The short answer
A make good in Eastern Creek usually means handing back a large distribution centre in the condition your lease sets. It often involves dismantling high-bay racking, coordinating in-rack sprinkler changes with a fire contractor, repairing anchor holes and slab joints, removing line marking, automation and charging areas, and repairing docks and hardstand. It is a big, staged job, so start planning six to twelve months out.
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Key takeaways
- 01Eastern Creek sheds are large, modern logistics buildings, so make goods are big and staged: stock out, racking down, then floors, docks and yard.
- 02Where racking has in-rack sprinklers, the fire system must be changed by a fire services contractor before or as racking comes down. Ask the landlord who that must be.
- 03Superflat or high-tolerance floors need careful anchor-hole and joint repair. Ask what standard the landlord expects and get it in writing.
- 04Forklift battery charging areas, conveyors, automation and dock equipment you installed are usually tenant works. Check your lease.
- 05Hardstand, kerbs, bollards and dock damage from heavy trucks are common dispute points. Your start-of-lease photos are your best evidence.
Eastern Creek, in Blacktown City Council, sits around the junction of the M4 and M7 motorways in Sydney's west. Next to Sydney Motorsport Park, it has grown into a major logistics area, with large, modern distribution centres for retailers, third-party logistics firms, food and grocery suppliers and parcel networks. Many buildings are recent tilt-panel or steel-framed sheds with high clearance, tall racking, long dock runs and big hardstand yards. A make good here is a large, staged industrial project, not a quick clean-up.
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 on an Eastern Creek lease?
Make good is a lease term, not a standard set by NSW law. The NSW Small Business Commission's Retail Tenancy Guide describes it as returning 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". Logistics leases are rarely retail leases, so the lease and general law decide the details.
Large logistics leases often include detailed make-good schedules and refer to the building's original handover condition. Read the make-good clause with the alterations clause, any consents for racking, automation or sprinkler changes, and the start-of-lease condition report, which on a big site may be long and photo-based.
What does a distribution centre make good usually involve?
| Area | What it often involves |
|---|---|
| High-bay racking | Dismantling and removing racking, removing anchors and repairing holes flush with the floor |
| In-rack sprinklers | Fire contractor removes or reconfigures in-rack sprinkler pipework and heads as racking comes out |
| Slab | Repairing joints, cracks and damage the lease makes you responsible for; removing line marking and floor signage |
| Automation and conveyors | Decommissioning and removing conveyors, sortation and automated systems; making power safe |
| Battery charging areas | Removing chargers, cabling, wash-down and ventilation equipment you installed, cleaning stained floors |
| Office and amenities | Removing partitions, kitchens and fit-out in the warehouse office; carpet and paint |
| Docks and yard | Repairing dock levellers, seals and shelters if the lease makes you responsible; hardstand, kerb and bollard repairs; line marking in the yard |
| Whole site | Signage removal, waste removal, pressure cleaning and a final clean |
Our warehouse make good in Sydney page covers the general warehouse steps. This page focuses on what is different about very large sites.
Why do in-rack sprinklers matter so much?
Tall racking in large sheds is often protected by sprinklers inside the racking itself. Those sprinklers are part of the building's fire system, which has to be kept working. You usually cannot just pull them out with the racking. A fire services contractor, often one the landlord approves or nominates, has to remove or reconfigure them, and the building needs to stay protected while it happens. Plan the sprinkler work and the racking removal together, and ask the landlord early what certification they want at handover.
How should the slab be repaired?
Floors in modern distribution centres are often built to tight flatness tolerances so tall racking and narrow-aisle forklifts can work safely. Anchor-hole and joint repairs in these floors need care. A rough patch can create problems for the next tenant, and that can lead to a dispute. Ask the landlord what repair method and finish they expect, get it in writing, and make sure every quote prices the same standard.
What safety and licensing checks apply?
- Electrical. The NSW Government says any electrical wiring work, including industrial work, needs an electrical licence or certificate. Chargers, conveyor power, extra lighting and three-phase outlets must be removed or made safe by a licensed electrician.
- Asbestos. SafeWork NSW requires an asbestos register for workplaces built before 31 December 2003. Many Eastern Creek sheds are newer, but check the building's age and ask for the register if it applies.
- Work at height and heavy lifts. Dismantling high-bay racking and removing building signage involves elevated work platforms and sometimes cranes. Contractors should provide safe work method statements before starting.
If you are unsure whether a job needs approval, ask your contractor, a building certifier or Blacktown City Council.
How long should I allow?
On a large site, start planning six to twelve months before the lease ends. The work runs in order: stock out, racking and automation down, sprinkler changes, slab and line-marking repairs, then docks, yard and the final clean. If your new site is not ready, the make good can clash with your move. Running past the lease end can mean holding over, which your lease may treat differently. See the make good timeline.
Should I do the works or pay the landlord?
Some landlords plan to re-rack or refit the building for the next tenant and may prefer cash. The NSW Small Business Commission notes tenants often agree to pay an amount in lieu of doing the make good. On a large shed, get an independent itemised scope and quote before agreeing to any figure. If you altered the building without written consent, take legal advice: in Tabcorp Holdings v Bowen Investments [2009] HCA 8, the High Court allowed a landlord to recover the full cost of reinstating unapproved works. See cash in lieu of make good.
How MAKE GREAT helps Eastern Creek tenants
- Analyse my lease: upload your lease and make-good schedule, and our lease check summarises the make-good, alterations and security clauses in plain English. It is preliminary and not legal advice. A person on our team reviews it, and contractors inspect the site before quoting.
- Get my make-good quotes: we turn your lease, drawings, racking layouts and photos 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: Silverwater and Parramatta. See also warehouse make good and commercial strip out.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a make good on an Eastern Creek distribution centre involve?
Usually dismantling and removing racking, mezzanines, conveyors and automation, repairing anchor holes, slab joints and damage, removing line marking, decommissioning battery-charging areas, repairing dock equipment, hardstand and kerbs, removing signage and cleaning. Your lease and any consents decide the exact list, so read them with the start-of-lease condition report.
Our racking has in-rack sprinklers. Who handles those?
A fire services contractor, usually one the landlord approves or nominates, because the sprinkler system protects the whole building. The sprinkler changes have to be planned alongside the racking removal so the building stays protected. Ask the landlord early who must do the work and what certification they need at the end.
How should anchor holes be repaired in a large warehouse slab?
Usually by removing the anchors and filling the holes with a suitable repair product finished flush with the floor. In high-tolerance floors used for tall racking and narrow-aisle forklifts, the landlord may want a specific method and finish. Ask what standard they expect, get it in writing, and make sure each quote prices that standard.
Do I have to repair wear on the hardstand and docks?
It depends on your lease. Many leases exclude fair wear and tear but make the tenant repair damage. Cracked hardstand, damaged kerbs and bollards, and worn dock levellers can fall either side. Compare with your start-of-lease photos and condition report, and get an independent scope if you disagree with the landlord's list.
Can I pay the landlord instead of doing the make good?
Often, if the landlord agrees. The NSW Small Business Commission notes that tenants often agree to pay the landlord in lieu of doing the works. On a large shed the sums can be significant, so get an independent itemised quote first and put any agreement in writing.
Sources
Primary sources we checked when writing this page. Laws and guidance change, so check the current version.
- 1.NSW Small Business Commission, NSW Retail Tenancy Guide (January 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- 2.SafeWork NSW, Asbestos (opens in a new tab)
- 3.NSW Government, Electrical licences (opens in a new tab)
- 4.High Court of Australia, Tabcorp Holdings Ltd v Bowen Investments Pty Ltd [2009] HCA 8 (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Blacktown City Council (opens in a new tab)