The Most Common Defects Found in Dilapidation Surveys
Dilapidations can feel like a catch all term until you are dealing with them properly. One day it is business as usual, then suddenly there is a schedule listing dozens of items with costings attached, and every mark on a wall looks like it has a price tag. Tenants often feel like they are being blamed for every imperfection. Landlords often feel like they are being handed a property that is not ready for the next occupier.
What usually surprises people is how predictable dilapidation schedules are. Most claims are built around the same types of defects, and once you know what they are, you can spot them early and deal with them before they turn into a bigger issue.
If you are approaching lease end, or you manage a portfolio and want fewer disputes, the best thing you can do is understand what surveyors tend to pick up and why. In many cases, an early review supported by dilapidations survey advice can prevent the last minute rush that drives costs up for everyone.
Why The Same Defects Show Up Again and Again
Most commercial buildings age in ways that are fairly consistent. High footfall areas wear first. Services are often forgotten until something fails. Minor leaks become staining, then damaged finishes. Alterations made for operational reasons are sometimes left without proper making good. None of this is unusual. The problem is that lease end inspections shine a light on all of it at once.
Leases also push defects to the surface. If the lease includes repair obligations, redecoration cycles, or reinstatement requirements, surveyors will check whether those have been met. This is why a property that feels usable day to day can still trigger a long schedule when the tenant is leaving.
A good starting point is to treat lease end like a planned project, not a sudden event. That is where coordinated programmes and sensible planning come in, and it is often easier when project management support is involved early enough to coordinate inspections, contractors, and access.
Decorative Condition And Tired Finishes
Decoration is one of the most common categories in dilapidations schedules, and it is also one of the easiest areas to underestimate.
Surveyors regularly flag scuffed walls, worn paint finishes, discoloured ceilings, patchy touch ups, and failed sealant around skirting and frames. In offices this often shows up at corners, meeting rooms, and around radiator points. In retail and hospitality environments, high contact zones get marked quickly, especially near entrances, counter areas, and staff spaces.
Decoration becomes a claim issue because many leases include an obligation to redecorate periodically, often every few years, and sometimes again at lease end. If that cycle has been missed, a surveyor can justify it as a clear breach. Even when the overall space is clean, inconsistent finishes or visible making good repairs can be enough to trigger redecoration items.
If you are a tenant, decoration is one of the areas where early action can save money. Painting a space when you still have access and time is usually cheaper than being pushed into last minute contractors. If you are a landlord, consistent decorative condition matters because it affects how quickly the space can be marketed.
Flooring Wear And Damage
Floors take a lot of punishment, and they almost always appear in schedules in some form.
Carpets become worn and stained in circulation routes, around desks, and in meeting rooms. Vinyl can split or peel, particularly in kitchenettes, corridors, and entrance areas where water and dirt build up. Timber floors can show scratches, water staining, and movement that creates gaps or uneven boards.
The key issue is not that floors are used, it is whether the condition breaches the lease standard. If the lease allows fair wear and tear, some deterioration may be acceptable. If the lease is stricter, or if the flooring was specified to be returned in good order, the defect list can grow quickly.
Where a schedule of condition exists from the start of the lease, it can be the difference between a fair discussion and a costly argument. Without a baseline, tenants often struggle to prove what was pre existing, which can inflate exposure.
Water Ingress, Staining, And Damp Related Defects
If there is one category that can turn into a costly headache, it is water.
Surveyors commonly flag ceiling staining, bubbling paint, mould around window reveals, damaged plaster, and signs of persistent moisture around bathrooms, plant areas, and poorly ventilated corners. Some defects look cosmetic but suggest a bigger issue behind the surface, and surveyors tend to record them as potential disrepair even if the root cause is not obvious.
Responsibility depends on the lease. Some tenants are responsible for internal finishes only. Others have broader obligations that include elements of the structure or external envelope. This is one reason why building consultancy needs to be handled with care, because damp and water issues often sit between internal condition and external maintenance.
If you are dealing with buildings where heritage fabric, sensitive detailing, or older construction methods are involved, damp related claims can become more complex. In those situations, the approach needs to consider the building type and the correct repair method, which may sit alongside specialist input such as historic building conservation support where appropriate.
Mechanical And Electrical Servicing Issues
Services are often where costs jump unexpectedly, partly because the issues are not always visible until you test or inspect properly.
Surveyors frequently note missing servicing records for heating, ventilation, and extraction systems. They may record poor performance, broken controls, noisy fan units, or systems that have clearly not been maintained. Electrical issues can include damaged sockets, missing covers, old lighting, and ad hoc additions that do not look compliant or professionally installed.
Even where defects are minor, the lack of records can trigger additional requirements such as testing and certification. Landlords often want assurance that the systems are safe before re letting, and if the tenant has not maintained documentation, the schedule may include the cost of bringing systems up to a standard that can be demonstrated.
For tenants, this is a reminder that keeping servicing up to date is not just good practice, it is also a cost control measure. For landlords, it is a reminder that clear expectations in the lease and proactive communication during the tenancy can prevent last minute disputes.
Poor Making Good After Alterations
Alterations are a major driver of dilapidations schedules, especially in office fit outs.
Tenants may add partitions, install new cabling routes, adjust lighting, introduce kitchenettes, or change layouts to suit operations. Even where the landlord has provided consent, reinstatement obligations often apply at lease end.
Surveyors regularly flag patchy making good, exposed fixings, uneven wall finishes, ceiling grids that have been disturbed, and areas where previous installations have left visible marks or damaged surfaces. Sometimes nothing is unsafe, it just looks incomplete, and that is enough to become a claim item.
The financial impact often comes from the scale of reinstatement. It is rarely one partition. It is the combined effect of multiple changes over time, especially when the tenant has moved things around more than once.
If reinstatement works are likely, planning them as a proper package of works rather than a rushed set of tasks can reduce cost. That is where coordinated delivery and project management oversight can help, particularly when access, sequencing, and contractor scheduling affect overall spend.
Poor Making Good After Alterations
Alterations are a major driver of dilapidations schedules, especially in office fit outs.
Tenants may add partitions, install new cabling routes, adjust lighting, introduce kitchenettes, or change layouts to suit operations. Even where the landlord has provided consent, reinstatement obligations often apply at lease end.
Surveyors regularly flag patchy making good, exposed fixings, uneven wall finishes, ceiling grids that have been disturbed, and areas where previous installations have left visible marks or damaged surfaces. Sometimes nothing is unsafe, it just looks incomplete, and that is enough to become a claim item.
The financial impact often comes from the scale of reinstatement. It is rarely one partition. It is the combined effect of multiple changes over time, especially when the tenant has moved things around more than once.
If reinstatement works are likely, planning them as a proper package of works rather than a rushed set of tasks can reduce cost. That is where coordinated delivery and project management oversight can help, particularly when access, sequencing, and contractor scheduling affect overall spend.
External Areas, Drainage, And Building Envelope Defects
Depending on the lease type, external defects can appear in a schedule and cause disputes quickly.
In some leases, the tenant responsibility stops at the internal demise. In others, especially full repairing obligations, external doors, signage fixings, drainage points, and even parts of the facade may be included.
Surveyors often record blocked gullies, damaged steps, cracked paving, loose handrails, failed seals to external doors, and defects that present safety risks. Even when items look minor, landlords may push them because they affect compliance and liability.
In multi occupied properties, external works can also involve access and neighbour coordination. If the defect relates to shared walls or party structures, timelines and responsibilities can become complicated, and this is where party wall matters can affect delivery and cost exposure.
Fire Safety And Compliance Related Defects
Compliance appears frequently in schedules because landlords want the property to be lettable without delays.
Surveyors may record damaged fire doors, missing signage, incomplete records, and poor fire stopping around service penetrations. They may also flag alterations that compromise compartmentation, such as cabling that has been routed through walls and ceilings without proper sealing.
The cost impact often comes from specialist remedial works and the need for compliant certification. These are not always expensive items individually, but they can delay handover and create pressure at the worst time.
For tenants, this reinforces the importance of not treating compliance as an afterthought. For landlords, it highlights why consistent inspections during the lease can prevent large issues landing at lease end.
Plumbing And Sanitary Defects
Plumbing defects are common, particularly in older commercial buildings or spaces with frequent staff use.
Surveyors frequently flag leaking taps, failed seals, damaged sanitaryware, poor drainage, and water damage around kitchenettes and toilets. These issues are often seen as avoidable, which is why they show up repeatedly in schedules.
Plumbing defects can also cause knock on damage to floors, joinery, and adjacent finishes, which then appears in the schedule as multiple items rather than one.
What This Means For Tenants
If you are a tenant, the practical takeaway is simple. Most dilapidation costs come from predictable defects that can be managed earlier with planned maintenance and a pre exit review.
If you wait until the landlord schedule lands, you will be reacting. If you review the property in advance with experienced dilapidations surveyors, you can make decisions calmly, prioritise what matters, and negotiate from evidence rather than pressure.
What This Means For Landlords
If you are a landlord, knowing the common defect categories helps you prepare realistic schedules and reduce disputes. Clear evidence and proportional claims lead to quicker settlements, fewer void periods, and smoother re letting.
If you are also managing insurance exposure and asset risk, dilapidations often sits alongside wider assessments. In some cases, linking lease end condition discussions with building reinstatement cost assessments can support broader decision making around risk, refurbishment planning, and portfolio value.
If you would like to discuss more about construction consultants and contractors in London, please call our office on 020 7391 7100 or email us at surveyor@fandt.com.