Office Dilapidations delivered in City of London, London EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4
City of London · Office Dilapidations

Office Dilapidations in City of London

Office Dilapidations across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4). End-of-lease dilapidations works — reinstatement to the standard set by the lease, schedule of dilapidations or pre-exit negotiation. We mobilise within 5 working days, deliver to landlord-acceptable finish, and provide handover documentation that closes the schedule.

Estate-approvedCDM 2015FIRASNICEIC£10M insured

Office Dilapidations in City of London — what businesses typically need

Office Dilapidations across City of London (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4) is delivered by our in-house commercial team with current estate approvals and compliance records on file. We have completed works in or adjacent to 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel, 100 Liverpool Street among others. Teams mobilise from our London operations base, with direct transport links via Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Bank, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street, St Paul's, Aldgate and the new Elizabeth line at Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Every project is run by a named project manager reporting weekly with photographs and programme RAG. Out-of-hours loading, estate permit-to-work and managing-agent liaison are included in the prelims — not charged as variations.

The City of London market is dominated by global investment banks and trading houses, top-tier law firms and professional services, insurance and reinsurance (lloyd's market), each with distinct office dilapidations requirements — programme compression, landlord co-ordination, out-of-hours delivery, and full compliance ownership. Our commercial team has delivered office dilapidations in trophy buildings including 22 Bishopsgate, The Leadenhall Building, 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie), The Scalpel.

The Square Mile is London's densest office market — 9m+ sqft of Grade A stock across trophy towers (22 Bishopsgate, Leadenhall Building, Walkie-Talkie, Scalpel) and period blocks around Liverpool Street and Moorgate. Occupiers are dominated by financial services, professional services, insurance and legal, with increasing tech and life-sciences take-up post-2022.

Our commercial delivery model

Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.

  1. Stage 1

    Schedule review with optional RICS-regulated input from sister practice Hampstead Chartered Surveyors

  2. Stage 2

    Priced Scott schedule against each item of the schedule

  3. Stage 3

    Principal contractor appointment, CDM 2015 notification

  4. Stage 4

    Works delivered in compressed 2–6 week programme

  5. Stage 5

    Joint inspection with landlord's surveyor on completion

  6. Stage 6

    Photographic and documentary handover pack

Programme, budget, and disruption

TierRangeWhat's covered
Light reinstatement£15–£30 per sqftMake-good paint, carpet lift, partition removal
Standard reinstatement£30–£55 per sqftFull CAT A reinstatement — ceilings, floors, partitions, M&E reversions
Full CAT A reinstatement£55–£95 per sqftIncluding M&E strip and reinstatement, ceiling grid replacement
Complex reinstatement£95+ per sqftListed buildings, bespoke elements, specialist flooring reinstatement

City, Canary Wharf and prime Westminster carry a typical 10–20% premium over outer London zones due to loading restrictions, out-of-hours working and estate-approval overheads. Figures are guide ranges — we provide a fixed quote after survey.

Typical works we deliver in City of London

Schedule review — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Scott schedule pricing — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Strip-out — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Partition removal — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Ceiling reinstatement — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Flooring make-good — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Redecoration — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

M&E reinstatement — delivered in City of London under estate-approved loading and out-of-hours protocols.

Planning and compliance for Office Dilapidations in City of London

Works in the City engage the City of London Corporation's planning framework and, for listed buildings, Listed Building Consent. Out-of-hours loading is tightly controlled under the Code of Construction Practice. Many buildings carry conservation area or heritage designations requiring specialist finishes and reversible alteration.

Service-specific compliance

CDM 2015 principal contractorFIRAS fire-stopping reinstatement certificationNICEIC electrical certificationWaste carrier licence and segregated waste manifestsBS 5266 emergency lighting re-certificationEICR on completion£10M PL + £10M PI

Buildings we have worked in across City of London

Notable buildings

  • 22 Bishopsgate
  • The Leadenhall Building
  • 20 Fenchurch Street (Walkie-Talkie)
  • The Scalpel
  • 100 Liverpool Street
  • One Angel Court
  • Aldgate Tower
  • Salesforce Tower (Heron Tower)
  • Tower 42
  • Broadgate Tower
  • 1 Finsbury Circus
  • Paternoster Square
  • One New Change
  • Cannon Place

Notable estates

  • Broadgate Estate (British Land / GIC)
  • Paternoster Square (Mitsubishi Estate)
  • Aldgate Place
  • City of London Corporation managed zones
  • Great Portland Estates holdings

Reference list available on request under NDA.

Our process — seven stages

  1. Survey

    Measured condition survey within 5 working days, including M&E, fabric and compliance review.

  2. Brief

    Scope capture workshop with stakeholders — occupier, landlord, managing agent, FM team.

  3. Design

    Stage 3 design package with space plan, M&E schedules, specification and CAT A/B split.

  4. Fixed quote

    Lump-sum price against the design package. All prelims transparent.

  5. Mobilisation

    CDM notification, RAMS, permit-to-work, landlord licence-to-alter, estate approvals.

  6. Delivery

    Weekly client reports with photos, programme RAG, variation log, compliance status.

  7. Handover

    O&M manuals, as-built drawings, building-regs sign-off, 12-month defects period.

Office Dilapidations specifications by building type

Trophy tower Grade A (25,000+ sqft floor plates)

Office Dilapidations in trophy tower grade a (25,000+ sqft floor plates) is typically specified to light reinstatement level — make-good paint, carpet lift, partition removal. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Period refurbished blocks (5,000–15,000 sqft plates)

Office Dilapidations in period refurbished blocks (5,000–15,000 sqft plates) is typically specified to standard reinstatement level — full cat a reinstatement — ceilings, floors, partitions, m&e reversions. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Listed buildings in conservation areas (Bank, Guildhall)

Office Dilapidations in listed buildings in conservation areas (bank, guildhall) is typically specified to full cat a reinstatement level — including m&e strip and reinstatement, ceiling grid replacement. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Converted warehouses (Shoreditch edge of EC2)

Office Dilapidations in converted warehouses (shoreditch edge of ec2) is typically specified to complex reinstatement level — listed buildings, bespoke elements, specialist flooring reinstatement. Programme is governed by loading access and estate working-hours framework.

Out-of-hours, weekend, and live-environment working

Dilapidations works are typically delivered in vacated demises during extended standard hours. Where loading restrictions apply (Broadgate, Canary Wharf), strip-out logistics are scheduled in pre-booked 6am–8am or 6pm–10pm slots with the estate management team.

Standard working hours are 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri; heavy noise works typically only permitted 08:00–18:00 or out-of-hours by managing-agent agreement. Trophy buildings commonly mandate loading slots booked 72 hours in advance. Loading bays are pre-booked through estate management — Broadgate, Paternoster, Aldgate all operate tight loading windows. Vehicles over 7.5t face restrictions in the City's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and in some streets under the Bank Junction traffic restrictions.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM)

All City of London occupiers benefit from a PPM framework covering L8 water hygiene, EICR, emergency lighting, F-Gas registers and fabric maintenance. For a scoped PPM package in City of London see Office Maintenance in City of London or Commercial Maintenance in City of London.

Case studies

Anonymised project outlines from our City of London and adjacent-area portfolio — full reference list with contact introductions available on request under NDA.

City law firm CAT A reinstatement

Scope · 8,400 sqft

Budget band · £420k

Programme · 4 weeks

Full reinstatement after 10-year lease expiry

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Canary Wharf financial services exit

Scope · 15,200 sqft

Budget band · £760k

Programme · 6 weeks

Trading floor strip-out, CAT A reinstatement, fire-stopping re-cert

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

Mayfair boutique firm exit

Scope · 3,100 sqft

Budget band · £145k

Programme · 2 weeks

Partition strip, redecoration, flooring make-good

Delivered under single-contractor D&B with CDM 2015 principal contractor duty. Full compliance pack at handover.

FAQs — Office Dilapidations in City of London

Can you review the schedule of dilapidations before we settle?

Independent schedule review is available through our RICS-regulated sister practice, Hampstead Chartered Surveyors (hampsteadcharteredsurveyors.co.uk/services/dilapidations). We recommend a pre-settlement review — schedules are often over-stated by 20–40%.

How quickly can you mobilise dilapidations works?

Within 5 working days of instruction. A typical 5,000 sqft reinstatement programme runs 2–4 weeks.

Do you handle works in managed estates like Canary Wharf or Broadgate?

Yes. We hold estate approvals, CSCS records and insurance certificates on file with the major London estate managers, and work within their pre-booked loading, waste and out-of-hours regimes.

Will you price against the Scott schedule?

Yes. We price item-by-item against the Scott schedule so settlement and residual liability are clear.

Do we need a Pre-action Protocol compliant handover?

We provide the photographic record, waste manifests, electrical/gas/fire certificates and building-regs completion certificates that support a Pre-action Protocol defence.

Do you hold estate approvals for Broadgate, Paternoster and Aldgate?

Yes — we hold up-to-date CSCS, insurance and compliance records on file with all major City estate managers. First mobilisation time from instruction is typically 5 working days.

How do loading restrictions affect programme?

Loading is pre-booked with the estate — for typical CAT B fit-out we request a rolling 72-hour slot allocation. For out-of-hours deliveries (6am–8am, 6pm–10pm) we book 2 weeks ahead.

Can you work around trading hours for investment banks?

Yes. Most works are phased into 6pm–6am night shifts with full dust-sealed segregation, low-noise tools and managed waste removal. Trading floors remain operational throughout.

Do you handle Listed Building Consent for City period buildings?

Yes — our architectural team manages LBC applications and works with the City's conservation officers on reversible fit-out, historic joinery retention and compatible finishes.

What's typical programme for a City CAT B fit-out?

5,000 sqft: 8–10 weeks. 15,000 sqft: 12–16 weeks. 30,000+ sqft: 18–24 weeks phased.

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Related insights

In-depth articles on commercial fit-out, compliance and market strategy.

Start with a survey in City of London

Measured condition survey within 5 working days. Fixed-price quote within 10. Estate approvals on file.