Schedule of Dilapidations & Scott Schedule Responses

Schedule of Dilapidations & Scott Schedule Responses

A schedule of dilapidations is the formal document at the heart of almost every dilapidations dispute — and the Scott Schedule is the standard format used to set out, and respond to, each item within it. Getting either wrong, whether you're serving a schedule or responding to one, can materially affect the outcome. At Bemerton Consulting, our RICS Chartered Building Surveyors prepare schedules for landlords and prepare responses for tenants, both grounded in the RICS Dilapidations Protocol.

What Is a Schedule of Dilapidations?

A schedule of dilapidations is a detailed, itemised document setting out the breaches of a tenant's lease covenants — typically repair, decoration and reinstatement obligations — identified during a survey of the property. Each item records the alleged breach, the remedial work required, and the associated cost. It forms the basis of the landlord's claim against the tenant, whether served during the lease term (interim) or at its end (terminal).

What Is a Scott Schedule?

A Scott Schedule is the standard tabular format used to present a schedule of dilapidations and the tenant's response to it, side by side, item by item. Named after the format originally used in Official Referees' litigation, it typically sets out the alleged breach, the landlord's claimed remedy and cost in one column, with space for the tenant's response — agreed, disputed, or a counter-proposal — in an adjacent column. This structure makes the areas of genuine agreement and disagreement immediately clear, which is exactly why it's the standard format recommended under the RICS Dilapidations Protocol for narrowing issues ahead of negotiation or, if necessary, formal proceedings.

Responding to a Schedule: What Tenants Need to Know

Receiving a schedule of dilapidations is not the same as accepting its contents. Every item in a Scott Schedule response should be considered on its own merits: does the item genuinely reflect a breach of your specific lease obligations, does the proposed remedy go beyond what's required (betterment), and is the costed sum realistic against actual current remedial costs rather than an inflated estimate? We work through each item methodically, challenging costs and scope that don't reflect the tenant's real liability, and building an evidence-based response rather than a blanket rejection or blanket acceptance.

Preparing a Schedule: What Landlords Need to Know

A schedule that's well-evidenced and proportionate from the outset is far more likely to be accepted, or to reach a swift, fair settlement, than one that overstates the position. We prepare schedules with the level of technical and cost detail needed to withstand scrutiny under a Scott Schedule response, reducing the risk of protracted negotiation or dispute.

How We Help

Whether you need a schedule of dilapidations prepared, or a Scott Schedule response to a claim you've received, our surveyors bring the same evidence-based, technically grounded approach — informed by current remedial costs, not desktop estimates.

Contact our team today to discuss a schedule of dilapidations or a Scott Schedule response.