Signing Off Renovation Work: A Checklist

What to check before the final payment and taking the keys: walls and floors, doors and windows, electrics, plumbing and the paperwork.

The last day of a renovation is often rushed: the tradesmen pack their tools and the client just wants to move in. It is exactly in this rush that small defects fail to make it into the acceptance record, and getting them fixed later becomes harder. It is better to plan the sign-off as a separate working day and walk through the flat systematically.

How to prepare for the handover

Inspect in daylight. Sunlight reveals waves in walls and patches in paint far better than artificial light. Bring a long metal straightedge or level, a tape measure, a phone torch, a socket tester and something to take notes on.

Keep the contract, the design and the agreed schedule of materials with you. The purpose of the inspection is not whether you like the result, but whether the work matches what was agreed. Record each defect with its location and take a photo.

It is more effective to carry out the inspection together with the contractor's responsible person. Pointing out a defect on the spot reduces disputes, and the tradesman can explain its cause right away. In a larger flat, going through the rooms one by one in the same order helps make sure no detail is forgotten.

Walls, ceilings and floors

Look along the walls, parallel to the surface: when light grazes across them, hollows and bulges stand out. Hold the straightedge against the wall in several directions and look at the gap underneath. Check that corners are true, the paint is an even shade, wallpaper seams are tight and there are no bubbles.

On ceilings, look for cracks, the joints in plasterboard work and the symmetry of light points. On the floor, laminate or parquet should not creak or open up, skirting boards should sit without gaps, and ceramic tiles should not sound hollow when tapped. Level differences and transition strips between rooms are worth a look as well.

Tile joints should be the same width across the whole surface, with no gaps or cracks in the grout. Socket and switch plates should sit flush on the wall, with no chipped plaster visible around them.

Doors, windows and trims

Open and close every door several times: it should not swing on its own, rub against the frame, and the lock should work smoothly. The gap under the doors should be roughly the same in every room. For windows, check the opening modes, that the seals sit fully, and that there are no plaster cracks around the reveals and sill area.

Electrics and lighting

Switch on every switch and lighting group and compare them with the layout in the design. Test each socket with the tester, and make sure the circuits intended for appliances are fed by their own breakers. The breakers in the distribution board should be labelled by room; this small detail saves a lot of time later.

In the lighting, check that the colour temperature is consistent within each room, that downlights sit in a straight line and, if there is a dimmer, that the light fades up and down without flicker. Incorrectly wired two-way switches, for example switches at each end of a corridor that do not work together, are easy to spot at handover but hard to fix later without opening the wall.

Ask for a drawing or photos of the concealed cable routes. You will need this information when hanging pictures or shelves so that you do not drill into a cable.

Plumbing, heating and ventilation

Open all the taps at once and see whether the pressure drops. Water should drain quickly from the basin, bath and shower, with no moisture under the traps. The toilet should be firmly fixed, silicone joints neat, and radiators should heat evenly without trapped air.

Draw in bathroom and kitchen extracts can be checked with a simple sheet of paper: it should cling to the grille. If there is air conditioning, find out where the condensate pipe discharges.

Find out exactly where the meters and main shut-off valves are. If a leak ever occurs, being able to turn off the water within seconds depends on knowing this.

Paperwork and fixing defects

Acceptance is not only about looking. Try to obtain these documents:

a certificate of completed work and a snagging list;
photos or records of concealed work;
as-built layouts of electrical and plumbing routes;
appliance manuals and warranty cards;
the warranty terms and how to make a claim.

A deadline for fixing the defects found is agreed in writing. If only minor issues remain, a practical approach is to accept the work with a snagging list rather than refusing it outright, and to schedule a second inspection once the fixes are done.

Zaferoğlu İnşaat renovates apartments, offices and food-service venues. If you have questions about the acceptance and handover stage of your project, our specialists will be glad to help.

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