There is a particular kind of excitement that comes with property handover day. Whether it’s a new build you’ve watched go up over eighteen months or a rental you’re moving into on Saturday, the moment someone hands you a set of keys feels significant. It feels like the hard part is over.
It isn’t. Not yet.
Handover is the moment where you have the most leverage you will ever have over the condition of the property. Once you’ve signed the condition report or accepted the keys without comment, you’ve largely agreed that what you received is what you were promised. Fixing things after that point becomes your problem, your negotiation, your cost. So it’s worth slowing down, ignoring the excitement for an hour, and actually looking at what you’re being handed.
This applies whether you’re a buyer taking possession of a new home or a tenant moving into a rental. The specifics differ, but the principle is the same: inspect thoroughly before you commit.
Start with the obvious stuff, because it isn’t always obvious
Walk every room before you do anything else. Not to admire it. To look at it critically, the way you’d look at a car you were buying from a stranger. Check the walls for cracks, marks, dents, and patches that don’t quite match the surrounding paint. Look at the ceiling. Look at the cornices. Run your eye along the skirting boards and check that they’re properly fitted and not separating from the wall.
In a new build, cosmetic defects are common and builders are generally obligated to fix them before or shortly after handover under the defects liability period. The catch is that you have to document them. Anything you don’t raise at handover or within the agreed defects period may be treated as something you caused yourself. So note everything, even things that seem minor. A scratched floor tile, a poorly hung door, a window that doesn’t seal properly — all of it goes on the list.
In a rental, the condition report is your legal document. It records the state of the property when you moved in, and it’s the thing that determines whether you get your bond back when you leave. Fill it out carefully. If the agent has pre-filled it with “clean and undamaged” across the board, don’t just sign it. Walk the property with the report in hand and note any discrepancies yourself. Take photographs of everything, date-stamped, and keep them somewhere you’ll actually be able to find them in twelve months.
Test everything that’s supposed to work
This sounds obvious but people skip it. They assume that because a light switch exists, it works. They assume the oven heats up, the exhaust fan actually exhausts, the shower drains at a useful rate. Don’t assume any of it.
Turn on every tap and run it for a minute. Check the water pressure. Look under the sinks for any sign of moisture or old water damage. Flush every toilet. Open every window and check that it opens and closes properly and that the locks engage. Turn on every power point by plugging something into it, even if it’s just your phone charger. Test every light switch. Run the range hood. Turn the oven on and off. Check that the dishwasher door seals properly and that the machine actually starts.
If there’s ducted heating or cooling, turn it on and check that it blows air into every room it’s supposed to cover. If there’s a split system, check both heating and cooling modes. If there’s a hot water system, run a tap until the water comes through hot enough to actually be useful.
In a new build especially, appliances and systems are sometimes installed and connected but never properly tested. Defects at this stage are the builder’s responsibility. A hot water system that doesn’t reach temperature, a rangehood that’s wired but not ducted, a bathroom exhaust fan that vents into the ceiling cavity instead of outside — these are the kinds of things that only become apparent when someone actually checks.
Look at the structure and the finishes
Check every door. Open it fully, close it, and lock it if there’s a lock. Doors in new builds are notorious for being hung slightly out of true, which means they either drag on the floor, fail to latch properly, or swing open on their own. All of these are fixable, but you have to report them.
Look at the tiling. In wet areas particularly, check that the grout lines are consistent, that the tiles are flat and properly adhered, and that the silicone at the joins between tiles and fixtures is actually there and properly applied. Silicone that’s been applied messily or is already separating at handover will cause problems later. Tiles that sound hollow when you tap them are a concern too.
In a rental, look for signs of pre-existing mould, particularly in bathrooms and around windows. If there’s mould when you move in and you don’t document it, you may be held responsible for it when you leave. The same applies to any staining on carpets, damage to window furnishings, or marks on walls. Document everything.
Check the flooring for gaps, squeaks, damage, and uneven sections. In a new build, engineered timber floors will sometimes settle and small gaps appear between boards — this is often normal, but if the gaps are significant or the boards are lifting, it needs to be noted. In a rental, check that the carpet isn’t already worn through in high-traffic areas or that the hard floors aren’t damaged in ways that could later be attributed to you.
Outside the property
Don’t limit your inspection to inside the front door. Walk around the exterior of the building and look at the condition of the brickwork, cladding, or render. Look at the gutters and downpipes and check that they’re properly connected and not sagging or pulling away from the fascia. Look at the driveway, paths, and any paving for cracks or uneven sections.
In a new build, drainage is one of the most commonly problematic areas. The site should slope away from the building, and any stormwater drains should be properly installed and unobstructed. If it’s been raining, even better — you can see exactly where water is pooling and whether it’s heading toward or away from the foundations.
If there’s a garage, test the door. Manual, roller, or automated — test it. Check that the mechanism works, that the sensor on an automatic door reverses when it meets resistance, and that the remote actually operates the door at a normal distance.
The paperwork
At handover of a new build, you should receive a series of documents: the occupancy certificate or certificate of occupancy from the local council, the warranties for any appliances installed in the home, the operation manuals for any systems (including heating, cooling, hot water), and the defects liability documentation that outlines the process for lodging defects claims.
Keep all of this. Keep it physically and digitally. The occupancy certificate is a legal document. The appliance warranties will matter in year two when the dishwasher stops working. The defects process documentation is your reference for how to formally lodge a defects claim within the liability period, which is typically six to twelve months from handover depending on your contract.
For a rental, the key documents are the condition report you completed, the signed lease, the bond lodgement receipt, and any written communication with the property manager about any issues you raised at the start of the tenancy. Keep these for the full duration of the tenancy and beyond.
Don’t be rushed
The person handing over the keys, whether it’s a site supervisor, a property manager, or a sales agent, will often have somewhere else to be. That’s their problem, not yours. You are entitled to a thorough inspection before you accept the property, and if something isn’t right, you are entitled to raise it then and there.
If you’re accepting a new build and something significant is clearly not finished or clearly defective, you can decline to settle until it’s rectified. This is a significant step and you’d want legal advice before going down that path, but it’s worth knowing the option exists. For most people, the practical approach is to settle, document everything carefully on the same day, and lodge a formal defects claim promptly.
Handover day feels like the finish line. In a way it is. But it’s also the starting line for your relationship with the property, and first impressions matter both ways.
