Guides
From end of lease to what's next.
Plain-English guides for tenants, property managers and landlords. General information, not legal advice.
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Asbestos and hazardous materials at make good: who can remove whatAsbestos and hazardous materials in a commercial make good or strip-out: the asbestos register, surveys, who can legally remove what in VIC and NSW.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026How to get your bank guarantee back at the end of a commercial leaseHow to get your bank guarantee or bond back when a commercial lease ends: make-good sign-off, VIC and NSW timeframes, and what to do if it is held.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Lease exit timeline: a 12-month plan from make-good clause to handoverWhen to start your make good and what to do at 12, 9, 6, 3 and 1 month before your commercial lease ends, with a handover checklist and holding-over risks.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Your make-good clause explained, line by lineHow to read a commercial lease make-good clause: where to find it, common wordings in plain English, fair wear and tear, original condition, base building.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026How much does a make good cost?What a commercial make good costs depends on your lease, the fit-out and access. The published per m² figures, how reliable they are, and how to budget.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make-good disputes: how to negotiate, mediate and move onLandlord's make-good claim too high, or holding your bank guarantee? How tenants negotiate, use Small Business Commission mediation, VCAT and NCAT.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make good for property managers and landlords: running a tenant's exitHow landlords and property managers run a tenant's make good in VIC and NSW: lease checks, a clear schedule, inspections, sign-off, security, disputes.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make good in NSW: what the rules say and what your lease decidesHow make good works in NSW: what your lease decides, retail lease rules, bonds and bank guarantees, mediation before NCAT, asbestos and licences.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make-good payment in lieu: should you pay cash instead of doing the works?Can you pay your landlord instead of doing the make good? How cash settlements work, how to check the landlord's figure, and what to put in writing.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make good in Victoria: what the law says and what your lease decidesHow make good works under Victorian law: what the Retail Leases Act 2003 says, bonds, disputes at VSBC and VCAT, permits and asbestos. Plain English.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Make good vs reinstatement vs restoration, explained side by sideMake good, reinstatement, restoration and strip-out explained side by side, with lease wording examples and why the difference changes your quotes.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Office make good checklist: from lease notice to handoverA printable office make good checklist for tenants: what to do 12 months out, room by room, on handover day, and asking for sign-off and your security backRead the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Schedule of condition and schedule of dilapidations: what tenants need to knowWhat a schedule of condition is, why it decides your make-good bill, and how to check and respond to a landlord's schedule of dilapidations.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Warehouse make good checklist: racking, floors, services and handoverA printable warehouse make good checklist: racking, anchor holes, floors, mezzanines, docks, electrical, sprinklers, hardstand and handover sign-off.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026What is make good? A plain-English guide for commercial tenantsWhat make good means in an Australian commercial lease, the three common clause types, what is usually included, and what to do when your lease is ending.Read the guide
- Guide · Reviewed 28 October 2026Who pays for make good: the tenant or the landlord?In most commercial leases the tenant pays for make good, but the lease decides. When the landlord pays, wear and tear, inherited fit-outs and disputes.Read the guide
Not sure what a word in your lease means? See the make-good glossary.