If your handover date changes, tell your inspector promptly and confirm what will actually be ready on the revised inspection date. The best time for a practical completion inspection (PCI) depends on the completed work, safe access and the opportunity to discuss findings with your builder—not simply a fixed number of days before the keys are due.
For a handover delay in Queensland, keep the inspection arrangements and the contractual questions connected but distinct. GoInspect can help you coordinate an inspection and document visible workmanship concerns. Your contract and appropriate legal advice determine payment, notices, extensions of time and settlement decisions.
Takeaway: Get an updated readiness picture before moving the booking. A changed handover date does not automatically mean the home is too unfinished to inspect, or that the original appointment still makes sense.
Start with five questions for the site supervisor
- What is the revised target? Ask for the expected practical completion or handover date and whether it is confirmed or still provisional.
- What work remains? Ask which rooms, fittings, finishes and external areas will be incomplete on the proposed inspection day.
- Will access be safe and clear? Confirm whether trades, stored materials or unfinished work will restrict the areas being inspected.
- Will the home be clean enough to assess? Dust, protective coverings and materials can obscure finishes and damage.
- Who will coordinate the visit? Confirm the site contact, access arrangements and any change to the preferred appointment.
Send that information to your inspector before deciding whether to keep or move the visit. A booking request or preferred time still needs confirmation with the relevant people.
Should you keep the original PCI booking?
A substantially finished home may still have items worth documenting even when some work remains. Conversely, a visit with major areas unfinished or inaccessible may leave too much of the intended scope unavailable. Discuss the actual condition rather than treating “nearly done” as a reliable description.
GoInspect’s handover inspection service focuses on visible and safely accessible workmanship within the agreed scope. Explain what will be complete, what is changing and any particular concerns so we can discuss suitable timing.
Do not assume an early visit will assess work installed afterwards. If the builder completes or alters items after inspection, those items may need a later review. Agree that follow-up scope and access when arranging the next step.
Three report findings that make “ready” more specific
These GoInspect findings illustrate why a room can look almost finished while individual tasks remain. They are examples of recorded incomplete work, not evidence of why a handover was delayed or a decision about practical completion.
Missing screws in an entry-door hinge
The photograph at the top of this article shows an empty screw hole in a door hinge. The report called for screws to be installed in the entry-door hinges.
A useful question is whether the relevant hardware installation will be finished before the inspection, and who will confirm completion. “The door is installed” gives less information than “the hinges and hardware have been fitted and checked”.
A towel rail still to be fitted off
The same report listed an ensuite towel rail requiring fit-off. Keep small incomplete fittings on the written list rather than relying on the room looking finished overall.
Ask the supervisor which fittings are outstanding and when they will be installed. A list of specific unfinished items helps the inspector understand the intended scope and helps you track what changes after the visit.
Incomplete silicone around a toilet
The inspector also recorded incomplete silicone around a toilet. This is a finishing task that should be described separately from whether the fixture has been installed.
The finding does not establish the condition of concealed waterproofing. Ask what finishing work remains and how completion will be checked, without treating a finished-looking surface as proof of hidden construction.
Prepare a short updated inspection brief
Keep the latest plans, approved variations, finishes schedule and your specific concerns together. Mark superseded information clearly so everyone works from the same version. If the handover date moves again, update the brief rather than forwarding a chain of conflicting dates.
Use our practical completion inspection checklist to organise your own questions. Include the location and visible condition of a concern; leave technical causes and repair methods for assessment where necessary.
Keep the inspection report and handover paperwork connected
QBCC’s practical completion guidance explains the builder-and-owner walk-through and the recording of defects, incomplete work and items not built to specification. An independent report can help you identify matters to discuss during that process.
Under QBCC’s handover guidance, the defects document records agreed minor defects and omissions, separately records those only the owner considers present, and states when the contractor will attend to the matters. Keep your copy alongside the inspection report and subsequent responses.
An inspection report does not automatically entitle you to withhold payment, change a due date or delay settlement. If the revised programme creates a payment or contract dispute, seek advice about your own agreement before taking that step.
What happens after the builder completes the work?
Ask for an item-by-item update identifying what has been addressed and what remains. Keep the original finding references so a response can be matched to the correct location. A message saying “all finished” is less useful than a clear response to each recorded item.
If you need a re-inspection, discuss it once the relevant work is ready and confirm the agreed scope, fee and access. Do not assume a follow-up visit is included or that a photograph alone establishes every aspect of a repair.
Arrange your inspection around the home’s actual progress
You can contact GoInspect before your final handover date is known. Share the approximate timing and site contact, then update us promptly if the programme changes. Use the current quote and booking form for your property details and service.
The useful next step after a date change is a clearer plan: what will be ready, what can be inspected, who will provide access and how outstanding work will be followed up.