Step-by-step: how a Schedule of Condition survey works

The process begins with a short enquiry: the property address, the lease context (new lease, renewal, assignment), the proposed lease length and any plans or floor areas you have. CBC responds to every enquiry the same working day with a written fixed-fee quotation, an indicative inspection date, and a clear scope of works.

Acceptance of the fixed quote, normally by email, formally instructs the survey. There are no hourly rates and no scope creep, the fee quoted is the fee invoiced.

Once instructed, we liaise directly with the agent, landlord or vendor to arrange access to the demise. For most commercial properties this is straightforward, access is normally arranged within five to seven working days of instruction. Where completion deadlines require it, faster turnarounds are routine.

The inspection itself is carried out by an experienced specialist surveyor, never by a junior. Depending on the size of the demise, an inspection takes anywhere from two hours (small high-street unit) to a full day (large industrial or multi-storey office). Every relevant element is examined and recorded externally and internally.

Photography is the evidential core of the schedule. Photographs are dated, high-resolution, and taken at angles that record condition rather than flatter the property. Every room, elevation and external area is covered, with close-ups of existing defects supported by contextual wider shots.

The written schedule is drafted element by element, cross-referenced to the photographic record. It records the documented condition of each part of the demise in factual, neutral language, suitable for being relied on in negotiation or, if it ever reaches that point, in dispute resolution.

The draft schedule is issued to the instructing party and, where requested, directly to the solicitor handling the lease. One round of review comments is included as standard. This is the moment to confirm that the schedule reflects the demise as both parties understand it.

The final report is issued in lease-ready format, suitable for appending to the executed lease. The lease itself should contain a clause limiting the tenant's repairing obligation by reference to the schedule, your solicitor will draft and negotiate the precise wording.

When the lease term comes to an end, the landlord's surveyor will typically issue a Schedule of Dilapidations setting out the works said to be required. With a properly prepared Schedule of Condition appended to the lease, the tenant's exposure is measured against the documented baseline, not against an idealised standard. In practice, this is where the value of the original instruction is realised.