Matthew Boursnell

Matthew Boursnell

Founding Partner
MRICS

Dilapidations, lease-end strategy, tenant defence.

About Matthew

I founded Loudwater after a decade in commercial building consultancy where I'd watched the same pattern play out: tenants paying landlords more than they owed, landlords settling for less than the lease entitled them to, and both sides spending too much on advisers who hid behind jargon. The work isn't complicated — but it does require someone who's actually read the lease, walked the building, and understood what the law allows.

I lead Loudwater's dilapidations work for both landlords and tenants. I'm the surveyor who'll quote you, sign the report, and run the negotiation — not the firm's directory of senior names with the work passed to a graduate. That's a deliberate choice and it shapes how we operate.

I'm a chartered surveyor (MRICS) with a building surveying degree from Nottingham Trent University, and my work runs well beyond dilapidations — technical due diligence and pre-acquisition surveys, building pathology, contract administration, reinstatement cost assessments, and planned maintenance, across both public and private sector property. Acting for landlords and tenants in equal measure gives me a balanced view of where a dilapidations claim will really land, and building pathology is the part I enjoy most: working out how materials behave in different conditions to get to the root cause of a defect rather than treating the symptom.

What Matthew has written

Recent insights.

All insights
Acquisition & Surveys · Jul 2026

Insurance valuations explained: reinstatement cost vs market value

Your buildings insurance is only as good as the rebuild figure behind it — and reinstatement cost is nothing like market value. How underinsurance happens, and how to avoid it.

Dilapidations · Apr 2026

5 common defences against dilapidations claims

Schedule of Condition, supersession, Section 18, fair wear and tear, betterment — the five most powerful tools in a tenant's arsenal when a claim arrives.

MEES & EPC · Apr 2026

MEES regulations 2025-2030: what landlords need to know

EPC E now. EPC C expected by 2027. EPC B expected by 2030. The trajectory of commercial MEES regulations and how landlords should be planning for it.

Dilapidations · Apr 2026

What to do when you've received a dilapidations claim

Don't pay it. Don't ignore it. The first 30 days after a Schedule of Dilapidations arrives are the ones that matter — here's how to use them.

Defects & Maintenance · Apr 2026

Why is my building cracking?

Settlement, subsidence, thermal movement, structural failure — the four common causes of cracking, and how a surveyor tells them apart.

Dilapidations · Apr 2026

Section 18 and the diminution cap, plainly explained

The single most misunderstood piece of law in commercial dilapidations. Section 18 of the 1927 Act caps claims at the reduction in property value caused by the breaches.

Schedules of Condition · Apr 2026

Why every commercial tenant needs a Schedule of Condition

The cheapest protection you can buy at lease start. A Schedule of Condition limits your repair liability to the documented condition — and it pays for itself many times over at lease end.

Party Wall · Mar 2026

Do I need to serve a party wall notice?

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 catches more building work than most owners realise. The specific works that trigger the Act, and what happens if you skip the process.

Dilapidations · Mar 2026

Supersession: how it reduces dilapidations claims

If your landlord plans to demolish, redevelop or substantially refurbish, they can't claim for works they were never going to do. Supersession explained.

Showing 9 of 42. View all insights →

Speak to Matthew

Got a matter you’d like to discuss?

No obligation. Email or call directly — or send a message and Matthew will reply personally.

Response time
Within the working day — usually faster.
Regulated
RICS-regulated chartered firm.