A schedule of condition is a dated record of the state of a property, usually photographic with a written commentary. It has two quite different uses: annexed to a lease it limits a tenant's repairing obligation to the recorded state, and served with a party wall award it establishes the adjoining property's condition before works begin. In both cases its value is entirely in having been taken before, rather than after.
At lease entry
A schedule annexed to the lease and referred to in the repairing covenant caps what the tenant has to hand back. It is negotiated with the landlord, so the wording in the lease matters as much as the photographs, and a schedule attached without a limiting clause achieves nothing.
Before party wall works
The appointed surveyors record the adjoining property inside and out, room by room, before work starts. When a crack is reported later, the record decides whether it is new. This is the version most homeowners meet.
What it should contain
A date, an identification of the property and the parts inspected, photographs referenced to a location, a written note of defects, and a statement of what could not be seen. Anything undated or unreferenced is much weaker.
What a template gives you
A structure, and nothing else. The value is in the photographs and the commentary, and both require a visit. Templates are useful for making sure a room is not missed, which is why surveyors use them, and useless as a substitute for the inspection.
Questions people ask about schedule of condition
When should a schedule of condition be prepared?
Before the event it exists to protect against: before the lease is signed, or before the party wall works start. Afterwards it records the wrong day.
Is a schedule of condition legally binding?
It is evidence rather than an obligation. Annexed to a lease and referred to in the covenant, it limits the covenant. Attached to a party wall award, it is the agreed baseline for damage.
What does a schedule of condition cost?
It is priced on the size of the property and the level of detail. A small commercial unit is a short visit; a house being recorded before basement works next door is a long one.