The short answer
A Sydney CBD make good follows your lease, but the building shapes how the work is done. Expect the building manager's rules, booked goods lifts and loading docks, noisy work after hours, and base-building ceilings, lights and fire services that only approved trades may touch. Get the building's requirements in writing first, then ask contractors to quote on the same written scope.
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Key takeaways
- 01In a CBD tower, the building manager's rules decide when, how and by whom make-good work is done. Ask for them before you get quotes.
- 02Goods-lift and loading-dock time is limited and booked in advance, and noisy demolition is often restricted to after hours. Both affect the price and the timeline.
- 03Fire services, sprinklers and base-building ceilings are usually handled by the building's nominated trades. Check before your contractor touches them.
- 04Ask whether the landlord wants your fit-out removed or left for the next tenant, and get the answer in writing.
The Sydney CBD, from Circular Quay and Barangaroo down through Martin Place to Town Hall and Central, is mostly office towers with shops and food at street level, plus older, smaller commercial buildings. A make good here is shaped less by the suburb and more by the building: who manages it, what its rules say, and how hard it is to get materials in and out.
General information only, not legal advice. Get advice from a property lawyer about your own lease.
What does a typical CBD office make good involve?
CBD office leases commonly ask for one of three things at the end: clean and repair, remove your own fit-out, or reinstate to the base building. In a tower, "base building" usually means the landlord's ceiling grid and tiles, lights, air-conditioning outlets, carpet or raw slab, and services capped back to set points. The Sydney make good guide explains these clause types, and office make good in Sydney covers office scopes across the city.
On a typical tenanted floor, the work tends to include:
- removing partitions, offices, meeting rooms and glazed walls
- removing kitchens, joinery, feature ceilings and raised floors
- taking out extra power, data cabling and comms racks back to the riser
- removing added air-conditioning units and supplementary cooling for server rooms
- patching, repainting and reinstating ceiling tiles and lights
- replacing or cleaning carpet, and a final clean
How do CBD building rules affect my make good?
Your lease usually makes you follow the building rules, and in a tower those rules control the job. Ask the building manager for the contractor requirements early. They commonly cover:
| Building rule | Why it matters for your make good |
|---|---|
| Contractor induction, insurance certificates and safe work method statements | Contractors cannot start until these are lodged. Allow time for it. |
| Goods-lift and loading-dock bookings | Waste and materials move only in booked slots. Limited slots mean a longer job. |
| Restricted hours for noisy work | Demolition, drilling and grinding often must happen at night or on weekends, which costs more. |
| Fire services isolations | Smoke detectors and sprinklers are often isolated and altered only by the building's own fire contractor. |
| Protection of common areas | Lift lining, floor protection in lobbies and corridors, and clean-up standards. |
| Sign-off process | Some buildings inspect the floor before the landlord's agent signs off. |
When you compare quotes, check that each one includes the same building requirements. A quote that leaves out after-hours premiums or the fire contractor's cost is not cheaper; it is incomplete.
Who looks after fire services, ceilings and air-conditioning?
In many CBD towers these are base-building systems that serve more than one floor. Even if you paid to add sprinkler heads, detectors or air-conditioning outlets for your fit-out, the building may require its nominated contractors to remove or move them. Ask the building manager which trades are nominated, then make sure your make-good contractor coordinates with them.
Any electrical disconnection must be done by a licensed electrician. The NSW Government says you need an electrical licence or certificate for any electrical wiring work, including commercial work.
Does an older CBD building need an asbestos check?
Quite possibly. Many CBD buildings were built before 2004. SafeWork NSW says an asbestos register is required for workplaces built before 31 December 2003, or where asbestos has been found. Ask for the register before your contractor starts removing ceilings, floor coverings or wall linings. Removing friable asbestos, or more than 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, needs a licensed removalist.
If your building is heritage listed, check with the landlord and the City of Sydney before removing or altering original fabric. Whether internal works need planning approval depends on the work and the building, so ask a building certifier if you are unsure.
What about shops and food outlets in the CBD?
Ground-floor shops, cafes and food-court tenancies often sit in shopping centres or tower podiums with their own centre-management rules. A food strip-out can include exhaust hoods, cool rooms, grease arrestors and floor wastes, so ask the landlord which items stay. If your lease is a retail lease, the NSW Retail Tenancy Guide says the landlord should release a bank guarantee within two months of you leaving unless you owe money, and most retail disputes must be mediated before going to NCAT. See retail make good for more.
Should I do the works or pay the landlord instead?
In the CBD, landlords sometimes plan to refit the floor for the next tenant, so they may prefer cash instead of works. The NSW Small Business Commission notes tenants often agree to pay an amount in lieu of doing the make good. Get an itemised independent quote first so you can see whether the amount asked is fair, and put any deal in writing. Our guide to payment in lieu of make good explains how to compare.
When should a CBD tenant start?
Earlier than you think. Building approvals, inductions, lift bookings and after-hours work all take time. For a full floor, six to twelve months before the lease ends is sensible; for a small suite, three to six months is usually enough. If you run over the lease end date, you may be holding over, which your lease may treat differently. See the lease exit timeline.
How MAKE GREAT helps CBD tenants
- Analyse my lease: our lease check reads your lease and 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 floor on site.
- Get my make-good quotes: we turn your lease, floor plan, photos and the building's rules into one written brief, and invite contractors who have passed our checks (ABN, insurance and licences) to quote on it, so the quotes line up.
- 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: North Sydney and Parramatta.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need the building manager's approval for make-good works in a CBD tower?
Usually, yes. Many towers require contractors to be inducted, to lodge insurance certificates and safe work method statements, and to book lifts and docks. Your lease often requires you to follow the building rules. Ask the building manager for the contractor requirements before you request quotes.
Why are CBD make goods often done at night or on weekends?
Demolition, core drilling and grinding are noisy and disturb other tenants, so many buildings limit them to after hours. Goods lifts are also busier in the day. After-hours work usually costs more per hour, so it should be shown as a separate line in each quote.
Can I leave my fit-out for the next tenant?
Sometimes. Some landlords prefer to keep a good fit-out for re-leasing, which can reduce your make-good work. It only counts if the landlord or their authorised agent agrees in writing, and the agreement says exactly what stays and what you still have to do.
Who removes fire sprinklers and smoke detectors I added?
In many towers, alterations to fire services must be done by the building's nominated fire services contractor, because the system serves the whole building. Ask the building manager. Your make-good contractor should coordinate with them and include their cost or exclude it clearly.
Is a shop in the CBD covered by the NSW Retail Leases Act?
It may be, depending on the business and the premises. Retail leases have extra protections, including mediation through the NSW Small Business Commission before most claims can go to NCAT. Check with 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.
- 1.NSW Small Business Commission, NSW Retail Tenancy Guide (January 2024) (opens in a new tab)
- 2.NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Retail leases (opens in a new tab)
- 3.SafeWork NSW, Asbestos (opens in a new tab)
- 4.NSW Government, Electrical licences (opens in a new tab)
- 5.NSW Planning Portal, Planning approval pathways (opens in a new tab)
- 6.City of Sydney (opens in a new tab)