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9-month plan

End-of-lease reinstatement checklist

A practical, dated checklist for Singapore office tenants from 9 months before lease expiry through to handover day. Print, share with your facilities lead, work the steps.

What a reinstatement clause actually says

Almost every Singapore commercial lease contains a reinstatement clause — the tenant’s obligation to return the premises in the condition specified in the lease’s schedule of dilapidations at expiry of the term. Typical phrasing requires return to “base-build condition” or “bare shell as handed over to the tenant”, with all tenant alterations removed and the M&E, ceiling, flooring and finishes reinstated.

The clause usually has teeth: failure to reinstate by the lease end date triggers liquidated damages (commonly two to three months of holdover rent at market rate) and authorises the landlord to engage its own contractor to do the works and recover the cost at full markup. CBD A-grade landlords (CapitaLand, Mapletree, Frasers) enforce this firmly.

Plan the work like a project, not an afterthought. Below is the checklist we’ve seen work across hundreds of Singapore office reinstatements. Cost benchmark: S$25–35/sqft Source: Moom 2024 SG Office Fit-out Cost Benchmarks for Tier-B; S$35–55/sqft Source: CBRE Asia Pacific Fit-Out Cost Guide for CBD A-grade.

The checklist

9 months before expiry

Re-read the lease and dilapidations schedule

  • □Locate the reinstatement clause in the lease. Note the “reinstatement standard” phrasing (base-build vs as-handed-over).
  • □Pull the schedule of dilapidations annexed to the lease. This is your scope-of-works baseline.
  • □Find the original handover photos / floor plans from when you moved in. These prove what was “tenant alteration” vs landlord base-build.
  • □Note the liquidated damages and holdover rent provisions. Calculate the financial exposure of missing the handover date.
  • □If exercising a renewal: check whether reinstatement is waived or partially deferred under the renewal terms.
6 months before

Joint walk-through with the landlord

  • □Request a joint walk-through with the landlord’s building manager. Capture every disputed item in writing.
  • □Photograph every wall, ceiling, floor and M&E component. Date-stamp the photos.
  • □Walk the M&E line items: AC, sprinklers, smoke detectors, electrical, lighting layout. Note what was moved by the tenant.
  • □Agree, in writing, what the landlord considers acceptable wear-and-tear vs reinstatable damage.
  • □Capture wet-areas: tenant-installed pantry, sinks, plumbed coffee machines. Confirm whether to leave or remove.
4–5 months before

Brief three BCA-registered contractors

  • □Issue a written scope-of-works to at least three BCA-registered reinstatement contractors. We can match you.
  • □Confirm each contractor’s BCA Builder’s Licence class (GB1 or GB2) and financial grade (L1–L6) covers your project value. Source: BCA Builder's Licence framework
  • □Site-walk each contractor through the premises. Same scope, same conditions — lets you compare like-for-like.
  • □Ask for the M&E sub-contractor names. Reinstatement of sprinklers / smoke detectors / AC needs Specialist Builder licence holders.
  • □Get itemised quotes — strip-out, M&E, ceiling/flooring, painting, wet-areas, disposal, prelims — not just a single total.
3 months before

Award contract & sequence the move

  • □Award the reinstatement contract. Agreed lump-sum + agreed unit rates for variations.
  • □Confirm payment schedule: 10–20% deposit, milestones tied to verifiable site events, 5–10% retention on defect-liability completion.
  • □Confirm insurance: public liability minimum S$1m, ideally S$5m for CBD A-grade buildings.
  • □Notify the building manager of intended site-start date and contractor details. Submit work permit applications.
  • □Plan the staff move out date. Most reinstatements need the premises vacant (no working staff, no IT racks live).
3–6 weeks before

Site-start & weekly progress

  • □Power down: IT racks decommissioned, structured cabling removed, electrical sub-mains isolated.
  • □Strip-out begins. Photo-document each stage so disputes about scope can be settled with evidence.
  • □M&E reinstatement by Specialist Builders. Sprinklers / smoke detectors re-tested and re-certified.
  • □Ceiling tiles, flooring, painting in sequence. Pace tied to building’s after-hours window for CBD properties.
  • □Weekly progress walk with the contractor. Snag & punch as you go — don’t leave snagging for the last day.
Handover day

Joint inspection & sign-off

  • □Joint inspection: landlord, managing agent, tenant rep, contractor. Walk the entire floor.
  • □Capture the snag-list. Rectify on the same day where possible.
  • □Issue a written handover memo with photos, signed by both sides.
  • □Return keys, access cards, fob systems. Submit as-built drawings.
  • □Settle the contractor’s payment less retention. Retention released after 12 months defect-liability.
  • □Get written confirmation of lease termination and security-deposit refund process.

Related guides

Reinstatement

Office reinstatement Singapore

What it is, what’s included, who does it.
Cost

Reinstatement cost Singapore

Sourced 2026 ranges per sqft by office grade.
Comparison

Reinstatement vs renovation

When to reinstate, when to refurbish, when to do both.

Got a lease expiring? Brief us.

Match me with reinstatement contractors