- 01 Scope agreed in writing
- 02 Services isolated by licensed trades
- 03 Asbestos register checked
- 04 Waste sorted and removed
- 05 Clean shell on the handover date
Start with the lease
Make-good disputes almost always come from one thing: different understandings of what "base building" or "original condition" means. So the first step is not a site walk — it is reading:
- The make-good clause in the lease.
- Any fit-out approval or schedule from when you moved in.
- Photos or condition reports from lease commencement.
- The landlord's make-good requirements, if they have issued them.
From that, the scope is written in plain language and ideally agreed with the landlord before works are booked.
Typical make-good scope
- Remove tenant fit-out — partitions, joinery, signage, supplementary services.
- Reinstate ceilings — base building grid and tiles.
- Floor finish — remove tenant coverings, and sometimes supply new base building carpet.
- Paint walls and columns to the base building standard.
- Lighting returned to base layout.
- Services — redundant cabling removed, base services checked.
- Clean.
- Keys, cards and access returned.
Some make-goods are removal only; others include reinstatement trades. The quote states which.
Timing
| Stage | Why it takes time |
|---|---|
| Lease review and scope | Needs the right documents |
| Landlord agreement | Their schedule, their availability |
| Building approvals | Work permits, inductions, bookings |
| Physical works | Often after hours in occupied buildings |
| Inspection and defects | The landlord's timetable again |
Start early. Holding over past lease expiry can be expensive.
Asbestos
Older buildings: the asbestos register is checked, and any asbestos in the scope is removed by a separately licensed asbestos removalist.
Related
Office strip outs and retail strip outs. Costs are on the cost page.
Call 02 6422 4201 or send the job details through.
More strip-out work
| Office Strip Outs | Whole floors and tenancies stripped to base building — ceilings, partitions, joinery, carpet, cabling — in occupied buildings. |
| Retail & Shop Strip Outs | Shopfronts, fit-outs and signage removed in shopping centres and high streets, around trading hours. |
| Restaurant & Cafe Strip Outs | Commercial kitchens, exhaust hoods, cool rooms, grease traps and dining fit-outs removed and made safe. |
| Warehouse & Industrial | Mezzanines, office pods, racking, amenities and redundant plant removed from warehouses and industrial units. |
| Bathroom Demolition | Bathrooms stripped to frame or slab for renovators and homeowners — tiles, screed, fixtures and membrane out, ready to rebuild. |
| Kitchen Demolition | Kitchens removed cleanly — cabinetry, benchtops, splashbacks and appliances out, services capped, ready for install. |
Questions people ask before they commit
What does make good mean in a commercial lease?
It is the tenant's obligation to return the premises at the end of the lease in the condition the lease specifies. That might mean removing the fit-out back to base building, repainting, replacing carpet, reinstating ceilings or leaving certain items. The lease clause and any agreed schedule define it.
Can I negotiate a cash settlement instead?
Sometimes landlords accept a payment instead of physical make-good, particularly if an incoming tenant will reuse or replace the fit-out. That is a commercial negotiation between tenant and landlord, often with advice from a lawyer or leasing agent.
How early should I plan a make-good?
Ideally several months before lease expiry. Scoping against the lease, getting landlord agreement on the schedule, booking the works around building rules and allowing time for defects can take longer than the physical work.
Who signs off the make-good?
The landlord or their building manager inspects the premises against the lease requirements and accepts or lists defects. Addressing the list promptly is what finishes the job.