Make Good and Strip-out in Sydney
When a lease ends, we return the tenancy to what the lease requires. When a new one starts, we strip out the old fit-out so yours can go in. For shops, cafés, restaurants, salons, clinics and offices across Sydney.
Make good is the work a tenant does at the end of a lease to return the premises to the condition the lease requires, often the condition at the start, allowing for fair wear and tear. It can mean removing the fit-out, signage and partitions, capping services, patching and painting, and replacing floor and ceiling finishes. Strip-out is the same removal work at the start of a new lease. We price a make good against your lease and the condition report, and do the work so the landlord can sign it off.
What your lease decides
The make good clause, not the landlord's wish list, sets the work. Read it first, then price it.
The make good clause
It says what you must remove and restore, and usually to what condition. Some leases ask for the premises as they were handed over; others list the work. If the wording is unclear, the NSW Small Business Commissioner has guidance and can help with a dispute.
The condition at the start
A condition report, or photos from when you moved in, is the best evidence of what you have to restore. Without one, it's your word against the landlord's.
Timing
Make good is usually due before the lease ends. Book it well ahead, because the work, the landlord's inspection and any fixes have to fit before the keys go back.
Paying instead of doing the work
Some landlords accept a payment instead of the work, often because the next tenant will strip it out anyway. Agree it in writing.
Strip-out before a new fit-out
Taking over a shop often means removing someone else's fit-out first. Before we quote, we check what's worth keeping, such as an approved exhaust, a grease trap of the right size, a switchboard or ceilings in good order, because each one kept is money not spent twice.
Older buildings can contain asbestos. In NSW, asbestos removal is licensed work under SafeWork NSW rules, so we check before demolition starts and use a licensed removalist where it's needed.
How a make good runs
Lease and condition report
Send us the make good clause and anything from the start of the lease: photos, a condition report, the original drawings.
Site inspection and quote
We price the work the lease requires, item by item, and flag anything the landlord may ask for that the lease doesn't.
Agree the scope
You agree the list with the landlord before work starts, in writing.
The work
Strip-out, services capped by licensed trades, patching, painting, finishes and a final clean.
Landlord's inspection
We walk the tenancy with the landlord or their agent and fix anything on the agreed list.
What a make good costs
The lease and the fit-out you're removing decide the price. These indicative 2026 figures show the usual range.
| Item | Indicative range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Make good, per m² | $80 to $350 per m², typically about $150 (incl. GST) | Whatever your lease says you must restore |
| Office strip-out to base building | $30 to $150 per m², typically about $50 (incl. GST), with disposal | Less if parts of the old fit-out stay; kitchens and wet areas cost more |
| Asbestos removal | Priced separately after testing | Licensed work in NSW |
Industry figures. Your quote depends on the lease and the site.
Make good and strip-out questions
What does make good mean?
The work a tenant does at the end of a lease to return the premises to the condition the lease requires. Your lease's make good clause sets exactly what that is. Our guide to end of lease make good goes through the clause, the costs and disputes.
How much does a make good cost?
A Sydney cost guide puts end-of-lease make good at about $80 to $350 per m², including GST, typically about $150. A café with a kitchen and exhaust to remove costs more than an office with carpet and paint.
Do I have to restore everything I installed?
Only what your lease requires. Read the make good clause and compare it with the condition report from the start of the lease. If the landlord asks for more, ask where the lease says so.
Can I pay the landlord instead of doing the work?
Some landlords agree to a payment instead, especially when the next tenant will change the space anyway. Agree the amount in writing.
How long does a make good take?
It depends on how much the lease asks you to remove and restore, so the time is set once the scope is agreed. Book it well before the lease ends, so the landlord's inspection and any fixes fit in.
Guides for tenants
Tell us what you are planning. In a free 15-minute call we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit, what the approval route looks like and what the sensible next step is.
