Roof Dilapidations Schedules That Stand Up

Roof dilapidations schedules that stand up

Roof dilapidations schedules that stand up. Nova prepares and defends the roof element of commercial dilapidations across the UK, for managing agents, asset managers and landlords. Every defect located, priced, and referenced to the lease.

The roof, in evidence. Nova’s schedule sets out every roof defect, where it is, what it costs to put right, and the covenant it breaches. A record that stands up when the claim is challenged.

Roof dilapidations, in two minutes

The roof is the element that gets missed

Dilapidations schedules are often prepared by generalists, and the roof is the element most frequently skipped or covered from the ground. A schedule that omits the roof, or assesses it from a car park with binoculars, leaves value on the table for a landlord and exposure unquantified for a tenant. Nova surveys the roof in full, from above and by drone, so the covering, the flashings, the outlets, the rooflights and the cut edges are all on the schedule, located and evidenced.

A schedule built to stand up

A dilapidations claim is an opening position, not a final bill. Most claims settle for less than the figure on the front page, and the items that fall away are the ones that were not properly evidenced or not correctly tied to the lease. Nova’s roof schedules are built to survive that scrutiny: every defect is located precisely, priced to the current market, and referenced to the covenant it breaches, in a form ready for the Pre-Action Protocol for Dilapidations. Nova’s recommendations are not theoretical. We carry out roof remedial works on commercial sites across the UK, so every costing and recommendation in a schedule is grounded in what the work actually takes. Whether Nova carries out that remedial work is entirely the client’s choice; the survey and the schedule stand on their own.

The law behind the roof

Whether a roof covering is a repair or an improvement, whether “put and keep in repair” obliges renewal, how the Section 18 diminution cap limits a claim, and whether a schedule of condition at lease commencement caps liability, all turn on the interaction of the physical evidence and the lease wording. Nova’s surveys are carried out by a surveyor with an LLB and LLM in Construction Law, who served as Regional Chair of the Institute of Roofing, with two decades in industrial roofing. That means the roof evidence is gathered by someone who understands the law it will be tested against. Nova works alongside your solicitors and legal advisers, not in place of them.

Schedule of condition: the roof, recorded on day one

The single most effective way to limit a tenant’s roof dilapidations liability is a schedule of condition prepared before the lease is signed, recording the roof’s true state on day one. Where the lease ties the tenant’s obligation to that record, liability is limited to deterioration during the tenancy, not the cost of putting right defects that were already there. Nova prepares roof schedules of condition for incoming tenants, and for landlords and agents who want an accurate baseline appended to the lease. The roof is exactly the element these records most often omit, which is exactly where the disputes later arise.

Interim, terminal, and break-clause schedules

Nova prepares and advises on the roof element of all three: interim schedules served during the term to prompt compliance, terminal schedules served at or within 56 days of lease end, and schedules ahead of a break-clause date where roof condition can determine whether a break operates. In each case the roof is surveyed from above, evidenced, and set out in a form that fits the wider schedule and the Protocol timetable.

See what a Nova roof report looks like

Below is a sample Nova condition report. It shows how findings are located, rated by severity, and set out with costed options, the same rigour that goes into a dilapidations schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Who is liable for the roof under a full repairing lease?

Under a full repairing and insuring (FRI) lease, the tenant is usually responsible for the whole property including the roof and external fabric, which is why the roof drives some of the largest dilapidations claims. The exact position depends on the lease wording and any schedule of condition, which is what a survey and the lease together establish.

Does a schedule of condition limit dilapidations liability?

It can, where the lease ties the tenant’s repairing obligation to that recorded baseline. It limits liability to deterioration during the tenancy rather than pre-existing defects. It only works if the roof was properly recorded on day one, which is the element most often left out.

What is the Section 18 cap?

Section 18(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927 limits a landlord’s damages to the amount by which the disrepair has reduced the value of the landlord’s interest, which can be less than the cost of the works. Assessing it correctly needs both the condition evidence and the lease, which is where roof survey and legal understanding meet.

Can a dilapidations claim be challenged?

Yes, and most are reduced. A Reasoned Response prepared by a surveyor can dispute items outside the covenant, costs that exceed the Section 18 cap, and works the landlord intends to override by redevelopment. A well-evidenced roof schedule is harder to challenge, which is the point of preparing one properly.

How early should we assess roof dilapidations?

The best outcomes start 18 to 24 months before lease expiry, not three. Early roof survey lets a landlord or agent quantify exposure and a tenant address items during occupation, which is almost always cheaper than paying damages.

Do you act for landlords, agents, or tenants?

All three. Nova prepares roof schedules and schedules of condition for managing agents, asset managers and landlords, and Reasoned Responses for tenants. The roof survey and the evidence are the same rigour whichever side instructs.

Last reviewed: July 2026.

Nova also covers: Rugby · Daventry · Doncaster · Magna Park and Lutterworth · Exeter · Park Royal · Bristol and Avonmouth · Plymouth · Newton Abbot · Torbay · Yeovil · Taunton · Saltash · Ivybridge · Cullompton · Liskeard · Cold Storage · Drone roof surveys