What are my dilapidations obligations at Crossways Business Park? ▼
Crossways landlords — managed through Savills, Glenny and Altus Group — enforce dilapidations rigorously. You'll be required to return the space to original Cat A condition: removing all Cat B alterations, reinstating the ceiling grid and raised floor, making good M&E back to the landlord's specification, and redecorating throughout. Your LTA (Licence to Alter) also specifies which alterations must be removed and which can be left in place. We review the LTA during the free survey so you're only doing what you're legally obliged to do — not what's easiest to assume.
How much do Dartford office dilapidations cost? ▼
Dartford dilapidations typically cost £8–£15 per sq ft for light works (redecoration, minor repairs), £15–£25 for mid-range works (strip-out, flooring, ceilings, M&E making-good), and £25–£45 for full reinstatement of heavily altered offices with raised floors. Business park locations like Crossways require estate management coordination and pre-07:30 deliveries — we factor this into our programme but don't add it as a premium. We provide fixed-price quotes after a free site survey within 48 hours.
Can Section 18 reduce my Dartford dilapidations liability? ▼
Section 18(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 caps your liability at the diminution in value of the landlord's reversion — not the face value of the schedule. If your landlord plans to redevelop, substantially refurbish or demolish the building after you leave, your liability may be a fraction of what the schedule claims. With Thames Freeport activity, Ebbsfleet Garden City development and ongoing regeneration pressure across the DA postcodes, this argument is increasingly worth exploring early — before you accept any settlement figures.
What is an Interim Schedule and could I receive one? ▼
An Interim Schedule is a formal schedule served by the landlord during the lease term — requiring you to carry out repairs or maintenance before the lease ends. Crossways and The Bridge landlords do issue these where building condition has been allowed to deteriorate mid-lease. If you receive one, act quickly: ignoring it doesn't remove the obligation and landlords can take formal action. We can carry out a building condition assessment to establish what's genuinely required under your lease versus what's been inflated in the schedule.
How do you handle logistics at Crossways and The Bridge? ▼
The Dartford Crossing is the biggest logistical variable — an incident on the M25 or Crossing can gridlock feeder roads to Crossways within minutes. We schedule all major material deliveries pre-07:30 to ensure everything is on site before peak congestion. For gated Crossways buildings, we coordinate gate access with estate management in advance. In multi-tenanted buildings we pre-book shared loading bays and service lifts and restrict noisy strip-out to permitted hours. We've done this many times — it's built into the programme, not improvised.
Are you actually local to Dartford? ▼
Yes — we're based in Westerham, approximately 15 minutes from Crossways Business Park. Dartford is part of our core operating area, not somewhere we travel to. We know the estate management requirements at Crossways and The Bridge, we know the landlord agents, and we don't charge a travel premium for Dartford projects. It's our home turf.
How early should I start the Dartford dilapidations process? ▼
We recommend 12–18 months before lease expiry. A pre-terminal audit at that stage gives you time to control the programme, choose your contractor, and carry out works at a price you've agreed — rather than accepting the landlord's settlement under time pressure. Savills and Altus Group know the Dartford market well. Going in without your own priced schedule puts you at a disadvantage. We'll survey for free at any stage — but earlier consistently produces a better financial outcome.
