Lapsed Lease Dilapidations

[sarn9]

I purchased a business 10 years ago which had 2 years of a 9 year lease to run on a commercial property. The landlords are the previous owners of the company one of which is a close family member, the industrial estate it is on was due to be redeveloped for a new supermarket and the landlords had signed an option agreement to sell many years ago. As such the premises had been neglected for a number of years and was in a run down condition when i took over the company.
Due to the relationship with one of the previous directors and the posibility of the imminent sale of the property, when the lease lapsed no new lease was agreed and i continue to pay the rent. I am thinking of giving notice to vacate as trading is poor and the builing is too large and expensive but am concerned i would get a large dilapidation cost.
Would i still be liable for this despite the length of lapse and general condition the building would have been in at the time the previous lease would have been signed?

 

[kulture]

I would suggest that you take the lease and go see a solicitor. There is potentially too much at stake to rely on a forum which has not got the lease at hand.