received a schedule and needs to defend against a claim. See our tenant dilapidations page →
PHD Building Advisory is a RICS-regulated chartered surveying practice based in Bristol. Every instruction is handled by director-level RICS members. We prepare and pursue dilapidations claims for commercial and industrial landlords, asset managers and investors across the UK, and have done since 2019.
Ready to recover what you are owed?
Book a free initial call with a director-level chartered surveyor. We will give you an honest view of your likely claim value and confirm whether your lease allows for fee recovery.
Book a free initial call →