FDS were awarded the contract to strip out 8no floors of a 10 story office building in a prime City location. The main motivation for the project was to release the landlord of rates liability, however the building was earmarked for substantial upgrades in the subsequent 12 months. As such this project required both speed of mobilisation and execution as well as liaison with professional design teams for future proofing and ease of transition to fit-out.
The total footprint stripped out exceeded 120,000 ft2 and entailed the removal of everything besides the live safety systems. These were isolated two floors at a time and re-commissioned at stages throughout the project to maintain compliance with building insurance parameters.
There were two key logistical challenges that had to be overcome. The first was the presence of other tenants, including one which operated a full live trading floor. This meant that noise transfer had to be carefully monitored and sensitive works shifted to outside normal business hours. It also meant that care had to be taken around the risers and any areas of vertical service distribution as it was paramount not to disturb any of their amenities. Elsewhere, the building did not have its own loading bay but instead had access to that of its neighbour. This meant that vehicular access was controlled by third parties overseeing a fully operational building, thereby limiting time allotments for waste collections and the like. Again, some of this was re-programmed to outside normal hours to mitigate the effect on program.
During the project, FDS lifted and repurposed circa 30,000 raised floor panels for re-installation at a later date, saving over 300T of embodied carbon. The size of the project also allowed for full separation of every waste stream, such that the best possible recycling results were achievable. This means more material was diverted towards reuse and ‘closed-loop’ recycling, which is a more sustainable result than power recover or landfill.
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Whilst not the largest Final Account FDS has had, it was the largest initial contract award. We won the client’s trust by showing them around a few other live sites at the time, and displayed our in-depth knowledge and experience of the de-rating process. We then led the liaison with ratings surveyors once on site. Since this project, we’ve repeated the same process, using it as a hub for displaying our work and our knowledge.
It also formed the basis over our 2025/2026 branding uplift and re-categorization of projects along the lines of their motivation. The why not the what!
If you would like to find out how First Demolition can help you please send an enquiry via the form below.
Address: 64 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7JF
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8088 2539
Email: operations@firstdemolition.co.uk
A: De-rating refers to works carried out to a property to render it incapable of beneficial occupation, with the aim of removing or reducing its business rates liability. This is typically achieved through a targeted strip-out of key elements such as services, finishes and facilities.
A: This depends on the building and the intended use, but the principle is consistent: the property must no longer be capable of occupation in its current form. We work with clients and their advisors to ensure the scope of works aligns with the level required to support a successful de-rating position.
A: Yes. While formal rating advice typically sits with specialist consultants, we bring practical experience of what has been required on previous schemes and how works are assessed in reality. We help translate that into a clear, deliverable scope on site. We have also worked with several different ratings surveyors and can assist you with their appointment and handle the liaison and documentation throughout the process.
A: Yes. In many cases, de-rating works form part of a wider strategy for refurbishment or redevelopment. We plan works in a way that achieves the immediate objective, while also considering how the building will be taken forward. This often means leaving the mechanical service infrastructure in tact.
A: Absolutely, many of our de-rating projects are partial occupation only. If floors or demises within floors are adequately separated, landlords can apply for rates relief for their specific areas. Equally, on multi-floor projects, they can apply for rates relief as the floors complete, meaning they are not waiting for the completion of the whole project before they achieve any savings.
A: In Central London, business rates on commercial property can easily get up to around £40 per square foot per annum. This is paid by landlords irrespective of whether their spaces are tenanted (except for short periods of rates relief). De-rating strip out costs will be capped at £5 per square foot and are often less than that. As a rule of thumb, it is common that stripping out for rates relief shows global savings after 6-8 weeks, and the savings compound the longer the space is set to be vacant. Over the course of a year, on a 10,000ft2 office space in Central London, we would expect savings of £350,000.
A: If you have a lease-end or a tenant has suddenly vacated your property, you have three months to act. If the space is new and likely to be attractive to a new tenant in its current form, you can wait it out. If however, there is anything dated about the installation or you feel that any tenant would want to see major upgrades in the CAT A infrastructure, then it is best to act now. When refurbishment is inevitable, the early strip out for rates relief provides pure saving to the overall process without jeopardizing future works.
