Schedule of condition

Who it's for

A schedule of condition is useful whenever you may later need to show what a property was like on a particular date. Common reasons include:

• Starting a lease. Landlords and tenants of commercial premises, and of homes, can use it as the agreed starting point for repair and dilapidations questions at the end of the lease.
• Building work next door. If a neighbour is about to extend, convert a loft, dig a basement or demolish a building, a record of your home made before work starts gives you evidence if damage appears later.
• Your own building work. If you are about to start a project, a record made first helps settle later questions about damage to your property or, with permission, to a neighbour's.

Leases and dilapidations

At the end of a lease, a landlord may make a dilapidations claim for breaches of the tenant's repair, redecoration and reinstatement obligations. A schedule of condition made at the start gives both sides an agreed record of the condition of the premises when the tenant took them on.

If the lease is drafted to refer to the schedule, the tenant's repairing obligation may be limited to keeping the premises in no worse condition than the schedule shows. That depends on the wording of the lease, so ask your solicitor how the schedule should be referred to, and make sure the agreed version is attached to the lease.

Building work next door

If building work affects a party wall or a boundary wall, or involves digging foundations close to a neighbour's building, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply. The owner doing the work must then give notice to the neighbours affected, and GOV.UK explains how the process works. Where surveyors are appointed under the Act, they often record the condition of the neighbouring property before work starts.

We do not currently act as a party wall surveyor. A schedule of condition from us can still help where work falls outside the Act, or where you want your own independent record before work starts. If cracks or other damage appear later, you have dated evidence of the condition beforehand.

What we record

We agree the scope with you before the inspection: the whole property, or only the parts likely to be affected. We then record, in a set order:

• each room, including ceilings, walls, floors, doors, windows and fixed fittings
• existing cracks, with their position, length and approximate width
• staining, damp marks, damage and wear
• external walls, roofs seen from the ground, gutters, boundary walls, paving and outbuildings
• the roof in more detail, if you add drone images and flight is permitted

Each entry is linked to a dated photograph.

What you get

A written schedule with a numbered entry for each item and the photographs that support it. It is written to be read by others, such as the other party, their surveyor or a solicitor, as well as by you.

The schedule is typically issued within 5 working days of the inspection, or within 2 working days with the paid express option. Once it is issued, we offer you a call to talk it through.

What it does not cover

A schedule of condition is a record, not a survey. It does not include:

• advice on the causes of defects, the repairs needed or their cost. For that, a Level 3 survey or a specific structural inspection may suit you better
• an inventory of furniture and contents
• acting as a party wall surveyor, or preparing a party wall award
• an assessment of dilapidations liability, or legal advice on a lease
• parts that are hidden or unsafe to reach, or areas we are not given access to
• moving furniture or stored items, or lifting floor coverings

How it works

1. 1

   Get your price

   Choose the survey and enter the property value and postcode. The price includes VAT and any travel supplement.

2. 2

   Book and sign

   Confirm your booking and sign our terms online. You can cancel within 14 days.

3. 3

   Inspection

   Andrew inspects the property. For a Level 3 we check the airspace and the weather and fly the drone where permitted.

4. 4

   Your report

   We invoice you after the inspection, and issue the report once it is paid: typically within 5 working days of the inspection, or 2 with the express option.

5. 5

   Talk it through

   We offer you a call with the surveyor to go through the findings and your next steps.

Prices

Schedule of condition prices are fixed by the value of the property and include VAT. Drone roof images, where flight is permitted, and the express report are optional extras. A travel supplement applies beyond about 25 miles of Hemel Hempstead, and the price calculator adds it for you. If you need a schedule of commercial premises, or of only part of a building, contact us before you book so we can confirm the scope.