Dilapidations and schedules of condition
Dilapidations survey app with the evidence dated on every photo.
Record the condition of each room item by item, with a photograph, a measurement and a note against every entry. Use it for the schedule of condition at the start of a lease and the schedule of dilapidations at the end, and issue either straight from the survey.
£25 per user per month on The Works, Base from £13 · trial from £1, cancel any time
See a sample report ↓Start from the dilapidations survey template ↓
4
Areas
9
Schedule items
£4,115
Cost of works
Unit 4, Riverside Park, the sample report below
What is a dilapidations survey?
A dilapidations survey records where a commercial tenant has breached its lease obligations to repair, reinstate or redecorate, set out in a schedule of dilapidations. In England and Wales the Dilapidations Protocol says the landlord should generally send the schedule within 56 days after the tenancy ends. By statute, repair damages cannot exceed the fall in value of the landlord's reversion.
Last updated 4 October 2026. Facts checked on 26 September 2026 against the Dilapidations Protocol (justice.gov.uk), Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, section 18 and RICS Dilapidations professional standard.
Dilapidations Protocol timings and the cap on damages
The main steps in a dilapidations claim on commercial property in England and Wales.
| Step | Timing or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord sends the schedule of dilapidations | Within a reasonable time, generally within 56 days after the tenancy ends | Dilapidations Protocol |
| Schedule endorsed | The landlord or its surveyor confirms the works are reasonably required, the landlord's intentions are taken into account and any costings are reasonable | Dilapidations Protocol |
| Tenant responds to the Quantified Demand | Usually within 56 days after the landlord sends it | Dilapidations Protocol |
| Cap on damages for breach of a repairing covenant | No more than the fall in value of the landlord's interest caused by the breach | Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, section 18(1) |
Sources: the Dilapidations Protocol (justice.gov.uk) and Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, section 18.
SiteSurvey for dilapidations surveys, at a glance
- What it is
- A mobile survey app for iOS and Android, with a web portal, used to record schedules of condition and schedules of dilapidations item by item.
- Who it is for
- Commercial property surveyors, and the landlords and tenants they act for.
- What it records
- Floor, room and item, element, condition, measured extent of each defect, remedy and any cost you enter, with marked-up photos and Walk Cam video.
- Evidence
- Every photo and entry is dated and attributed to the surveyor, and capture works fully offline, syncing when back in signal.
- Price
- £25 per user per month on The Works plan, which includes the form builder, floor plans and reports. Trial from £1, cancel any time.
- What it does not do
- It does not price the works, value a claim, run a diminution valuation or endorse the schedule. Those stay with the surveyor.
Dilapidations disputes are won on the evidence, years later.
The schedule of condition taken when a lease starts is often the only record of what the premises looked like. By the time the lease ends, the argument is about what changed, and that turns on whether the original record showed clearly which item, in which room, in what state, on what date. Vague entries and undated photographs are where claims fall apart.
Photos you can't place
Hundreds of images that someone has to match back to rooms from memory, with no date anyone can rely on.
Entries that say too little
"Carpet worn" helps nobody. Which carpet, how much of it, and how bad is what the schedule is for.
Days lost to the write-up
The inspection takes a morning. Turning notes and photos into a schedule takes the rest of the week.
How does a dilapidations survey work, from walk-round to issued schedule?
01 · Map the premises
Capture the floors and rooms as you walk them, or import the plans you already have.02 · Record each item
Work room by room through walls, floors, ceilings, fittings and services, with the same fields for every entry.03 · Evidence the condition
Photograph every item, draw round the defect and measure it on the image, or film the room with Walk Cam.04 · Issue the schedule
Export the survey as a PDF or share it as a link, with every photograph already in place against its entry.Walk Cam, point by point
Every room, item by item, on film.
Walk Cam takes the surveyor through each part of the premises in order, films it and writes down the description as they speak, so nothing relies on memory later.
Point 2 of 4
Walls
Walls, with damage, removed fixings and cracking described as you film.
Point 3 of 4
Kitchenette
Units, worktops and sinks, with damage and missing items recorded against the room.
Point 4 of 4
Doors and fixtures
Doors, closers and ironmongery, checked against what the lease requires.
What the report looks like
What a dilapidations survey report looks like.
This is a full sample schedule of dilapidations, made with the SiteSurvey report builder. Scroll through it here or download the PDF. The photographs are stills from the Walk Cam clips on this page.
- 1The lease and the documentsThe clauses relied on, the date the tenancy ended, the licence for alterations and what could not be inspected.
- 2Room by room, with photosEach Walk Cam point has its stills and the surveyor's spoken notes, written down as they were said.
- 3Items split by categoryRepair, reinstatement and redecoration are listed apart, each with its clause, the breach, the remedy and the cost the surveyor entered.
- 4Costs, intentions and endorsementA one page cost summary, the landlord's intentions, the date the schedule is due to be sent and a dated, signed endorsement.
Try the form
The form behind the report. Open it and try it.
A live SiteSurvey form, shared by link with no login. It works as a schedule of condition or a schedule of dilapidations, asks only what applies and takes a separate entry for each item. Answers are cleared every night.
Open the live form →See every question in the dilapidations survey template →Or see it filled in: the finished record with every answer, and the Walk Cam report with its clips, stills and spoken notes. See the finished record → Watch the Walk Cam report →
Questions that follow the answers
Choose schedule of dilapidations and it asks when it is being prepared. Choose before the end of the term and it shows what the Protocol expects next.
More than Walk Cam
Build the form. Share it by link.
Walk Cam films the inspection. The form behind it is yours to build, and anything you capture can be sent to someone outside your team as a link, with no login or app needed.
Build your schedule of condition with AI
Describe the checks you carry out and the AI assistant builds the form: fields, required photos, readings as numbers and follow-up questions that only appear when something fails. Refine it in chat, edit it visually, or start from a template.
How the form builder works →
Share by link, no login needed
Make any form shareable and SiteSurvey gives it a unique URL, with an optional password. Customers, tenants or contractors fill it in on their phone’s browser, and their answers land in the same project. Walk Cam recordings and finished reports can be shared the same way, by link or by email.
How Walk Cam sharing works →What should dilapidations survey software record?
A schedule is only as strong as its weakest entry. Structured capture, dated photographs and room-level location make every entry specific enough to rely on.
Item by item, room by room
Every entry sits against the room it describes, so the schedule reads in the same order as the building.
Measure on the photo
Draw round a crack, a stain or a damaged area and measure it on the image, so the extent is recorded, not described.
Dated and attributed
Each photograph and entry carries who captured it and when, which is what a comparison years later depends on.
Required photographs
Make the photo field required and no entry can be saved without the evidence behind it.
Walk Cam for the whole room
Film a room with a live voice commentary, for a continuous record alongside the item-by-item entries.
Works offline
Vacant units, basements and plant rooms often have no signal. Everything captures on the device and syncs later.
Start from a schedule of condition or dilapidations survey template.
Use this list as the starting point for your own schedule of condition or dilapidations form, or describe your format to the AI form builder and let it draft one. Every field is editable, in chat or visually.
Floor, room and item reference
Element: walls, floor, ceiling, doors, windows
Fixtures, fittings and services
Condition description and rating
Measured extent of any defect
Photo of each item, required
Remedy and estimated cost, where you price it
Surveyor sign-off and date
Try it on your phone
Fill in the dilapidations survey template on your phone now
Scan the code with your phone camera. It opens the real form, no sign-up needed.
Open the form on this phoneFrequently asked questions
Dilapidations surveys and schedules of condition: common questions.
Browse every FAQ →What is a dilapidations survey?
A dilapidations survey records the disrepair and other breaches of lease covenants at a commercial property, usually towards the end of a lease. It produces a schedule of dilapidations listing each item, the relevant lease clause, the work needed to remedy it and often its cost. In England and Wales the process around a claim is set out in the Dilapidations Protocol, the pre-action protocol for claims about the physical state of commercial property at the end of a tenancy.
What is a schedule of condition?
A schedule of condition is a record of the state of a property at a specific date, usually made at the start of a lease and often attached to it. It describes each room and element, supported by photographs, so that at the end of the lease there is clear evidence of what condition the premises were in when the tenant took them on. It protects both sides: tenants from being asked to put right defects that were already there, and landlords from disputes about what has changed.
What should a dilapidations report include?
A schedule of dilapidations should set out each breach, the works needed to remedy it and, if relevant, the landlord's costings, with breaches separated into categories such as repair, reinstatement and redecoration, as the Dilapidations Protocol describes. In practice each item also needs its location, the lease clause it relates to, a clear description of its condition and photographs. The Protocol also expects the schedule to be endorsed, confirming the works are reasonably required and any costings are reasonable.
What timings does the Dilapidations Protocol set?
The Protocol says the landlord should generally send the schedule within 56 days after the termination of the tenancy, and that the tenant should usually respond to the Quantified Demand within 56 days after the landlord sends it. It encourages the parties and their surveyors to meet and to consider alternative dispute resolution. The Protocol itself, on justice.gov.uk, is the authoritative source for the full steps.
What is the difference between a schedule of condition and a schedule of dilapidations?
A schedule of condition records the condition of the premises at a point in time, typically the start of a lease. A schedule of dilapidations sets out what the tenant has failed to do under the lease, typically at the end. The first is often the evidence used to test the second, which is why the quality of the original photographs and descriptions matters so much.
Can photographs be tied to a specific item and date?
Yes. Each photograph is captured against the entry and the room it belongs to, and every entry records who captured it and when. You can draw on the photograph and measure directly on it, so the extent of a defect is part of the record rather than a line of description.
Can I use my own schedule format?
Yes. Forms are fully editable, so you can match the columns and wording your firm or your client uses, including lease clause references, remedies and costs. The AI form builder can draft the form from a description of your format, and you can adjust it field by field.
Does SiteSurvey price the works or value the claim?
No. SiteSurvey records the survey and produces the schedule. Pricing the works, assessing the diminution in value and advising on liability remain professional judgements for the surveyor, and any figures you produce can be entered as fields on the form.
What is the best dilapidations survey software?
The best choice depends on which part of the job you want software to do. For the site work, look for a mobile app that records each item against its room, ties dated photographs and measurements to the entry, works offline in vacant units, and lets you match your firm's schedule format. If you want the software to price works from a cost library or model a diminution valuation, you need a tool built for that. SiteSurvey is strong on the site record: room by room entries, required photos, on-image measuring, Walk Cam video and offline capture. It does not price works or value claims.
Who is it for?
Commercial property surveyors preparing schedules of condition and schedules of dilapidations, whether acting for the landlord or the tenant, and the in-house property and estates teams who commission them. It is for commercial lease work rather than residential inventories, which have their own page.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is per user, not per survey or property. The Works plan, which includes the custom form builder, floor plans and reports used for schedules, is £25 per user per month. The Base plan starts at £13 per user per month. Every plan starts with a trial from £1, cancel any time.
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