Handover and the Defects Period: What You Are Entitled To
What should happen at handover on a Queensland home, what the defects liability period covers, the statutory warranty periods, and how to raise a claim.
Handover is a process, not a moment
The end of a build is not a set of keys and a handshake. It is a defined process with documents you are entitled to, an inspection you should insist on, and a period afterwards during which the builder remains responsible.
Owners who treat handover as a formality tend to discover afterwards that raising an issue is harder than it would have been a week earlier.
The pre-handover inspection
Before final payment you should walk the completed house with the builder and record every item requiring attention. Take your time, bring a torch, open every door and window, run every tap, and test every switch.
The items commonly found are paint finish, tiling and grout, door and window operation and adjustment, cabinetry alignment, silicone work, minor plasterboard defects and cleaning.
Record the list in writing and agree it with the builder rather than mentioning items verbally. A written list agreed at inspection is the difference between a defect and a disagreement.
Many owners engage an independent building inspector for this walk-through. It costs a modest amount relative to the project and they will find things you will not.
What you should receive
The final certificate or certificate of occupancy from the certifier, without which you should not be making final payment.
Form 15 and Form 16 certificates covering design and inspection of building components, waterproofing certificates for wet areas, and the termite management notice identifying the system, its location and its maintenance requirements.
Electrical and plumbing compliance certificates, appliance manuals and warranties, paint and finish schedules for future touch-ups, and your QBCC Home Warranty Scheme documentation.
Keep all of it together. A buyer's solicitor will ask for this material when you sell, and reconstructing it years later is difficult and sometimes impossible.
The defects liability period
Your contract will specify a defects liability period after practical completion — commonly twelve months — during which the builder is obliged to rectify defects arising from their work.
This period exists because some issues only appear once a house is lived in and has been through a full seasonal cycle. Timber shrinks, the slab settles, and small cracks and nail pops appear in the first year. These are normal and are rectified at the end of the period rather than one at a time.
Keep a running list rather than calling about each item. Most builders prefer to attend once near the end of the period and address everything together, which is also less disruptive for you.
Statutory warranties beyond the contract
Contractual defects liability is not the limit of your protection. Queensland's QBCC Home Warranty Scheme provides cover for defective work and non-completion, with different time limits for structural and non-structural defects.
The scheme has strict notification timeframes, and missing them can affect your entitlement. If you identify something significant, raise it in writing with the builder promptly and note the QBCC timeframes rather than waiting to see whether it worsens.
Statutory warranties under the Queensland domestic building legislation also apply to the work regardless of what the contract says, and cannot be contracted out of.
We stay available after handover because the alternative is a bad reference. Our Brisbane new home page sets out how we run a project from contract through to this point.