Your builder calls to say the house is ready for your practical completion inspection. Often that's only a few days' written notice (in Queensland, the QBCC says to expect at least five). It's one of the most important hours of your whole build, and it's easy to walk in with nothing more than a phone and a vague feeling that you should "look for things."
The PCI is usually your last walk-through before handover, and in many contracts it comes right before your final progress payment falls due. Anything you notice and put in writing now is on the record. Anything you don't notice becomes a harder conversation later. Here's how to prepare and what to check, so you walk out with a clear, written list instead of a head full of half-remembered scuffs.
What the practical completion inspection actually is
"Practical completion" is the point where your builder says the work is finished to the standard set out in your contract, apart from minor defects or omissions that don't stop you from using the home. The PCI is the walk-through where you and the builder's representative go through the house together before handover.
What it isn't: it isn't your building surveyor's or certifier's final inspection. That's a statutory compliance check against the approved plans and the building code, and it's usually done separately. It also isn't an independent defect inspection unless you book one. The PCI is your chance, as the owner, to check that the house matches what you agreed and to put any defects in writing.
The exact wording, timing and rules around practical completion depend on your contract and your state or territory. Read the practical completion and final payment clauses in your contract before the day, so you know what notice you're owed and when payment falls due.
Before the day: five things to prepare
- Your signed selections and inclusions. Print them or have them open (here's how to build an inclusions checklist if you don't have one). You're checking the house against these, not against your memory of the display home.
- Your variations. Every signed variation is a change to the contract. Bring the list so you can check each one was actually done.
- Your earlier defect notes. If you raised issues at frame, lock-up or fixing, check each one has been fixed.
- A simple kit: a phone with plenty of storage and charge, a torch, a phone charger or a small plug-in tester to check power points, a tape measure, a pencil, and a roll of painter's tape or small stickers to mark defects on site.
- Time. Ask for enough time to do it properly. Rushing through a whole house in 30 minutes is how things get missed. If the builder's rep can't stay long, ask whether you can do your own walk-through as well.
Many owners also book an independent building inspector for the PCI stage. That's worth considering. An inspector checks workmanship and defects with trained eyes and proper equipment, which is a different job from the owner's check below. The two work well together.
The PCI checklist, room by room
Work through the house in the same order every time, starting outside and moving room by room. For each room, look top to bottom: ceiling, walls, windows and doors, fittings, then floor.
Outside
- Driveway, paths and paving: finished, no cracks, and water drains away from the house
- Brickwork or cladding: consistent colour, clean mortar, no chips or smears of render or paint
- Gutters, downpipes and fascia: correct colour, securely fixed, connected to stormwater
- Garage door: correct model, opens and closes smoothly, remotes supplied
- External taps, lights and power points work
- Letterbox, clothesline and any other outdoor inclusions are installed if they were in your contract
- Site is cleaned up, with no rubbish, offcuts or buried debris
Every internal room
- Paint: even coverage, no drips, patches, bare spots or marks, especially around light switches and cornices
- Plasterboard: no visible joins, cracks, dents or nail pops. Shine a torch along the wall at a low angle; it shows up flaws you can't see head-on
- Doors: open and close without sticking, latch properly, doorstops fitted, handles match your selection
- Windows: open, close and lock, keys supplied, glass unscratched, flyscreens fitted where included
- Flooring: correct product, no chips, lifting, gaps or scratches; skirting boards correctly fitted
- Power points and switches: correct number and location per your plans, and every one works
- Lights and downlights: correct number and type, all working
Kitchen
- Benchtop: correct material, colour, thickness and edge; no chips; joins neat
- Cabinets and drawers: open and close evenly, soft-close working where included, handles match your selection
- Sink and tap: correct model and finish, no leaks underneath (open the cupboard and look)
- Appliances: correct models installed and working, including the rangehood extracting properly
- Splashback: correct tile or material, clean grout and silicone
Bathrooms, ensuite and laundry
- Run every tap and shower. Check hot water arrives, pressure is reasonable, and nothing leaks
- Water drains quickly and the floor falls toward the floor waste, with no pooling
- Flush every toilet and check it refills and stops
- Tiles: correct selection, no cracked or chipped tiles, even grout lines, tiled to the agreed height
- Silicone: neat, continuous, and no gaps around the bath, shower and vanity
- Shower screen, vanity, mirror and accessories match your selections and are securely fixed
- Exhaust fans work
Services and extras
- Hot water system: correct type and size, as specified in your contract
- Heating and cooling: turns on and works in every zone included
- Smoke alarms installed
- Any upgrades you paid for (ceiling height, insulation, extra power points, data points) are actually there
How to record defects so they actually get fixed
A defect list only works if someone else can read it and find the problem without you standing there. For every item, write down:
- The exact location. "Bed 2, north wall, left of the window, about 1.2m high." Not "scratch in bedroom."
- What's wrong. Describe what you see, not what you think caused it.
- A photo reference. Take a wide photo to show where it is, and a close-up to show the problem. Note the photo numbers next to the item.
- Status. Open, fixed, or disputed, so you can track it through to handover and the defects period.
Mark each defect on site with a small piece of painter's tape so the trades can find it. Your builder may ask you both to sign the defects list at the inspection (the QBCC describes this as usual practice in Queensland), so read it first and make sure everything you raised is on it. Then send your own full list to your builder in writing, by email, the same day. Ask them to confirm which items they'll fix before handover and which they'll treat as defects-period items. A verbal "yeah, we'll sort that" on site leaves no record.
Questions owners ask about the PCI
Do I have to pay the final payment at PCI?
That depends on your contract and your state or territory. Many contracts make the final progress payment due at practical completion, so read the relevant clauses before the day, and run the same progress claim checks you'd use for any other stage. If you believe the house isn't actually at practical completion, or you're in dispute about it, get advice from your state's building regulator, a consumer advice service or a solicitor before you refuse to pay. Don't rely on a checklist for that decision.
What if I miss something at the PCI?
It's not necessarily the end of the road. Most builds have a defects or maintenance period after handover, and statutory warranties also apply. The length and rules vary by state and contract. Keep logging defects the same way after you move in and send them to the builder in writing.
Should I get an independent inspector for the PCI?
Many owners do, and it's worth considering. An inspector checks workmanship and defects in ways an owner usually can't. This owner's checklist still matters, because an inspector isn't checking whether you got the tapware and benchtop you chose. That's your job.
Official sources
Rules differ between states and territories. These official pages explain the parts of this guide that depend on the law in each state; check the equivalent body where you build.
- QBCC: practical completion inspection: notice, the defects list and what the builder must fix after practical completion (Queensland)
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: building disputes, defects and delays: raising defects in writing and where to go if they are not fixed (Victoria)
- NSW Planning Portal: the build phase and critical stage inspections: the certifier's final inspection and occupation certificate (NSW)
Take the checklist with you
Want this as a printable list? The free PCI & handover day checklist is a 6-page PDF with 43 checks for the pre-PCI owner walk and handover day. No signup required.
