⚠️ Draft article — written to lay the page out, not checked against a current price list. Replace before launch.
Handover comes with a defects liability period, and it starts the day you take the keys — not the day you notice something. Every week you spend measuring for a sofa is a week off the clock.
Book the inspection before the keys
An independent snagging inspection takes a day and produces a photographed list a developer's contractor cannot argue with. Book it for the handover week, not after you have moved in — once your furniture is in the room, every argument about a floor level becomes a conversation about who scratched what.
What is worth arguing about
Paint and silicone will be on every list and will be fixed without a fight. The items worth your attention are the ones that get expensive later: falls on balcony drainage, AC condensate routing, water pressure on the top floors, door alignment, and the electrical load on the kitchen circuit. Those are the defects that turn into a maintenance bill in year two.
Hand the list in writing, keep the acknowledgement, and re-inspect before you sign anything confirming the work is complete. We attend that re-inspection with our clients as a matter of course, and it is the least glamorous hour of the entire purchase.
