Metcalfe Briggs Surveyors were appointed by an education provider who had vacated two floors in this West London office building. A near six figure claim was put forward by the landlord based mainly on suspended ceilings, scruffy condition of the carpets, internal decorations and the need to strip out tenant’s alterations.
Careful analysis of the lease liabilities, a review of the landlord’s contractors’ tenders for the necessary works and detailed negotiations led to a settlement at around 50% of the original claim. In this case the tenants had no responsibility for the exterior of the building but nonetheless a substantial claim had to be settled. This could have been budgeted for at the beginning of the lease had appropriate professional advice been taken at that time.