Question answered
Roof dilapidations at the end of a lease
The short answer
Roof dilapidations are the repairs a landlord says a tenant owes on the roof when a lease ends. The practical response is to read the repairing clause, get a roof survey with photographs, compare it with the landlord's schedule, and obtain a written quote for any work that is really needed. Take legal advice on what the lease requires, because the wording differs from lease to lease.
When a commercial lease ends, the roof is often the largest item on the landlord's list. Practical steps taken early, from reading the clause to surveying the roof, give you the facts to negotiate from.
Start with the lease, not the roof
Every lease has its own wording, and the roof obligations sit in the repairing covenant, any schedule of condition and sometimes the service charge provisions. Find out first whether the tenant repairs the roof at all, whether the landlord does and recovers the cost, or whether the lease limits the tenant to keeping it in the condition it was in at the start.
That wording decides what a landlord can ask for, and it is a legal question this page does not try to answer. A solicitor or a surveyor who specialises in dilapidations can read the clause for you. What a roofer can do is give you the facts about the roof: what condition it is in, what has caused the problems and what it would take to put them right.
Look for any schedule of condition or photographs from the start of the lease. If there is one, it records how the roof looked then, and that can matter a great deal later. If there is not, your own survey today is the next best record.
Get a survey with photographs before the landlord's schedule arrives
The landlord's surveyor will serve a schedule of dilapidations, often with a long list of works and a high figure. A roof survey of your own, commissioned early, means you can answer it with evidence rather than opinion.
A good survey records the covering, the flashings and upstands, the gutters and outlets, the deck or sheets and the condition of any rooflights, with dated photographs of each. It says what is wear that comes with age, what is a fault that has caused a leak, and what is already beyond economic repair. Our page on the commercial roof survey explains what to expect.
For an older building, ask whether asbestos is present. HSE advises treating a building from before 2000 as a possible source, and the answer changes both cost and method; see the asbestos duty to manage.
Repair, coat or renew
Where the roof is the tenant's responsibility, the smallest job is not always the one that settles the matter. A landlord may accept a repair that restores the roof to a sound, weathertight state, or may insist on a more extensive renewal. What is reasonable depends on the lease and on the age and type of the covering, which is why the survey and the lease must be read together.
Often the choice is between patching specific faults, treating the whole roof with a coating and replacing the covering. A weathered but sound metal roof may suit liquid coatings for metal roofs, which can avoid stripping the whole roof. A felt or membrane roof close to the end of its working life may justify renewal.
Ask the contractor to explain why a particular option is the right one, and to put it in writing. Tell the landlord's surveyor what you intend to do before you do it, so there is a record that the work was done with their knowledge.
If the building is a warehouse, warehouse roofing systems lists the systems you are likely to meet.
Timing, access and what is on the roof
Roof work has a lead time. A survey, a written quote, a scaffold licence if the poles will stand on the pavement, and booking the crew can easily take weeks, so starting a few months before the lease ends is wise. A job rushed into the last fortnight leaves no room for weather, and weather stops roof work.
Check what else sits on the roof, too. Air handling units, extract fans, aerials and cable trays may belong to you, to a previous tenant or to the landlord, and the lease may require you to remove them and make good the roof. Our page on air conditioning units on a flat roof explains how supports and penetrations are dealt with.
Any plant that stays should have its supports and penetrations in good order, and any that goes should leave the roof sealed. Photograph the roof after the work and keep copies of the paperwork with the survey.
Dealing with the landlord's figure
A landlord's schedule may include works the roof does not need, such as complete renewal of a covering that a repair would restore. It is reasonable to ask for the basis of each item and to answer with your survey and a written quote.
Keep the exchange factual. Send the survey photographs, the cause and extent of each problem and the proposed repair, and ask for the landlord's surveyor to confirm what they accept. Where you disagree, a negotiated settlement is normally quicker than a dispute, and the evidence you gathered early is what makes that possible.
For how far your liability extends, take advice from a solicitor or a dilapidations surveyor, because we cannot give legal advice. We can survey the roof, say what the problem is and what a proportionate repair looks like, with a written quote once the survey is done. Our page on commercial roofing lists the other jobs we cover.
Leaving a unit: two more questions
Should the roof be repaired before I hand the keys back?
Often yes, if the lease makes the roof your responsibility and the survey finds faults that have let water in. Doing the work before the end, with the landlord told, can avoid a claim for a higher sum later. Read the lease and take advice on what it requires first.
Can a survey of the roof be used as evidence in a dispute?
A dated survey with photographs of each fault is useful evidence of the roof's condition and of what it needs. If a dispute reaches a formal stage, a dilapidations surveyor or solicitor decides how the evidence is presented, so keep every report, photograph and quote.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
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