Bywell Hall is a magnificent old property in the Tyne Valley in Northumberland. It was designed by architect, James Paine in 1760 and constructed by William Fenwick. It remains a family home and members of the public are allowed access at certain times of the year.
Part of the main house was leased to an individual for a fixed term of 10 years. They used this part of the house as a second home for holidays and entertaining. It was important to the family that own the building that any sections that were let out were very well looked after and maintained. So, within the lease agreement there were obligations for the tenant to keep the property in good condition and decorated.
This lease recently came to an end and the family that own the building were keen to ensure that the property had been maintained in accordance with the terms of the lease the tenant had agreed to do. They commissioned Method Building Consultancy to review the lease fully and undertake a very detailed survey of the building to identify any repairs that still might need to be done.
We produced a Schedule of Dilapidations which listed the repairs and decoration that we felt were reasonably required in order for the tenant to have fully complied with their obligations in the lease.
When preparing a Schedule of Dilapidations, we are required to give careful consideration to what is reasonable when listing the repairs the tenant is asked to do. What is reasonable varies with each property and depends on its size, style, age and location so extensive knowledge of the local area is essential.
In this case, because the property is a listed building and located within a conservation area, appropriate products and conservation contractors had to be considered. We engaged specialist decorators to obtain accurate prices for certain very bespoke elements of the property.
A priced schedule was produced and we worked with our client whilst this was negotiated with the tenant, swiftly enabling them to take the property back in a state and condition they were happy with.