Most lease agreements mandate a ‘make good’ clause, which requires you to return the space to its original condition. This process requires a commercial defit, or strip out.
The process involves systematically stripping out all fit-out components installed by you, the tenant. That often includes everything from partitions and flooring to electrical and mechanical systems. Successfully executing a defit, especially under tight deadlines, requires careful planning and coordinating multiple skilled trades.
A typical commercial defit involves disconnection, removal, demolition, and restoration of a range of components. This process requires a team of specialist trades to work in sequence: electricians to decommission lighting and power, plumbers to cap off water and drainage, strip-out labourers for demolition, removalists, plasterers and painters for restoration, and floorers for reinstatement.
The good news is that at Makegoods.com.au, we have years of experience in performing strip outs and defits for offices in Sydney. We have a team of in-house trades that takes the stress out of trying to coordinate various trades yourself. In this article, we’ll talk about how to best coordinate, and why you should always elect to hire the experts.
Speak to our team today about your office defit in Sydney.
The key is to let the experts handle it
Trying to manage a full-scale commercial defit while simultaneously running your business, planning a move, and negotiating lease terms is a recipe for stress, delays, and costly mistakes. The most effective way to coordinate the myriad of trades involved is to delegate the entire process to a dedicated commercial make good specialist, like Makegoods.com.au.
As experts in this field, we provide comprehensive commercial defit project management. We take ownership of the entire make good obligation, from the initial lease review and scope development to the final handover inspection. Our service is not merely about providing labour; it is about providing a strategic, end-to-end solution that guarantees compliance and bond return.
What is comprehensive commercial defit project management?
Find out more here about our comprehensive project management and use of experienced in-house trades.
Single point of contact
You communicate with one experienced Project Manager who then manages every aspect of the works. This eliminates the confusion and time sink of coordinating individual trades, permits, and schedules yourself.
Compliance
We begin by thoroughly reviewing your lease agreement, including the often-ambiguous make good clause, and conducting a site inspection. We develop a precise Scope of Works that strictly adheres to the landlord’s requirements and all relevant Australian building codes and safety regulations. We manage all necessary permits and approvals from building management and local councils.
Scheduling and trade coordination
The secret to an efficient defit is perfect sequencing. Demolition cannot start until services are decommissioned, and restoration cannot begin until the strip-out is complete. Our project managers create a critical path schedule, coordinating electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, demolition crews, plasterers, and painters in a precise, logical flow. This ensures zero downtime between trades, accelerating project completion and minimising your liability for holding over rent.
Risk mitigation and safety
Commercial defit work, particularly the removal of walls, ceilings, and services, carries significant safety and damage risks. We implement strict Work Health and Safety (WHS) protocols and manage all site-specific risks, providing the necessary Public Liability and Workers Compensation insurance. This protects your business from liability, and protects the building from damage, ensuring a smooth process.
Handover and bond return guarantee
Our ultimate goal is to return your commercial space to base build condition, meeting the exact standards required by your lease and landlord. We manage the final inspection, address any minor rectification works immediately, and provide the final documentation required for a successful handover. We are so confident in our process that we proudly guarantee the return of your bond.
By entrusting the process to us, you gain a partner whose singular focus is to execute a professional, compliant, and cost-effective commercial defit, securing your financial closeout with the landlord.
Additional tips for coordinating trades on a defit project
While Makegoods handles the heavy lifting of commercial defit project management, understanding the core principles behind successful coordination can help you appreciate the value of an expert partner.
Clear communication at all times
Effective communication is the lifeblood of any successful construction or demolition project. For a defit, this means clearly defining the scope of work and the expected standard of finish before a single tool is lifted.
The Project Manager must translate the legal requirements of the lease into practical instructions for each trade. A detailed, room-by-room scope prevents assumptions and rework.
For example, instead of simply saying ‘remove kitchenette’, the instruction should specify: ‘Plumber to cap and disconnect hot/cold water and drainage at the slab, electrician to isolate and remove power points, strip-out crew to demolish joinery and splashback, and plasterer to patch and paint the resulting wall space to match base build finish.’
For complex or multi-level projects, a daily or weekly site meeting with all present trade supervisors ensures everyone understands the immediate goal, the boundaries of their work, and any potential crossover issues with other teams.
Documenting all communication, from initial quotes to final sign-offs, creates a transparent trail. Photos of the site’s condition before, during, and after works are essential, particularly for the final handover to the landlord.
Define the sequence for works
A commercial defit is a linear process, with strict dependencies between different stages. Mishandling the sequence causes delays, increases costs, and can result in damage.
The very first step involves isolating and disconnecting all electrical, data, hydraulic, and mechanical services that run through the tenant’s fit-out. Electricians and plumbers must complete their isolation and capping work before any demolition begins. Failure to do so creates a major safety hazard and can lead to costly damage to the base building’s essential services.
Once services are safe, the main strip-out begins. This involves the removal of non-structural elements like partitioning walls, ceiling grids, and flooring. The demolition crew needs clear, unobstructed access, so coordination with the waste management team for timely skip collection is critical.
This is the final, most detailed stage. Plasterers, painters, and floorers enter the site only after the strip-out is complete and the site is clean. This prevents damage to the finished surfaces, ensuring the final, professional look required for a successful make good.
Establish quality control and safety standards
You must hold all trades accountable for the quality of their work and their adherence to safety standards.
A detailed WHS plan is mandatory for any commercial site in Australia. Your project manager should enforce compliance with all relevant regulations, particularly concerning hazardous materials, height work, and safe access for the public and other building tenants. This is a non-negotiable area.
Establish mandatory hold points for inspection. For instance, the Project Manager should inspect the isolated services before demolition starts, and the quality of the patching work before painting begins. This systematic approach catches errors early, long before they become expensive problems.
A good defit is also a clean defit. Trades must manage their waste responsibly, sorting materials like metal, timber, plasterboard, and general rubbish for appropriate disposal or recycling. This commitment to environmental responsibility reflects positively on your business and streamlines the final clean-up.
The impact of a lack of expert assistance
Attempting to coordinate a complex commercial defit without dedicated, professional commercial defit project management often leads to several highly detrimental, yet avoidable, outcomes.
The most common and costly mistake is missing the handover deadline. Delays caused by poorly coordinated trades, unforeseen site issues, or incorrectly completed work mean you remain liable for rent and outgoings after you have moved out, sometimes for weeks or even months. This unexpected financial burden can run into tens of thousands of pounds or dollars.
Landlords are legally entitled to receive the premises in the condition stipulated in the lease. A non-expert attempt often results in poorly executed work, such as uneven patching, visible paint lines, or incomplete service decommissioning. The landlord will likely reject this work and hire their own contractor to fix it, billing you an inflated amount, often using your bond as security.
Your commercial security bond is the landlord’s leverage. If you fail to meet your make good obligations—whether through poor quality, non-compliance, or missing the deadline—the landlord can, and almost certainly will, withhold your bond. The cost of rectifying a botched job nearly always outweighs the initial cost of hiring a professional firm.
Disputes over make good can escalate to legal action, a time-consuming and expensive process. Furthermore, commercial tenants often move to another building owned by the same or an affiliated landlord. Failing to execute a professional exit can damage your business’s reputation, creating difficulties for future tenancy negotiations.
Choosing Makegoods eliminates these risks. Our decades of experience mean we understand the common pitfalls of commercial make good projects and how to avoid them proactively. We manage the complexity, coordinate the trades, and deliver the compliant result you need to walk away with peace of mind and your full bond intact.
Book a meeting with Makegoods today
At Makegoods.com.au we provide guaranteed results. We offer complete commercial defit project management, ensuring seamless trade coordination, compliance with all make good clauses, and a guaranteed bond return. Ready to book a meeting?