Team-BHP - Pre-Delivery Inspection for a new apartment

Hi

We took a handover of our apartment about a year ago. As part of this, we actually engaged a 3rd party agency to do the PDI for us

Essentially, they do a whole list of checks for the house. Some of the ones that i can remember as below. I will try to dig up the report they shared

1. Area statement - Measurement of Carpet and Build up area along with thickness of walls
2. Dampness - check for dampness of walls
3. Vertical wall tests
4. Slope tests
5. Eelctrical tests - All wiring, circuit breakers, MCBs, meters
6. Plumbing tests - Plumbing lines, water pressures, flow
7. Wooden fixtures - doors, windows, glass
8. Tiles - Hollowness of tiles
9. Plastering and painting
10. And will provide a snag list for you to share with your builder and work through

Quote:

Originally Posted by subraiyr (Post 4950569)

We took a handover of our apartment about a year ago. As part of this, we actually engaged a 3rd party agency to do the PDI for us

Essentially, they do a whole list of checks for the house. Some of the ones that i can remember as below. I will try to dig up the report they shared

Team-BHP rocksclap:

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I wasn't aware that so many things needs to be checked. Being technical person, most of the things I can check myself.

I will not release final payment unless all test come OK.

Property inspections must always be left to the specialists :thumbs up. In Bombay, we use BMC-approved structural auditors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned (Post 4950632)

whether the said property has a clean title.

A big problem with old houses & land. Someone in my family once wanted to buy a property, but was unsure of the paperwork. Took a loan from a financial institution that had no foreclosure charges. They had insane resources and checked + cross verified every single document. The paperwork came clean & the loan was availed. Once spare liquid was available, the loan was promptly closed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4950918)

They had insane resources and checked + cross verified every single document. The paperwork came clean & the loan was availed. Once spare liquid was available, the loan was promptly closed.

Great trick. I did the same, but not intentionally. I wanted to buy a property and applied for a loan. They do the due diligence well on the property documentation part.

The structural part, I think you will need a civil contractor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2000rpm (Post 4950921)

Agree that the paperwork can be verified by involving a bank.

However, with regards to the structure, flats are sold in Mumbai even before the first brick is laid. All that the customers get to see are some fancy brochures and plans. Of course, if the builder is trustworthy, what you see is what you will get. But that may sadly not always be the case. The property is registered in the buyer's name once he signs on the dotted line. Not sure what purpose a PDI can serve in such cases, where the buyer may have already made close to 90% of the payment before he even gets to see his flat.

For an apartment, the pre-delivery inspection must start right from the moment construction starts. At every stage things should be verified. It cannot be compared to a vehicle PDI where there is a chance to get the faulty piece replaced on the PDI day. Once the building is constructed and ready for possession what good will be a PDI for.

It also depends on type of project. I don't think the big builders (massive complexes) will allow regular inspection of flats.

In my case I purchased a flat in a small standalone building from a local builder in Chennai in 2018. I paid a small token amount and then applied for loan through LIC Housing Finance. They are super through with the document verification. As a second opinion I got documents verified through a different lawyer as well. Once satisfied I proceeded with all formalities.

Since it was a standalone project (stilt+2 floors) there was no restriction in monitoring day to day progress. The construction supervisor was always available for any queries and solution.

One area that cannot be immediately checked is the water-proofing in bathrooms. It is only with use that any seepage of water from bathrooms - both from above and to below will be known. This can take any number of months. We are seeing seepage from above after about 2 years of the upper flat being used. Luckily, association rules are logical and state that the owner of the apt from where the seepage is happening must take care of such issues.

A lot of you have already covered the technical/legal/structural parts of what to check.

I'll try and put in my 2 cents about the softer aspects - which are equally important.

Neighbours/people in the locality - a bad or troublesome neighbour can be a pain. Befriend the security guard and get to know a bit about the people in the building. No need to go all detective mode but nice to know about people who will be sharing a wall with you.
grocery/vegetables/daily supplies/other vendors -check if all that is easily available in the area, do deliveries happen readily, is there a monopoly of a supplier? (Milk mafia is a thing). Also some buildings/areas have exclusive cable/internet providers only
ancillary expenses - some societies charge a bomb in maintenance and other annual activities whether you are interested in them or not
Parking (very important) sellers might enthusiastically say there is one parking available but it might be on a rotational basis and you might get an uncovered parking after 6 months, or one of those scary lift contraptions
safety - most important. Check if the area is safe, check if unruly people live around that create a bad environment, check if there have been robberies in the recent past

The seller and the broker will not tell you about these things readily. You can befriend the watchman or a nearby shopkeeper/pan-wala to get some of these details.

Of course a lot of these don't apply if the house you're buying is in a large gated premium society made by a known big builder.

While these are not strictly pre-delivery checks, these could be good pre-purchase checks!

Happy house-hunting!:D

These are some things you must check before taking possession of a new flat from the builder:-

1.Key documents-
Perhaps the most important of it all. There are many documents to check when the final handover of keys is happening- sale deed, occupancy certificate and encumbrance certificate. It is imperative that each document is thoroughly checked. Having a set of legal eyes accompany you also would not hurt.

2.Electrical fittings-
Do check if all the sockets and plug points in the house are in working condition and firmly planted. Locate the fuse box and check if the main fuse of the house controls the power in all rooms, also ensure that the house is suitably power backed up. If you were promised an extra set of switches, now is the time to check on them. None of the switches should be direct that is brimming with electricity even when powered off.

3.Walls-
Go through each and every wall thoroughly to check for any cracks. Also, check if the quality and colour of wall paint have been provided as promised. While you are at it, check if the doors and windows are provided and are painted as planned.

4.Plumbing-
You must make sure all taps in the bathrooms have water and all flushes work. There should not be any leakage or loose taps. The tiles too must be crack-free and of the previously planned colour and design. All the drains must be working and there must not be any clogging.

5.Safety Features-
One of the most important things is the safety in and around the house. The locks must be in place and working smoothly. I suggest that you insist on a secure night latch system. Also, there must be a suitable fire alarm system in the house in case of a contingency. Do check for gas leakages thoroughly. You must ensure the balconies and other open areas are secured with grills and skirtings especially if you have kids in the house.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreyas_H (Post 4953295)

[*]Parking (very important) sellers might enthusiastically say there is one parking available but it might be on a rotational basis and you might get an uncovered parking after 6 months, or one of those scary lift contraptions

Good points, Shreyas. Wanted to add on the parking part. In most larger new apts, the parking is quite decently planned. But may not be so in smaller apts. My BiL is in a relatively small apt building with 4 floors, and may be 35-40 apts in there. The basement parking is pretty bad, and to make it worse he has got a corner unit that is so difficult to get in or get out. He was the secy of the RA, but there was no way he could get a better slot.

So if buying a used apt, good to check out the actual parking slot. In new ones, the allocation is likely to be a separate exercise and luck can play a part in getting a decent spot, though there would be mechanisms like selection of parking spot based on sequence of booking the apt.