Practical completion checklist for Perth homes

Practical completion is when your builder says the home is finished. Once you accept it and pay the final claim, the builder has less reason to fix things quickly. Use this checklist on your own walk-through, or book a professional practical completion inspection.

Bring with you

• Your plans and any signed variations
• Masking tape or sticky dots to mark defects
• A torch and your phone camera

Throughout the house

• Walls and ceilings: look along them in the light for bumps, joins and patchy paint.
• Doors: open and close every one. Check gaps are even and doors latch without force.
• Windows: open, close and lock each one. Check for scratched glass and missing safety labels.
• Floors: look for chipped or loose tiles, gaps at skirtings and damaged floor coverings.
• Power points and lights: test each one. Press the smoke alarm test buttons.

Kitchen and wet areas

• Run every tap and check drains clear quickly with no leaks underneath.
• Check the shower floor falls to the waste and water does not pool.
• Look at the silicone around benchtops, baths and shower screens.
• Open every cupboard and drawer; check alignment and soft-close function.
• Run the exhaust fans and rangehood.

Outside

• Brickwork and render: look for damage, cracking and mortar smears.
• Gutters and downpipes: all fixed and connected to drainage.
• Paving and paths: even, and falling away from the house.
• Garage door: runs smoothly and the remote works.

What a professional inspection adds

A registered builder also checks the roof void, the roof cover and flashings, insulation, wet area junctions and structural signs you cannot easily see on a walk-through, and writes up a defect list you can send straight to your builder.