An analysis of 87 dilapidation settlements negotiated across London. Real outcomes, real savings — drawn from our own deal data.
On average, we reduce landlord claims by nearly half. This isn't financial negotiation — it's a technical, line-by-line interrogation of every item in the schedule of dilapidations.
The spread of saving percentages across all 87 settlements. More than 60% of our deals achieve savings of 30% or higher.
The three peak clusters — 20–30%, 40–50%, and 50–60% — each contain 15 settlements. This tells us landlord claims are consistently inflated by 30–60%, and structured technical challenge recovers that gap.
How saving rates compare across different claim sizes. Mid-range claims (£100k–£250k) show the highest average savings.
Claims in the £100k–£250k bracket yield the strongest savings (54.3% on average). These are typically 5,000–25,000 sq ft spaces where landlord surveyors often apply broad-brush pricing rather than detailed line-item costing — which creates the most room for technical challenge.
How property size affects the outcome. Larger properties don't just have bigger claims — they tend to have stronger saving rates.
Average saving rates across the most represented sectors in our settlement data. Minimum 2 deals per sector shown for statistical relevance.
| Sector | Deals | Avg. Saving | Total Saved | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food & Beverage Services | 2 | 76.5% | £144k | |
| Non-profit Organisations | 3 | 65.0% | £516k | |
| Services for Renewable Energy | 2 | 63.0% | £74k | |
| Non-profit Org. Management | 2 | 59.0% | £165k | |
| Leisure, Travel & Tourism | 2 | 51.5% | £51k | |
| IT Services & Consulting | 5 | 50.2% | £205k | |
| Financial Services | 11 | 49.5% | £527k | |
| Staffing & Recruiting | 7 | 46.6% | £625k | |
| Investment Management | 2 | 43.0% | £36k | |
| Software Development | 9 | 38.3% | £318k | |
| Business Consulting | 5 | 32.2% | £132k | |
| Advertising Services | 12 | 31.5% | £317k | |
| Events Services | 2 | 29.5% | £199k |
Financial Services is our deepest sector with 11 deals and nearly 50% average savings. The largest total savings come from Staffing & Recruiting (£625k across 7 deals) — a sector where companies frequently take fitted space and are hit with inflated reinstatement costs at lease end.
Average saving rates in key London submarkets. Areas with 2+ settlements shown.
How our settlement activity and average savings have tracked year-on-year. 2025 and 2026 figures are partial (year to date).
Deal volume has grown steadily, with 2025 already our busiest year at 21 completed settlements. As construction costs have climbed post-pandemic, landlord claims have increased — which means even more room for challenge and recovery. The 2021 cohort shows the highest average saving (59%) as post-COVID claims were often inflated against weakened market conditions.
Nearly half of every landlord claim doesn't survive professional scrutiny. The gap between what's asked and what's owed is where our specialists operate.
If your lease is expiring in the next 12–24 months, the earlier you understand your dilapidations liability, the more options you have.
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