DILAPIDATION
Dilapidation
Dilapidation
It means a state of disrepair of a building. It also indicates injuries to a property on account of its neglect.
Dilapidation may be defined as:
• State of disrepair of the building
• Defective condition of the building
• Worn out or Ruinous condition of the building.
When injuries are done by a tenant it is termed as “Waste”.
Waste is an injury to a property or alterations carried out by the tenant contrary to the interests of the landlord.
There are 2 types of Wastes
1) Voluntary waste 2) Permissive waste.
• Voluntary waste is the wrongful action of the tenant which he considers as essential for the beneficial enjoyment of the
premises ; like removal of a partition wall between two rooms or providing a door in a wall etc,. which may increase the
value of the property.
• Permissive waste means, neglecting the essential repairs to a building & thus allowing the building to pass into a state of
disrepair.
Most of the properties in India are let-out on a monthly tenant basis and the responsibility of the repairs in such cases are on
the Owners of the building, thus the burden of permissive Waste is thrown on the Landlords whereas the tenants are liable for
Voluntary waste to the property.
The owner of the building finds it difficult to carry out the repairs due to
1) Rents of the old buildings are pegged or freezed at a level of a pertinent years rates say 1960s or 1970s and are
economically hard pressed.
2) Increased size of family in the occupied property has resulted in more Wear & Tare of the building. As such the urgent
repairs remain un attended & go on increasing till the building reaches a dilapidated stage. The building at this stage requires
RE-Construction.
Schedule of Dilapidation:
Prior to the preparation of schedule of dilapidation the following aspects should be checked;
• Age building
• The type of use whether heavy ,medium or light use
• Hazardous use or not
• Locality
• Environmental factors
• Non conforming use (present use of the building other then that for which the building was designed)
• Additions ,alterations carried out by the tenant without the permission from the owner
Report on Schedule of Dilapidation:
For preparing a report on schedule of dilapidation it is essential to make a through inspection of the building . The
inspection usually taken from the roof or top floor to the bottom floor (G.F.) ,then all the external Faces finally
drainage and plumbing works. Format may be as follows
Roof
• Condition of Mangalore tiles ,Purlins, Battens and tie beams of trusses
• Whether the roof has caved in or not
• State of gutters and nature of leakage
• Condition of roof slab .
• Condition of water proofing on roof or slab
• State of parapet wall
• Condition of the wall or posts which are supporting the truss
• General condition of walls and Plaster works
• Wood work of doors, windows and ventilators. Both condition and state of painting , Weather affected by
termites
or borers . And whether the plumbline maintained or not.
Floor
• Nature of sagging in wooden floor ,chipping of materials, loose joints/broken members
• Separation at the junction of wall and floor ,if the separation the find out its cause it may be due to decayed
joists, beams and posts
• In Rcc floor joint between the wall and slab ,leakage, state of tiles ,skirting etc,
Stair case
• Wood – condition of steps ,Landing ,supporting structural member like stringer beam
• Condition of wooden hand rail and balustrade
• Steps and landing – nature of wear and tear and causes
• In case of composite staircase the condition of each material to be checked
Ground floor
• Condition of ceiling, structural supports
• If any sag.
• Types of cracks in walls and plaster work
• Condition of doors and windows
• Leakages
Elevations(4-side)
• Conditions of wall
• Joints between different material like brick and timber/ concrete / stone
• Nature of cracks,plaster,paints ,plumb,level and line
• State of plinth (any cracks)
• Uneven settlement of foundation resulting cracks
Sanitary Block
• Leakage from bath and w/cs and their structural conditions
• Missing and broken fixtures
• Condition
General
• Condition of electric fittings
• In case of flat terrace ,cracks in terrace ,condition of pavement and parapet wall ,leakage from terrace .number of
rain water pipes provided with their condition.
• Examine whether the structural cracks are patched up by cementing
Report and recommendations :
• The dilapidation report is generally prepared keeping in mind all the above facts with their present condition .
• Extent of dilapidation can be classified as good ,Fair ,Bad, and poor .
• If the cost of repairs exceeds 8 to 10 years of gross rent then the building is uneconomical for repairs and requires
pulling down or demolition .
• Demolition is preferred when
1. the building has completed its economical life
2. the repair /maintenance costs are higher as compare to rent received
3. the economic potential of the land is not realised
4. conversion of one type of land use to another for better economical productivity.
5. the building is structurally unsafe and repair cannot ensure safety even when carried out
6. Due to natural Disasters like earth quake ,fire, or soil erosion making the building unsafe for habitation .
ASIGNMENT QUESTIONS :
