Office Defit, Strip Out & Make Good in Sydney
Handing a tenancy back is a contractual obligation with a date on it. We read the lease first, price the works against what it actually says, and document the lot for sign-off.
- 1–2 weeksTypical office defit programme
- Lease read firstScope priced against your obligations
- After hoursWhere the building or other tenants need it
- DocumentedCertificates and records for handover
Clients we’ve worked with
What’s Included in a Defit and Make Good
What has to come out depends on your lease. Most defits involve most of this.
Lease review
Reading the make good clause and the original condition schedule before pricing.
Partition removal
Glass and plasterboard walls out, and the framing with them.
Ceiling removal
Grid, tiles and anything hung off the slab during the tenancy.
Floor coverings
Carpet and vinyl up, adhesive ground back where the lease asks for it.
Joinery and fixtures
Kitchens, reception desks, built-ins, signage and anything screwed to the structure.
Services
Tenant power, data and mechanical taken back to the base building points.
Repairs and reinstatement
Patching, painting, cleaning and making the base building surfaces good.
Waste and certificates
Sorted disposal, recycling, and the documentation the building will ask for.
Not every lease asks for everything. Some require the space back exactly as handed over, some allow the fitout to stay, and plenty sit somewhere between. That is why the lease gets read before anything is priced.
Strip Out, Make Good or Back to Base
Three different obligations. Your lease decides which one you have.
Strip out
Removing the tenant fitout in a planned sequence: partitions, ceilings, floor coverings, joinery and services, with the site kept controlled throughout.
- What it covers
- Removal only. What was installed during the tenancy comes out.
- Ends with
- An empty tenancy, ready for whatever comes next.
- When you need it
- The lease requires the fitout gone, or the incoming tenant wants a clean slate.
Make good
Restoration to the condition the lease requires: repairs, patching, painting and reinstatement of base building services under an agreed scope.
- What it covers
- Repair and restore. Damage made good, surfaces brought back.
- Ends with
- A space that meets the lease return condition.
- When you need it
- Almost every commercial lease has a make good clause in it.
Back to base
The full return to base building condition, with the scope confirmed against your lease and the building’s own requirements, and certification provided.
- What it covers
- Everything. Fitout out, services back to base, surfaces restored.
- Ends with
- A bare shell the landlord can re-lease.
- When you need it
- The lease specifies base building condition, or the building insists on it.
What Clients Say
Read our Google reviews →(opens in a new tab)Complete Office Fitouts have been a great partner for us to work with over the past year. Dimitry is very customer focussed, always responds quickly, and goes the extra step to ensure we are a happy customer. The work is always completed on time, on budget and to a high standard. I am happy to recommend Complete Office Fitouts to anyone looking for a company that works with you to deliver excellent outcomes. David O'Kane COO @ Participate Australia
David O'Kane
Complete Office Fitouts is an excellent company that went the 'extra mile' to get the job done. The team were always willing to help me problem-solve as we worked our way through the logistical issues that arose during the fit out. The team were always easy to contact and willing to attend site visits with me as required. They provided sound advice and set high standards, and the quality of the finished product was excellent. Highly recommended.
Simon Fox
They have done a professional job with top quality work.
gajan illankovan
How a Defit and Make Good Runs
- 01
Lease review and site assessment
We read the lease and walk the premises to confirm what the make good clause actually obliges you to do, what the original condition schedule says, and what the building will require on top.
- 02
Detailed planning
A work schedule that controls disruption and keeps the programme tight, with trades coordinated and the building’s compliance requirements handled. In a multi-tenant building that usually means booking lifts, loading docks and after-hours access well ahead.
- 03
The works
Strip out first, in sequence, then repairs and reinstatement. Site protection stays up and waste is sorted and removed as it goes rather than piling up. We work to the agreed scope and the applicable building regulations.
- 04
Final inspection and documentation
A detailed final inspection with the landlord or their representative, backed by the records, certificates and waste documentation collected along the way, so the handover is a formality rather than a negotiation.
What Drives the Cost
What the lease requires, first. A clause asking for base building condition is a different job to one asking only for damage to be repaired, and the difference is usually large.
Then how much was built during the tenancy, how much of it is bolted to the structure, whether the building allows daytime work, and what the waste is. Sorted disposal of clean materials costs differently to mixed waste.
We’ll read the lease and walk the space before pricing, so the quote matches what your lease actually asks for.
How Long It Takes
A standard office defit typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the fitout coming out.
Make good works follow the strip out, and the programme is usually set by the building rather than by us: access hours, lift bookings and the loading dock decide how fast material can actually leave.
Start early. The date in the lease is fixed, and the works that overrun are the ones that started late.
Questions We Get Asked About Defit & Make Good
Ask us something else →How much does an office defit and make good cost?
It depends first on what your lease requires. Returning a space to base building condition is a much bigger job than repairing damage and repainting.
After that it comes down to how much was built during the tenancy, how it is fixed to the building, the hours the building allows work, and the waste to be removed.
We read the make good clause, inspect the premises and send a written quote.
How long does a typical defit take?
Timeframes vary with the size and complexity of the fitout. A standard office defit typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, and we provide detailed schedules during consultation.
What exactly is involved in make good works?
Typically the removal of all tenant installations, repair of any damage, restoration of surfaces and reinstatement of base building services. The exact scope depends on what your lease requires and on how the space was handed to you in the first place.
It can include repairing the ceiling grid, replacing damaged tiles and relaying floor coverings where the lease asks for it.
Do we have to remove the whole fitout?
Only what your lease requires. Some leases ask for the space back exactly as it was handed over, some allow the fitout to stay, and many sit in between. A partial defit removes only what the lease or the next tenant needs gone.
We read the make good clause and the original condition schedule before pricing, so the quote covers the work the lease obliges you to do.
Do you remove furniture and signage as well?
Yes. We can take out loose furniture and signage as part of the defit. The waste is sorted as it comes out, and recycled where possible.
What happens to the power, plumbing and fire services?
Tenant electrical, data, plumbing and mechanical services are taken back to the base building points and capped off. Sprinklers and smoke detectors moved during the tenancy are put back to the base building layout, arranged with building management.
Do you only defit offices?
No. We carry out commercial defits and make good for offices, medical and allied health suites, schools and training centres, childcare centres, and the offices inside warehouses and industrial units. That can be one suite or a whole floor.
The process is the same for each. We read the lease, inspect the premises and price the work against what has to be handed back.
Do you defit shops and restaurants?
Yes. We can defit a shop or a restaurant as well as an office. The lease still decides what comes out, so we read it before we price the job.
Can you fit out our next office as well?
Yes. The make good of the old premises and the fitout of the new one usually share a deadline. We can do both, so the old space goes back on its date and the new one is ready to move into.
Do you handle the compliance requirements?
Yes. We manage the permits, certifications and compliance documentation, including council requirements, building management approvals and waste disposal certificates.
Inductions and safety documentation are in place before work starts. We are fully insured, with more than 20 years of commercial work in Sydney.
Can the works be done after hours?
Yes. We regularly work outside normal business hours to minimise disruption to other tenants, which matters most in multi-tenant buildings where everyone else is still trading.
Dust walls go up first, and the noisy work is kept to the hours the building allows.
How do you make sure the landlord signs off?
We document the works thoroughly as they go, then run a detailed final inspection with the landlord or their representative to confirm the requirements have been met. The space is cleaned before they walk through it.
Documentation is what settles a disputed make good, so it is produced along the way rather than assembled afterwards. Until the landlord signs off, your bond or bank guarantee is usually held.
Handing a Tenancy Back?
Send us the make good clause and tell us where the premises are. We’ll walk the space, price the works against what the lease actually requires, and set it out in writing. The site visit and the quote are free.
- 01Tell us about the tenancy and the dateWe usually respond within the hour, during business hours.
- 02We visit the siteWe can usually attend site within one business day.
- 03You receive a clear written scopeThe works priced against what the make good clause actually requires, with the exclusions stated.
Prefer to talk?1300 60 93 93