ᐅ Final Inspection – Preliminary Review – Your Tips?

Hello everyone!

I’ve started making a checklist of things to inspect and check in a new house before the final handover. I’ve come up with a few points, but with your collective knowledge, I’m sure we can add many more.

What I have so far:
- Check the electrical panel – test whether the rooms are protected as they should be (if possible at this stage)
- Verify that all roller shutters work
- Check that all power outlets function
- Test that all windows open and close properly
- Verify that toilets and sanitary fittings work
- Inspect windows and window frames for damage
- Check window sills for damage

Now it’s your turn. What else should be added?
(Sorry if there is already an existing thread on this that I missed – please feel free to share a link)

Acceptance of the work reverses the burden of proof, so you are still in a more favorable position before that. For a final inspection, I would recommend bringing an expert, as they know exactly what needs to be checked.

Otherwise, I think the heating system is very important, as well as verifying that the renewable energy system is properly regulated. In our case, the heating valves in different rooms opened instead of the ones I had turned on. The solar system was set up in a way that did not reduce the gas burner’s load; this only became clear during the first maintenance.

During our final inspection, it was also crucial that I had written down everything that was still financially outstanding or any other unfinished matters. I would not have felt confident handling the final inspection on my own.

Best regards,
Gabriele

fach1werk schrieb:

The final inspection shifts the burden of proof, so you are currently in a more comfortable position. For a final acceptance, I would take along an expert, because they know exactly what to check.
Otherwise, I also consider the heating system important, as well as verifying that the renewable energy system is properly controlled. With us, the heating valves in different rooms opened than the ones I had adjusted. The solar system was set up so that it didn’t reduce the gas burner’s load, which only became clear during the first maintenance.
At our final inspection, it was also important that I had documented everything that was still outstanding financially or any other unfinished matters. I wouldn’t have trusted myself to handle the final acceptance alone.

Best regards,
Gabriele

I am currently looking into finding an expert. So far, I spoke with one who actually discouraged me from proceeding. The man was quite confrontational and basically said upfront that the inspection wouldn’t be a “walk in the park” with him. But I don’t want to hire someone who is difficult just for the sake of it. I would prefer someone more objective.
However, when asking around, it seems that the final inspection might be late for an expert to get involved, since most major issues can no longer be seen at that point.

Hi Kati, Gabriele (read her story) is right: From the day of handover, you are responsible for proving any defects; my experience with this (in court) is that no one, not even the contractor, questioned anything documented by our expert (from the homebuilders’ association). Not a single detail! As a homeowner, you are always considered a layperson, and a judge wants to see solid written evidence. Your personal opinion as a layperson counts for nothing. You simply need a professional expert. Also, despite all the collective knowledge and common sense, such an expert has years, possibly hundreds of cases worth of experience on what small details to look for. Just a few examples: windows not only have to open and close but should also stay tilted in a specific position and close with a relatively defined amount of force on the handle; door and window frames can have scratches that are either repairable or irreparable; many heating engineers, especially with heat pumps, simply do not know how and where to regulate and program the system correctly; which bumps or cracks in plaster are generally acceptable and which are not. Some defects only appear years later; it’s helpful if the expert made notes about these during handover. In our case (the expert actually visited several times during construction), the money spent on this was truly well invested. Of course, you can be very lucky and all trades might have worked flawlessly. But what are the odds of that in today’s world of full schedules, staff shortages, and time pressure? Nearly zero! Good luck finding a reliable expert; the homebuilders’ association or the private homeowners’ federation are good places to start. But definitely do this; you’ll thank yourself later.

berny schrieb:

Hi Kati, Gabriele (read her story) is right: From the day of final inspection, you are responsible for proving any defects; my experience with this (in court) is that nobody, not even the builder, questioned anything the expert (from the Homeowners Protection Association) noted. Not a single detail! As the homeowner, you are always considered a layperson, and a judge wants to see solid written evidence. Your personal opinion as a layperson doesn’t count at all. You simply need a professional. And: Despite all the collective knowledge and common sense, an expert has years—possibly hundreds—of experiences in spotting the small details you need to check. Just a few examples: Windows don’t just have to open and close; they should also stay tilted in a certain position and close with a relatively specific amount of force on the handle. Door and window frames can be scratched in ways that are either repairable or not. With heating systems (especially heat pumps), many installers simply have no idea how to regulate and program certain settings correctly. Which bumps or cracks in plaster are usually acceptable, and which are not? Some defects only appear after several years; in those cases, it helps hugely if the expert made notes during the final inspection. In our case (the expert was actually present a few times during construction), the money spent was very well invested. Of course, you can be extremely lucky, and all tradespeople have worked without errors. But what are the odds of that today, with busy schedules, labor shortages, and time pressure? Almost zero! Good luck finding a reliable expert; the Homeowners Protection Association or the Private Homeowners Association are good places to start. But definitely do it; you’ll thank yourself later...

But do you think it’s still worthwhile just for the final inspection? For example, plaster—I’m not sure how much the expert will actually see there since we’ll already have had the painter over by the time of inspection, with wallpaper and paint applied. For all the surface issues, I can imagine the expert would see more than I would. But since we didn’t have one during construction, can they really give qualified advice about problems that might only appear after the handover, for example after 2 years? They didn’t see the shell construction, the rough-in installations, plaster, or screed. Of course, I have photos of everything, but couldn’t you just show those photos to an expert later if a dispute arises? Or would it make a difference before the handover to send an expert my 900 photos so they can note everything that stands out? How would that process work?

He still notices more than you do. For my condominium, I only had one inspector present at the final inspection. I would have accepted everything as it was, but he pointed out several defects, and that way I was able to negotiate a credit of 150 EUR.