The short answer
A make good in Silverwater usually means handing back a small or mid-size industrial unit, factory or trade showroom in the condition your lease sets. Common work includes removing mezzanine offices, racking and machinery bases, repairing the slab, capping plumbing and power you added, and cleaning. Some units are in strata complexes, and food producers may also have cool rooms, floor coatings and trade waste to deal with.
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Key takeaways
- 01Silverwater is mostly small and mid-size industrial units, factories and showrooms. Jobs are smaller than in outer western Sydney but often more varied.
- 02Some units are in strata complexes. Work on shared walls, roofs, driveways or services may need the owners corporation's approval as well as your landlord's.
- 03Food and beverage producers often have cool rooms, coved floors, floor wastes and grease arrestors. Ask the landlord in writing which stay.
- 04Machinery hold-down bolts, three-phase power and compressed-air lines are common tenant works. Licensed electricians must remove or make safe electrical work.
- 05Workplaces built before 31 December 2003 need an asbestos register, so check it before anything is cut or removed.
Silverwater sits between the Parramatta River and the M4, beside Sydney Olympic Park, in the City of Parramatta local government area. Its industrial streets, around Silverwater Road, Holker Street, Derby Street and Carnarvon Street, are packed with small and mid-size industrial units, factories, food producers, trade suppliers, showrooms and storage. Compared with the giant sheds further west in Eastern Creek, a Silverwater make good is usually smaller but more varied: an office mezzanine, some machinery, a cool room and a showroom front can all sit in one unit.
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 a Silverwater lease?
Make good is a lease term, not a standard set by one 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". Most factory and warehouse leases are not retail leases, so the lease and general law decide the details.
Before you ask for quotes, gather the lease and any variations, consents for alterations you made, the start-of-lease photos or condition report, and the security clause (bank guarantee or bond).
What work usually comes up in Silverwater?
| Part of the unit | What a make good often involves |
|---|---|
| Office and mezzanine | Removing partitions, a mezzanine office or storage deck, stairs and balustrades; repairing the slab and walls behind |
| Factory floor | Removing machinery, cutting and grinding hold-down bolts, patching core holes and anchor points, repairing cracks the lease makes you responsible for |
| Racking and shelving | Dismantling racking and long-span shelving, patching anchor holes, removing line marking |
| Services | Removing added three-phase power, compressed-air lines, extra lighting and data; capping added plumbing |
| Front of unit | Removing showroom fit-out and signage; servicing or repairing the roller door if the lease requires |
| Whole unit | Removing waste, pressure cleaning floors and the driveway apron, final clean |
Every item should trace back to a clause or a written request from the landlord. Our warehouse make good in Sydney page explains racking and floor repairs in more depth.
Does strata ownership change the make good?
Often, yes. Some Silverwater units are in strata complexes. Your landlord owns your unit, but external walls, roofs, driveways, fire services and shared drainage may be common property managed by the owners corporation. Work that touches common property, such as removing external signage, cutting into a shared wall or altering a fire service, can need the owners corporation's approval under NSW strata law and the scheme's by-laws. Strata complexes also often have rules on driveway use, skip bin placement and working hours. Ask your landlord or strata manager for these before contractors start.
What extra work comes with a food or beverage fit-out?
Food and beverage producers are among Silverwater's tenants. Their make goods often include:
- cool rooms and freezer rooms, including refrigeration plant on the roof or outside
- coved vinyl, epoxy or other food-grade floor coatings
- floor wastes, drains and grease arrestors
- stainless-steel wall linings and wash-down areas
- extra gas and power for cooking or processing equipment
Some landlords want these left for the next food business; others want the unit back to bare slab. Get the answer in writing before you price anything. If your business has a trade wastewater permit with Sydney Water, contact Sydney Water before you leave, as it must be told when business activities on a site change. Refrigeration, gas, plumbing and electrical work must be done by appropriately licensed trades. The NSW Government says any electrical wiring work, including industrial work, needs a licence or certificate.
What safety checks apply?
SafeWork NSW says workplaces built before 31 December 2003 need an asbestos register. Some Silverwater units are older than that. Fibre-cement walls, roof sheeting, old vinyl floor tiles and pipe lagging are worth checking before they are disturbed. Removing any friable asbestos, or more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, needs a licensed removalist. If you are unsure whether a job needs approval, ask your contractor, a building certifier or the City of Parramatta.
How do I keep a small industrial make good fair?
- Read the clause first. Don't pay to remove things the lease does not require you to remove.
- Check your start-of-lease evidence. Old cracks, worn roller doors and stained floors that were there on day one should not be on your list. See who pays for make good.
- Ask the landlord what they want kept. A mezzanine or cool room can be worth more to the next tenant than removed.
- Get quotes on one written scope, with each item priced separately.
- Consider cash in lieu. The NSW Small Business Commission notes tenants often agree to pay the landlord instead of doing the works. See cash in lieu of make good.
- Get written sign-off before you hand back the keys.
How MAKE GREAT helps Silverwater tenants
- Analyse my lease: upload your lease 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 a contractor checks the unit before quoting.
- Get my make-good quotes: we turn your lease, photos and the landlord's list 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: Parramatta and Eastern Creek.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a make good on a Silverwater industrial unit usually involve?
Usually removing your office fit-out or mezzanine, racking, shelving and machinery, cutting off and grinding hold-down bolts, patching the slab, removing added power, air lines and plumbing, repairing roller doors if the lease requires, removing signage and cleaning. The lease clause decides the exact list, so read it with any consents and the start-of-lease photos.
My unit is in a strata complex. Do I need the owners corporation's approval?
Possibly. Your landlord owns the unit, but walls, roofs, driveways and shared services may be common property. Work that affects them can need the owners corporation's approval, depending on the type of work and the by-laws. Ask your landlord or the strata manager how approvals work before booking contractors.
We make food. Do I have to remove the cool room and coated floors?
It depends on the lease. Some landlords want cool rooms and food-grade floors left for the next food business; others want the unit back to bare slab. Get the answer in writing. Refrigeration, plumbing and electrical work must be done by appropriately licensed trades.
Does the NSW Retail Leases Act apply to my trade showroom?
It might. A warehouse or factory usually is not a retail lease, but a showroom that sells to the public can be. If the Act applies, you get extra protections such as mediation through the NSW Small Business Commission before most claims go to NCAT. Check with the Commission or a property lawyer.
How long does a small industrial make good take?
The physical work on a small unit can be quick, but the steps around it take time: clearing stock and machinery, agreeing the scope, getting quotes and strata approvals. Start planning three to six months before your lease ends for a small unit, and longer if you have heavy machinery or a food fit-out.
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.NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Retail leases (opens in a new tab)
- 5.NSW Government, Strata renovation rules (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Sydney Water, Commercial trade wastewater (opens in a new tab)
- 7.City of Parramatta (opens in a new tab)