Roofs and cladding are consistently the single largest cost item on an industrial or warehouse dilapidations schedule. At Bemerton Consulting, our RICS Chartered Building Surveyors provide specialist advice on industrial roof and cladding defects — helping landlords quantify genuine liability accurately, and helping tenants challenge claims that overstate the true cost of repair.
Cut edge corrosion is one of the most common — and most frequently misdiagnosed — defects on steel-clad industrial buildings. When a profiled steel roof or cladding sheet is cut to size during installation, the protective coating (usually a plastisol or PVF2 coating over galvanised steel) is breached at the cut edge. Over time, moisture penetrates this exposed edge and corrosion spreads beneath the coating, working outward from the cut line. Left unaddressed, it can undermine the structural integrity of the sheet and, eventually, the wider roof covering.
Cut edge corrosion sits at an awkward intersection between maintenance and dilapidations liability. A landlord's schedule may quote full roof replacement running into hundreds of thousands of pounds on a large industrial unit; in many cases, a more accurate assessment — based on the actual extent and severity of corrosion, not a worst-case assumption — supports a far more limited scope of repair, such as targeted cut edge treatment and recoating rather than a full re-roof. Being quoted a large sum for remedial roof works does not automatically mean that figure reflects your actual lease liability. We assess the real condition, the applicable coating specification, and the genuine extent of works required before any figure is agreed.
Beyond cut edge corrosion, we regularly identify and advise on fastener failure and rundown, delamination of composite panels, ponding and inadequate falls on flat roof areas, rooflight degradation, and inappropriate historic repairs that have masked rather than resolved the underlying defect. Each has a different remedial cost profile, and getting the diagnosis right is the difference between a proportionate repair and an inflated claim.
Whether you are a landlord preparing a schedule or a tenant responding to one, our surveyors combine hands-on roof inspection experience with an accurate, current understanding of remedial costs — not a desktop estimate. We provide clear, evidence-based reports that stand up to negotiation, whether that means substantiating a landlord's claim or challenging costs that don't reflect the tenant's actual lease obligations.
Not always — it depends on the extent of the defect, the lease's repairing covenants, and whether the corrosion has progressed beyond routine maintenance into genuine disrepair. This is exactly the kind of technical judgement that determines whether a claim is proportionate.
It depends on the lease terms and the condition of the roof at the start of the tenancy — a schedule of condition, where one exists, can significantly limit this liability. Tenants are not automatically responsible for betterment or for defects that predate their occupation.
Contact our team today to discuss an industrial roof or cladding issue, whether you're a landlord quantifying a claim or a tenant who has just received one.
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Suite 119, The Cotton Exchange Bldg, Old Hall St, Liverpool L3 9LQ
Phone: 0151 559 2760
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