St Albans – dilapidations

Our client had been the tenant of a 62,000 sq ft Grade A office building in St Albans, Hertfordshire, constructed circa 1992. The property was let in its entirety to our client, The Secretary of State (SoS), and fully occupied by sub-tenants up to lease end.

As the lease came to an end the SoS was facing a terminal dilapidations damages claim.  The SoS wanted to contest the claim and appointed DWD to work in conjunction with their external building surveying team.

The DWD Valuation team worked closely with the client’s professional team to provide an expert valuation.  This included presenting expert valuation evidence to the High Court pursuant to Section 18(1) of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1927.

We attended a mediation with all Parties assisting in the successful settlement of the claim in advance of a of High Court hearing.

We assisted in achieving a negotiated settlement of a substantial claim for damages relating to disrepair at lease end.  This significantly reduced the statutory “cap” for damages provided by Section 18(1) for our client.