Shop & Office Strip Outs & Defits in Brisbane & the Gold Coast

A shop or office defit, also called a make-good strip out, returns a leased commercial tenancy to the condition your lease requires at end of term, usually a bare shell or the original handover state. Strip It Out provides shop and office defit services across the Gold Coast and Brisbane, working with tenants, landlords and property managers to deliver a clean, on-time handover.

Part of our broader internal strip out and demolition services — see the hub page for the Queensland regulatory framework, process, cost factors and contractor vetting checklist.

A defit typically removes the previous fitout in full: partitions and walls, shopfront joinery and counters, signage and branding, floor coverings, ceiling and lighting changes, and any tenant-installed services. We read your make-good clause carefully, scope the works to match it exactly, and document the result so your bond or handover is signed off without dispute. All waste is removed and the floor is left clean, with concrete grinding available if the slab needs preparing.

What affects the cost of a shop or office defit

Defit pricing depends on the make-good clause and the fitout being removed. The main factors:

• The exact scope your lease specifies: shell, base build, or original condition
• How extensive the existing fitout is
• Centre or building access rules and after-hours requirements
• Patching, painting and ceiling reinstatement, if the lease calls for it

We quote to the clause, in writing, so there is no gap between our scope and what the landlord expects.

How long a shop or office defit takes

Most retail and office defits are completed within one to four days, scheduled around your lease end date and the centre's trading hours. We plan the works backwards from your handover deadline and, where required, work nights or weekends so you hand the keys back on time and stop paying rent.

We handle defits for retail shops, offices, food and hospitality tenancies, and professional suites, in shopping centres, strip retail and standalone buildings. For larger or full-interior projects see our commercial strip out service, and for office partition removal as a stand-alone job.

Strip It Out is fully licensed and insured, family-owned, and has handled commercial make-goods across South East Queensland for more than seven years. We coordinate directly with property managers and centre management to keep the handover smooth. Call for a free, fixed-scope defit quote anywhere across the Gold Coast and Brisbane.