Alexandria Make Good: Warehouse Office & Showroom Exits

The short answer

A make good in Alexandria usually means returning a converted warehouse, showroom or creative office to the condition your lease sets. That often includes removing office fit-out built inside a warehouse shell, mezzanines and showroom joinery, repairing polished or coated concrete, and making added power safe. Many buildings are older, so check the asbestos register and any heritage listing before work starts.

Last reviewed 28 October 2026

Key takeaways

01Alexandria tenancies are often hybrids: an office or showroom built inside an old warehouse. Your lease decides which of those layers you must remove.
02Ask the landlord early whether they want your fit-out removed or kept. Some landlords re-lease these spaces as fitted creative offices, but only a written agreement counts.
03Many buildings were built well before 31 December 2003, so SafeWork NSW requires an asbestos register. Check it before anything is cut out.
04Some older brick buildings are heritage items or sit in heritage conservation areas under the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012. Check before removing anything that may be original.
05Neighbours now include apartments, so noisy work may be limited. Ask contractors to show any timing limits in their quotes.

Alexandria, in the City of Sydney local government area, was for most of the last century an industrial suburb of brick factories and warehouses. Many of those buildings are now creative offices, design studios, showrooms, gyms, breweries and small logistics units, along streets such as Bourke Road, O'Riordan Street, Euston Road and McEvoy Street. That history shapes the make good: you are often handing back an office or showroom built inside a warehouse, and your lease may treat each layer differently.

General information only, not legal advice. Your lease sets your obligations. Speak to a property lawyer about your own lease.

What does make good mean for an Alexandria tenancy?

There is no single NSW law that defines make good. It is a lease term. The NSW Small Business Commission's Retail Tenancy Guide describes it as returning the premises to the condition they were first built in, their condition at the start of the lease, "or some other condition as specified in the lease".

In a converted warehouse that matters a lot. "First built" could mean an empty brick shell with a concrete floor. "Start of the lease" could mean the fitted office you moved into, if the landlord or a previous tenant built it. Read your make-good clause alongside your alterations clause, any consents you were given, and the condition report or photos from move-in. Our guide to what make good means explains the common clause types.

What work usually comes up in Alexandria?

Part of the building	What a make good often involves
Office or studio fit-out inside the shell	Removing partitions, glazed meeting rooms, kitchens and joinery; patching and painting walls
Mezzanines and office pods	Taking them down, removing fixings and repairing the slab underneath
Exposed ceilings and services	Removing added lighting tracks, ducting, cable trays and data cabling; there is often no ceiling grid to put back
Floors	Grinding off adhesives, repairing or re-sealing polished or coated concrete, removing carpet tiles laid over the slab
Showroom front	Removing display joinery, signage and window graphics; repairing shopfront glazing and roller doors
Services	Licensed electrician to make added power safe; plumber to cap off added sinks and amenities

Every item should trace back to a clause in your lease or a written request from the landlord. If it does not, ask why it is on the scope.

Should I remove my fit-out or leave it for the next tenant?

Ask the landlord before you get quotes. Some Alexandria landlords re-lease these spaces as fitted creative offices or showrooms, so a good fit-out can be worth more to them in place than removed. Others want the raw warehouse back. Either way, the only safe position is a written agreement that lists what stays, what goes and what condition the rest must be in. A verbal "leave it" from an agent is not enough when your bank guarantee is at stake.

If you changed the building without written consent, get legal advice early. In Tabcorp Holdings v Bowen Investments [2009] HCA 8, the High Court allowed a landlord to recover the full cost of reinstating a foyer that a tenant had demolished and rebuilt without consent.

What checks apply to older Alexandria buildings?

Asbestos. SafeWork NSW says workplaces built before 31 December 2003 need an asbestos register. Many Alexandria buildings are far older than that. Old roof sheeting, eaves, vinyl floor tiles, pipe lagging and fibre-cement walls are all worth asking about. Removing any friable asbestos, or more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, needs a licensed removalist.
Heritage. Some older industrial buildings are heritage items or sit inside heritage conservation areas listed in the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012 (Schedule 5). Removing or altering original fabric, such as timber trusses, face brickwork or painted wall signs, may need approval. Check with the landlord and the City of Sydney first.
Electrical. The NSW Government says any electrical wiring work, including commercial work, needs an electrical licence or certificate. Converted warehouses often have added three-phase power for kitchens, workshops or equipment. Keep the electrician's paperwork for handover.

Will neighbours affect when the work can happen?

Possibly. Alexandria now has apartments and townhouses next to working warehouses, especially near Green Square and Sydney Park. Noise limits from the building's consent, strata rules in mixed-use buildings, or the landlord's own rules may restrict when grinding, cutting and demolition can happen. Ask contractors to say in their quote what hours they have allowed for and whether any work is priced at after-hours rates.

Can I pay the landlord instead of doing the works?

Often, if the landlord agrees. The NSW Small Business Commission notes that tenants often agree to pay the landlord an amount in lieu of doing the make good. This is common where the landlord plans to refurbish the whole building anyway. Get an itemised independent quote first so you can judge whether the amount asked is fair. See cash in lieu of make good.

How much does a make good in Alexandria cost?

There is no reliable public make-good rate for Alexandria or for converted warehouses. The scope swings too much: removing a mezzanine and grinding a slab is a very different job from patching and painting a studio. The honest way to get a number is one written scope and itemised quotes on it. Our make good cost guide explains how to read them.

How MAKE GREAT helps Alexandria tenants

Analyse my lease: upload your lease and our lease check summarises the make-good, alterations and security clauses in plain English, and lists what to ask the landlord. It is a preliminary summary, not legal advice. A person on our team reviews it, and a contractor checks the site before quoting.
Get my make-good quotes: we turn your lease, photos and the landlord's requirements into one written brief, and invite contractors who have passed our checks to quote on the same scope.
You choose and contract directly with the contractor. MAKE GREAT is a marketplace, not a contractor. It is free for tenants: if you hire a contractor through us, they pay us a referral fee. Nobody can pay to rank higher.

Nearby: Mascot and the Sydney CBD. See also warehouse make good in Sydney and office make good in Sydney.

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General information only, not legal advice. Get advice from a property lawyer about your own lease.

Frequently asked questions

What does a make good on an Alexandria warehouse conversion usually involve?

It depends on your lease, but common items are removing partitions, meeting rooms and kitchens built inside the shell, taking down mezzanines or office pods, removing showroom joinery and signage, making added power and data safe, and repairing the concrete floor. Exposed ceilings mean there is often no ceiling grid to reinstate, but exposed services you added may need to come out.

Does the landlord have to take back my fit-out if it is in good condition?

No. Unless your lease says otherwise, the landlord can ask you to remove what the lease requires you to remove. Some landlords prefer to keep a good fit-out for the next tenant. If yours does, get a written agreement listing exactly what stays and what you still have to do.

My building is old brick. Do I need an asbestos check before the make good?

Very likely. SafeWork NSW says workplaces built before 31 December 2003 need an asbestos register. Ask the landlord for it before walls, floor coverings, roof sheeting or pipe lagging are touched. Any friable asbestos, or more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, must be removed by a licensed removalist.

Can I remove old features from a heritage building as part of the make good?

Be careful. If the building is a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, removing or changing original fabric can need approval. Check with the landlord and the City of Sydney before removing anything that might be original, such as timber trusses, brickwork or old signage.

Is my Alexandria showroom covered by the NSW Retail Leases Act?

It might be. Whether the Act applies depends on the business and the premises, and showrooms that sell to the public can fall either side. If it applies, you get extra protections, such as mediation through the NSW Small Business Commission before most claims can go to NCAT. Ask the Commission or a property lawyer if you are unsure.

Sources

Primary sources we checked when writing this page. Laws and guidance change, so check the current version.