What landlords claim on industrial units: the 10 most common schedule items

Last updated: 31 October 2026

A landlord’s schedule of dilapidations for an industrial unit tends to follow a pattern. The items are heavier and more structural than on an office schedule, and a few of them make up most of the total. Knowing what to expect lets you do the cheap items yourself and challenge the expensive ones. If you have received a schedule, read what to do next. If you are planning ahead, see our warehouse dilapidations service.

The 10 most common items

1. Roof, cladding and rooflights. Claims for leaks, impact damage, fragile rooflights and missing flashings are often the largest items.
2. Floor slab. Cracks, spalling, anchor holes, staining and removal of coatings.
3. Racking and mezzanine removal. Taking out tenant’s alterations, with the floor made good. See racking removal at lease end.
4. Dock levellers, shelters and loading doors. Damage to levellers, torn shelters and roller shutters that no longer work.
5. Sectional and personnel doors. Dented panels, damaged seals and failed operators.
6. Lighting and electrics. Failed high-bay lighting, damaged distribution boards and missing covers.
7. Heating, extraction and sprinklers. Warehouse heaters, extraction fans and sprinkler heads, sometimes with a certificate requirement.
8. Offices, kitchens and WCs. Reinstating or stripping fitted-out welfare and office space.
9. Yard and externals. Surface damage from HGVs, line markings, fencing, barriers and signage.
10. Cleaning, redecoration and professional fees. A final clean, repaint and the surveyor’s and project management fees, which can add a large percentage to the total.

Which items are open to challenge

Not everything on a schedule is a valid claim. Common grounds to challenge include:

• The lease doesn’t require it. For example, a requirement to reinstate may not cover wear that is reasonable use.
• Already there at the start. Damage that predates your tenancy is not yours to fix.
• Disproportionate cost. Replacing a whole item when a repair would do.
• Betterment. The landlord asks for a better standard than the unit started in.
• The landlord plans to demolish or refurbish. This can reduce what they can recover.
• Section 18 cap. Under section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, damages can’t exceed the loss in value of the landlord’s interest in the property. Take advice on how this applies to your lease.

The legal position depends on your lease and the facts, so take advice from a surveyor or solicitor before agreeing a figure.

What to do before the schedule arrives

1. Survey the unit and price the works yourself.
2. Fix the cheap items, such as doors and floor patches, before you leave.
3. Gather your starting-condition evidence.
4. Ask your surveyor to compare your price with any interim schedule.

Our warehouse lease exit checklist sets this out step by step.

Get a price for the works

We survey, price and carry out warehouse works across London and the South East, so you can compare our price with the landlord’s figure. Request a scope and quote.