Briggs & Co delivers commercial dilapidations and CAT A reinstatement works across workplace, hospitality and retail environments.
We support landlords, tenants, asset managers and surveyors in returning commercial units to their agreed lease condition, ensuring compliance while preparing spaces for their next occupier.
Our approach combines technical precision with clear project management, allowing reinstatement works to be delivered efficiently, commercially and with minimal disruption.
THE LEASE-END OBLIGATION EXPLAINED
Dilapidations are the contractual obligations within a commercial lease that require a tenant to return the property to its agreed condition at the end of the term.
In practice, this typically means removing any fit-out works carried out during the tenancy; partitions, branded elements, bespoke joinery, and services installations, and making good all floors, walls, ceilings, and mechanical and electrical systems to the standard specified in the original lease.
The process is both a legal and a financial one. Landlords issue a Schedule of Dilapidations setting out the required works; tenants have the right to appoint their own contractors to carry these out. Acting early, and with the right team, can significantly reduce the overall cost and risk of a dilapidations settlement.
Briggs & Co work across both sides of the lease, supporting tenants in meeting their obligations efficiently and landlords in recovering their assets to a market-ready, lettable standard.
Full strip-out of tenant fit-out & bespoke installations
Partition removal & layout reinstatement
Soft strip demolition & structural alteration works
Making good of walls, floors, & structural surfaces
Ceiling grid installation, replacement, & reinstatement
Responsible waste management and licensed disposal
M&E disconnections, adjustments, and reinstatement
Lighting design, supply, and installation
HVAC modifications and compliance checks
Fire safety and building compliance works
Decoration and finishes to a neutral, lettable standard
Final clean, sign-off, and formal handback
SURVEY TO SIGN-OFF
Dilapidations projects carry programme pressure and legal weight. Our process is designed to remove the uncertainty, giving landlords, tenants, and their advisors a clear path from instruction to completion.
01 Initial Assessment
Site visit, scope review, itemised cost plan.
02 Programme Agreed
Realistic timelines set with your surveyor or agent.
03 Strip-Out & Reinstatement
Full works delivered in-house, progress communicated throughout.
04 Services, Compliance & Finishes
M&E, fire compliance, ceilings, floors and decoration - to spec.
05 Handback & Sign-Off
Clean, compliant space coordinated with landlord's team and surveyor.
FOR TENANTS
APPROACHING LEASE-END?
You are entitled to appoint your own contractors to carry out dilapidations works, and doing so typically reduces your overall liability significantly compared to accepting the landlord’s assessed damages.
- Understand your Schedule of Dilapidations obligations
- We manage from initial survey through to sign-off
- Alongside your surveyor throughout the process
- Office, hospitality and retail experience
FOR LANDLORDS
VACANT UNIT TO LET?
We return commercial assets to a market-ready, lettable standard efficiently and to programme — minimising void periods and delivering with a single accountable point of contact throughout.
- CAT A reinstatement to your specification
- Design and fit-out capability via Liqui Group if required
- Works seamlessly with your agents and surveyors
- Clear programme control and reporting throughout
A DIFFERENT KIND OF REINSTATEMENT CONTRACTOR
Design-aware construction, managed to the same standard we hold ourselves to on a high-end fit-out.
01 Part of Liqui Group.
The construction division of Liqui Group. Where clients need space planning, design, or full fit-out following reinstatement, that capability is immediately available through the same group.
02 Single Point of Contact.
One team, from initial survey to final handback. You will always know who is responsible and where the project stands.
03 Commercial Clarity.
Priced from a site survey, not a desk estimate. Realistic programmes, itemised costs, no surprises.
04 Design-Led Approach.
A reinstated space should support re-letting, not just pass inspection. Our eye for finish reflects the standard our design studio holds itself to.
Dilapidations works typically include the removal of all tenant-installed fit-out; partitions, joinery, branded fixtures, and raised floors, along with reinstatement of ceilings, floors, walls, and mechanical and electrical systems. Decoration to a neutral standard and a final clean are usually included in the scope. The exact requirements are set out in the Schedule of Dilapidations prepared by the landlord’s surveyor.
The obligation to carry out dilapidations works generally sits with the tenant under the terms of the commercial lease. However, tenants have the right to appoint their own contractors, which typically results in a significantly lower overall cost than accepting the landlord’s assessed damages. Landlords can also carry out the works themselves and recharge the tenant, though this is usually more expensive. We work with both parties depending on who is instructing the works.
A Schedule of Dilapidations is a formal document prepared by the landlord’s building surveyor that sets out all alleged breaches of the lease; the repairs, reinstatement works, and redecoration required to return the property to its agreed condition. It is usually served either during the lease term (an interim schedule) or at lease expiry (a terminal schedule). Tenants can dispute items within the schedule and should seek professional advice before accepting the full scope.
CAT A (Category A) refers to the condition of a commercial space stripped back to its base build, typically comprising exposed structure and services, raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic lighting, and perimeter heating. CAT A reinstatement means returning a previously fitted-out space to this shell condition, ready for a new occupier to fit out to their own requirements. It is the standard most landlords require at lease-end.
Costs vary considerably depending on the scope of the original fit-out, the specification required by the landlord, and the size of the space. We always price after a site survey rather than a desk estimate. Contact us for an accurate assessment of your specific project.
Programme length depends on the size and complexity of the space and the scope of works required. Smaller office or retail units can often be completed within a shorter timeframe than larger or more complex reinstatements, but this depends on the level of reinstatement. In most cases, when instructed early, we can work to the programme that your lease expiry and the landlord’s requirements demand.
Interim dilapidations are works a landlord can require during the lease term, typically where ongoing disrepair has been identified. Terminal dilapidations are assessed at the end of the lease term and cover the full scope of works required to return the property to its agreed condition.
Whether you are a landlord preparing a space for a new occupier or a tenant planning your next business venture, Liqui Design, our sister studio within Liqui Group, can take a reinstated commercial space straight into interior design, space planning, and full fit-out, without the need to appoint a separate design practice.
For landlords, this means a vacant unit can move from compliant shell to an actively marketed, designed space in one continuous process. For tenants moving into a new space, Liqui Design can provide everything from initial concept through to completed fit-out.
One group, one conversation, from strip-out to finished interior.
