Dilapidations: the basics

Dilapidations are damages awarded to a landlord where a tenant has failed to comply with its obligations to keep premises in the state of repair required by the covenants (a term used to connote a solemn agreement) in the lease.  This issue commonly crops at the end of a lease, when the property reverts back to the landlord who is then faced - or claims to be faced - with the costs of carrying out the outstanding repairs.