Moving Into a New Build: A Practical First-Year Checklist

A new house settles. Timber shrinks as it dries to equilibrium, the slab cures and moves slightly, and the building comes through its first full seasonal cycle.

That produces small cracks in plasterboard, nail pops, doors that need adjustment and gaps opening at skirtings and architraves. Almost all of it is normal, expected, and rectified at the end of the defects liability period rather than one item at a time.

Knowing which of it is normal and which is not is the useful part.

Walk the house with the builder before final payment and record every item in writing. Bring a torch, open every door and window, run every tap, test every switch and check every drawer and cupboard.

Collect the documentation: final certificate or certificate of occupancy, Form 15 and Form 16 certificates, waterproofing certificates, the termite management notice, electrical and plumbing compliance certificates, appliance manuals and warranties, and your QBCC home warranty documentation.

Get the paint and finish schedule too, so touch-ups years later match.

Hairline cracks in plasterboard, particularly at corners of door and window openings. Nail pops in ceilings and walls. Doors and windows needing adjustment as timber moves. Small gaps at skirtings and cornices. Minor settlement cracking in the slab edge or paths.

Keep a running list rather than calling about each one. Most builders prefer to attend once near the end of the defects period and address everything together, which is also far less disruptive for you.

Water where water should not be — damp patches, staining on ceilings, moisture at the base of a shower wall, or water penetrating around windows. Report these immediately rather than adding them to a list.

Cracks wider than hairline, cracks that are growing, stepped cracking in brickwork, or doors that were fine and are now binding badly can indicate movement rather than shrinkage.

Anything electrical that trips repeatedly, and any plumbing that leaks. These are immediate items.

Termite management requires annual inspection by a licensed pest inspector. This is your responsibility after handover, and the system only works if someone looks. It also matters for any warranty position.

Keep garden beds, mulch and paving clear of the slab edge, because bridging the termite barrier gives termites a concealed route past everything you paid for.

Clear gutters, keep downpipes discharging away from footings, and keep the drainage falls around the house working. On reactive clay, uneven moisture against a slab is what causes movement.

Our handover and defects guide covers the warranty periods in more detail.

Find and label the water shut-off valve, the electrical switchboard and the gas isolation if you have gas. You want to know where these are before you need them.

Test every smoke alarm and note the type and replacement interval. Queensland has specific requirements for interconnected photoelectric alarms in homes, and they are your responsibility to maintain.

Photograph the house thoroughly while it is empty and undamaged. It is a useful record for insurance and for any later defect discussion.

Register any appliance warranties, and put the annual termite inspection in your calendar now rather than intending to remember it.