Cover illustration: the pictured checklist is generic and is not a GoInspect inspection report. See our sample report and reporting details for the actual format.
Arrange your pre-settlement inspection before settlement, leave time to review the findings, and send the builder a clear written list of items needing attention. For a new Brisbane home or apartment, the most useful preparation is confirming access, getting the right documents together and agreeing what happens after the report.
Book as soon as your builder or developer gives you an approximate completion date. The final-week plan below helps organise the remaining tasks; the actual inspection date depends on the property’s readiness, confirmed access and your contract.
Confirm what your pre-settlement inspection is for
An initial defect inspection, a return visit after repairs and a buyer’s final contractual check can serve different purposes. Confirm which appointment you need before booking.
| Purpose | What to arrange |
|---|---|
| Initial new-home inspection | A detailed check of visible and safely accessible work within the agreed scope. |
| Follow-up after rectification | The earlier report, the repairs ready to inspect, agreed coverage and the separate visit price. |
| Buyer’s final contractual check | Confirm the purchase-contract requirements with your solicitor or conveyancer. This may have a different purpose from a professional defect inspection. |
PCI, pre-handover and pre-settlement are sometimes used for similar new-home inspections. Two labels do not automatically mean two visits are required. Our inspection terminology guide explains what to confirm.
Your plan for the final week before settlement
Use this as a preparation sequence, rather than a fixed seven-day booking window. Start earlier wherever possible. An off-the-plan purchase and a building contract can have different access and completion arrangements.
About a week out: confirm access and property readiness
Contact the builder, developer or nominated site representative. Confirm the address, unit or lot number, inspection access arrangements and whether the home will be sufficiently finished and clean to assess. Tell GoInspect the expected settlement or handover date, any appointment time limit and any areas that will remain inaccessible.
For an apartment, confirm entry, lift access, parking and which balconies, storage areas or car spaces are included. Common property and shared services need a separately agreed scope. Keep the site contact’s details with your booking, and remember that a requested date and time need confirmation.
If your builder’s programme changes, contact us promptly. An unfinished room, ongoing trade work or inaccessible area may limit the inspection. Ask about readiness before the visit so everyone understands what can be checked.
Before the appointment: gather the documents and outstanding items
- Have relevant plans, specifications, selections and approved variations available.
- Collect the builder’s existing defects list and any earlier inspection report.
- List your own concerns by room and exact position, with photographs where useful.
- Identify repairs that are said to be complete, so the purpose of any follow-up is clear.
- Ask your solicitor or conveyancer about contractual notices, access rights and settlement steps that apply to your purchase.
When the property is ready: carry out the inspection
The visit should take place when the relevant work is ready to assess and access has been arranged. GoInspect’s standard handover scope covers visible and safely accessible workmanship, damage and incomplete work. This can include finishes, accessible doors and windows, cabinetry, tiling, flooring, wet-area finishes and agreed external areas.
A finished-home inspection cannot verify concealed framing, hidden services or waterproofing beneath tiles. Appliances are not tested. External roof inspection, engineering, specialist testing and system commissioning require separately confirmed services.
For your own builder walkthrough, use our new-home inspection checklist to organise observations. Describe what you see, identify the location and take an overview photo plus a close-up. Avoid guessing a concealed cause or forcing stiff fittings.
As soon as the report arrives: agree the next action
Standard residential reports are generally issued the same day; confirm timing when booking. Read the findings, send the report to the builder and keep their written response. A useful action record identifies the report item, location, proposed work, agreed timing and any access needed.
Keep disputed and unresolved items visible in that record. If the builder says a repair is complete, ask what was done and whether it is ready to inspect. A separately priced follow-up can check reported repairs within an agreed scope.
Before handover: check documents and contractual steps
The QBCC’s practical completion guidance explains that minor defects can remain at practical completion and should be recorded for rectification. Finding an item does not, by itself, decide whether settlement or final payment can be delayed. Get advice about your particular contract before withholding payment, agreeing to a retention or changing settlement arrangements.
Ask the builder for the applicable certification documents, warranties, product manuals and agreed defects record. The documents depend on the project; the QBCC’s handover and final documentation guide explains the distinction between contractual completion and certification.
Keep the inspection report, photographs, correspondence and final documents together. A builder’s walkthrough, an independent workmanship inspection and building certification have different roles.
What if you have already settled?
An inspection can still help you document concerns after moving in. Taking possession does not automatically end the builder’s defect obligations. Notify concerns promptly in writing and check the applicable contract, complaint and insurance requirements; these do not share one universal deadline. The QBCC’s defective-work guidance explains the available process and time limits.
See our handover inspection service and sample report, or get a quote for your property and selected services. If access, readiness or an existing defect list makes the booking unclear, contact us before the appointment.