Handover inspection checklist
What to walk through and in what light, so a handover either passes or produces a specific list rather than a vague complaint.
An inspection that concludes with not clean enough helps nobody and settles nothing. This list exists so it produces a closeable list of specific items instead.
Walk it in daylight. Construction residue on glass and polished surfaces is nearly invisible under site lighting and obvious under sun.
Glass and frames
- No paint specks, silicone smears, sticker residue or protective film remaining on any pane.
- Window tracks clear of debris and dust, not just wiped along the top.
- Frames, sills and reveals clean, including the underside of sills.
- Shower screens free of silicone smears and water marks.
Wet areas
- No grout haze on tiles. Check at an angle in natural light, where it shows as a dull film.
- Silicone joints clean and free of smears along the edges.
- Sanitaryware free of protective coatings, adhesive and plaster splash.
- Tapware polished and free of mineral residue.
- Exhaust fans clean and running.
Throughout
- Horizontal surfaces dust free: door tops, skirtings, architraves, exposed pipework, robe shelves.
- Cabinetry clean inside, including drawer runners, shelf edges and the tops of overhead units.
- Floors correct for the material, with no adhesive, grout haze or scuffing from the clean itself.
- Power points, switch plates and door hardware free of paint overspray.
- Vents and diffusers clean on the blade edges, not only the visible face.
- All appliance packaging, transit bolts and manuals accounted for.
Before you sign off
- Confirm whether a further detail clean is still scheduled. If so, do not measure against a final standard yet.
- Photograph anything you are rejecting, with the room noted.
- Give a written list with a date rather than a verbal comment.
- Check what the contract says about re-cleans before requesting one.