Handing back a tenancy is stressful enough without a dispute over the walls. This checklist is for tenants, office managers and building managers preparing a Sydney commercial space for the end of a lease.
Start with the lease
Make-good obligations are set by the lease, not by a standard rule. Find the make-good clause and any schedule of base-building finishes, then ask the landlord or building manager to confirm the scope in writing before you get quotes. A painter can only price accurately when the scope is agreed.
What is commonly included
- Walls and ceilings repainted to the base-building colour and sheen
- Holes from shelving, screens, signage and data points patched and sanded
- Doors, frames and skirting repaired and repainted
- Marks and scuffs in corridors, kitchens and meeting rooms
- Signage removed and the surface behind it made good
Use the condition report
If a condition report or photos were taken when the lease started, use them. They show what the space looked like at handover and help settle what the tenant does and does not need to fix.
Timing
Allow time for the landlord’s inspection and any touch-ups before the lease end date. Coordinate with removalists and IT so walls are painted after fit-out items come out, not before. Leaving make-good to the last week is the most common cause of disputes.
Working in a live building
Most make-good work happens while other tenants are trading. Agree work hours, lift and loading dock bookings, low-odour products and how shared areas are protected with building management first. See painting an occupied commercial building for the full process.
How Ace Abseiling can help
We price make-good painting from the agreed scope, so the quote matches what the landlord will inspect. Our ground team handles interiors and lower walls, and if the make-good includes external signage or façade areas above ground level, our rope access team can reach them in the same program. See commercial painting in Sydney.
Common questions
What does make-good painting usually include?
It depends on the lease. Commonly it means repainting walls, ceilings, doors and trims back to the original or base-building colours, repairing holes and damage left by fit-out items, and removing signage.
When should make-good painting be booked?
Once the landlord or building manager has confirmed the make-good scope, and with enough time before the lease end date for inspection and touch-ups.
Can make-good painting be done after hours?
Often, yes, where the building allows it. After-hours work needs to be agreed with building management in advance, including access, security and lift use.
Handing back a tenancy? Request a make-good painting quote or call 1300 926 176.
