Commercial make-good contractors in Melbourne

General information only, not legal advice. Your lease, and a lawyer if you need one, decide what you must do.

This page is about the practical side of a commercial make good in Melbourne: who does the work, what to send contractors, how to read their quotes, and how to get from the first site visit to the landlord's written sign-off. It applies whether you are leaving an office, a shop, a clinic, a showroom or a warehouse.

If you first need to understand what make good means and which Victorian rules apply, start with our Melbourne make-good overview. For one type of premises in detail, see office make good in Melbourne, warehouse make good in Melbourne or commercial strip-out in Melbourne.

Who actually does a commercial make good?

A make good is rarely one trade. A typical Melbourne job draws on several, and the most common set-up is one contractor who runs the job and brings in the others.

Under Victoria's OHS Regulations 2017, asbestos removal generally needs a licence holder. The main exception is limited work on non-friable asbestos of no more than 10 square metres in total, with no more than one hour of removal work in any seven days (reg 250). Friable asbestos needs a Class A licence (reg 264). That is why the asbestos register matters before anything is pulled out.

What should I send contractors before they quote?

The more you send, the closer the quotes will be to each other and to the final cost. Send the same pack to every contractor:

• The make-good, alterations and repair clauses from your lease
• The landlord's or agent's make-good requirements, in writing
• Your start-of-lease condition report and photos, if you have them
• Fit-out approvals and drawings from when you moved in
• A floor plan with the area in square metres
• Recent photos of every room, ceiling, floor and the outside areas
• The building's fit-out or works rules (towers and shopping centres have them)
• The asbestos register, if the building has one
• Your lease end date and when the site is free for works

If the landlord has not given you requirements yet, ask now. The VSBC recommends condition reports at the start of a lease and says both parties should keep copies, so ask the agent for theirs if you cannot find yours.

How do Melbourne buildings change the quote?

The same scope can be priced very differently depending on the building.

• CBD, Southbank and Docklands towers: expect inductions, goods lift and loading dock bookings, noisy work after hours only, and reinstatement to the building's standard ceiling, lighting and air-conditioning. These rules add labour hours and lengthen the programme. Ask each contractor whether they have allowed for after-hours rates and dock bookings.
• Richmond, Cremorne, South Melbourne and Port Melbourne conversions: old brick, timber and mixed services make "original condition" hard to prove without photos. If a building is on the Victorian Heritage Register, the Building Regulations 2018 exemption for minor alterations (Schedule 3, item 4) does not apply, so a building permit may be needed. Ask who is checking whether a permit is needed. Our Richmond page covers this area in more detail.
• Dandenong South, Truganina, Laverton North and Derrimut warehouses: much of the cost often sits in the floor and yard: racking anchors, slab patching, line marking, epoxy, roller doors and hardstand. Ask for each of these as a separate line so you can see what is driving the price.
• Shopping centres: centre management sets work hours, hoarding and paperwork. Ask whether the quote includes the centre's requirements.

What should a good make-good quote include?

Use this to check every quote before you compare prices.

The lowest price is not automatically the best value. A quote that excludes ceiling reinstatement or after-hours work may end up costing more once the landlord's inspection finds the gaps.

How much does commercial make good cost in Melbourne?

We do not publish our own Melbourne price figures. Public data is thin and costs swing widely with the lease, the building and the fit-out.

One published figure comes from JLL's Australia Fit-Out Cost Guide 2022/23: an average of $456 per square metre to make good an office, meaning removing the tenant's custom fittings, repainting and minor repairs (JLL newsroom, 15 February 2023). JLL does not say it is a Melbourne figure, it covers offices only, it is several years old, and it is not a quote. We found no reliable public figure for Melbourne warehouse or retail make good. A site inspection against a written scope is the only way to a real number. Our make-good cost guide explains the cost drivers.

How do I manage the works once I have chosen a contractor?

1. Confirm the scope in the contract. Attach the landlord's written requirements and the contractor's line-by-line quote.
2. Tell the landlord or agent who is doing the work and when. Some leases and buildings require approval of contractors and methods.
3. Book access. Goods lifts, loading docks, after-hours entry and any centre management approvals.
4. Check the asbestos register is in hand before any wall, ceiling or floor comes out (OHS Regulations 2017, regs 240 and 241).
5. Ask for progress photos at key stages, especially before ceilings and floors are closed up.
6. Hold a pre-handover walk-through with the contractor a week before the landlord's inspection, so defects are fixed in time.

What happens on handover day?

Book a joint inspection with the landlord or managing agent. Bring the contractor if you can. Agree a written defects list on the day, set a date to fix them, and ask for written confirmation that the make good is accepted. Take dated photos of every room.

For retail leases, section 24 of the Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic) says a cash security deposit must be returned within 30 days after the lease ends if the tenant has met all its obligations. For other leases, the lease sets the timing. Written sign-off is your best evidence either way.

If the landlord disputes the make good, the Melbourne overview explains the VSBC mediation path, and the payment in lieu guide covers paying instead of doing the work.

How does MAKE GREAT help, and how is it paid?

MAKE GREAT is a marketplace. We do not employ tradespeople or act as your contractor.

1. Start a project: address, type of premises, rough size and lease end date. Skip anything you do not know yet.
2. Optional lease check: upload your lease and our lease check pulls out the make-good, alterations and security clauses, showing what looks required, what is unclear and what is missing. It is preliminary, it is not legal advice, and a person reviews it before it becomes your contractor brief.
3. Matching: we invite up to three independent contractors who work in your part of Melbourne and on your type of premises. Read how we check contractors. If fewer than three suit your job, we tell you.
4. Comparison: quotes are set out side by side using the checklist above, with gaps and not-like-for-like items flagged. We never pick the cheapest for you.
5. You choose and contract directly with the contractor.

How we are paid: Free for tenants. If you hire a contractor through us, they pay us a referral fee. Nobody can pay to rank higher.

Leaving premises in Sydney instead? See commercial make good in Sydney.