Guide · updated November 2026
New home handover guides
- New home handover checklist (room by room)
The complete pre-handover inspection checklist for new builds: outside, roof, walls, windows, kitchen, bathrooms, floors, electrical, plumbing and documents. - Practical completion inspection: a buyer's guide
What practical completion means, when to inspect, what to bring, and how to get defects fixed before you hand over the final payment. - Shower ponding: test the falls before you take handover
Water pooling in a new shower or bathroom means the floor falls aren't right. How to test it at handover and what to ask your builder. - Drummy tiles: check them before handover
Hollow-sounding tiles can crack and lift later. How to tap test floor and wall tiles at handover, and what to do. - Weep holes: check they're clear before handover
Weep holes let moisture escape from brick walls. Check they're clear of mortar and garden beds before handover. - New home defects in NSW: your warranty rights
Your rights after handover in NSW: 6 years for major defects, 2 years for other defects, Fair Trading complaints and NCAT. - New home defects in Victoria: your rights
Defects in a new Victorian home: implied warranties, the 10-year limitation, and free dispute resolution through the Building and Plumbing Commission. - Queensland: the defects document and home warranty deadlines
Queensland handover: the defects document, 5 business days' notice, and Home Warranty Scheme deadlines (6 and 7 months for non-structural defects). - Documents to collect at handover
Certificates, warranties and manuals to collect at handover: occupancy, waterproofing, electrical, plumbing, termite and more.
Inspect your new home on your phone
Work through 80+ checks room by room and log every defect with photo references. Then get a numbered defects report and a letter for your builder. The checklist is free.
Start my inspection My deadlinesMore: New home handover checklist (room by room) · Practical completion inspection: a buyer's guide · Shower ponding: test the falls before you take handover · Drummy tiles: check them before handover · Weep holes: check they're clear before handover · New home defects in NSW: your warranty rights · New home defects in Victoria: your rights · Queensland: the defects document and home warranty deadlines · Documents to collect at handover