This important new guide to dilapidations is written by a surveyor for surveyors and will also appeal to anyone else who needs to understand this often-complex subject. The TFT Purple Book shines a light into dilapidations' darker recesses, identifying the legal context, best practice, the background to how and why dilapidations is dealt with as it is, and addresses areas of legal uncertainty. This comprehensive guide also highlights important topics which are often overlooked. It aims to serve as a single point of reference from which the reader can develop a solid foundation of knowledge. It even considers cattle, children and `chattels-vegetable' - and not many text books can make that boast. It includes chapters on: the classification of items; repair; reinstatement; the measures of loss; diminution valuations; supersession; engineering services; dispute resolution; interim dilapidations; break options; avoiding and minimising disputes; dilapidations in Northern Ireland; and dilapidations in Scotland. Opinion pieces are also included relating to: diminution valuations; the dilapidations protocol; and the roles of the building surveyor. The book accompanies the TFT Dilapidations Flowcharts and the TFT Two Step Approach to Supersession.