Received a Schedule of Dilapidations? A Tenant’s Step-by-Step Response Guide
- Don’t ignore it: the protocol expects a reasoned response, and silence weakens your position.
- You have usually 56 days to respond to the quantified demand under the Dilapidations Pre-Action Protocol.
- Engage a dilapidations surveyor early; that is what unlocks the reductions.
- Respond item by item via the Scott schedule, then negotiate on the evidence.
A Schedule of Dilapidations landing on your desk is unsettling, especially with a big number attached. The good news is there is a clear, well-worn way to respond, and doing it properly usually cuts the figure significantly. Here is the step-by-step.
First: don’t ignore it
It is tempting to put a dilapidations claim in the drawer, but that is the one thing not to do. The Dilapidations Pre-Action Protocol expects a reasoned, timely response, and courts take a dim view of parties who ignore it. Engaging properly protects your position and almost always reduces the figure.
What you have received
You have most likely received a Schedule of Dilapidations (an itemised list of alleged breaches, usually with costs) and a quantified demand setting out what the landlord is claiming. It is an opening position, not a bill. Read our full guide to how the dilapidations process works for the background.
Your deadline
Under the protocol, a tenant is expected to respond within a reasonable time, usually 56 days of receiving the quantified demand. The clock matters, so it is worth acting quickly, but the priority is a properly evidenced response rather than a rushed one.
Get help with your response
Match with RICS-qualified surveyors who respond to dilapidations claims to the protocol. No-obligation quotes.
Get a surveyor on it early
A dilapidations-experienced surveyor reviews the schedule against your lease and any Schedule of Condition, and identifies what is genuinely your liability. The earlier they are involved, the more room there is to challenge items and shape the negotiation.
Respond via the Scott schedule
Positions are set out in a Scott schedule: a table where the landlord's item and cost sit alongside your response and figure. Your surveyor works through it item by item, challenging what is not your responsibility, applying supersession where the landlord's own works would replace the repairs, and pricing what remains.
Negotiate and settle
Most dilapidations matters settle by negotiation on the evidence, using the Section 18 cap where it applies. A well-prepared response is what turns the opening figure into a fair one.
Sources & further reading
- Dilapidations Pre-Action Protocol (Ministry of Justice) — the protocol and response timetable
- RICS: Dilapidations in England and Wales (consumer guide) — RICS consumer overview
- Section 18, Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 — the cap that limits what you pay
- RICS Find a Surveyor — RICS-regulated dilapidations surveyors
External links open in a new tab. ComSurv is a matching service, not a firm of surveyors, and is not affiliated with these organisations. This article is general information, not legal, surveying or valuation advice; take advice on your specific situation.
