We have finally made our appointment to collect our keys this coming Saturday! While we are super duper excited about taking the first peek at our house, we are aware of the administrative work that will follow closely – defects checking. My parent’s experience has been nothing pleasant so we are hoping for the best. We are not hoping for nil defects but rather not-so-serious defects which will be relatively easier to rectify.
I have been reading up on blogs to look at various ideas to effectively check for defects. More importantly, I hope to collate the items that we should bring along to aid us in the defects checking process.
Items to bring:
1. Masking/Coloured tapes – to stick on defective areas (coloured tapes help to state the order of priority – red: urgent; yellow: not-so-urgent etc)
2. Black markers – to number-tag the defects for easier tracking
3. Torchlight – to check on ceilings/out-of-reach areas
4. Stools – to check on out-of-reach areas
5. Coins/Marbles – to check on hollow tiles
6. Clorox Tru-Blu toilet bowl cleaner – the blue-coloured liquid makes it easier to identify water leakage during flushing
7. Pail/Broom/Mop/Scrub/Sponge – to clean the floor before checking for defects on the floor
8. Cleaning liquid (e.g. CIF/Mr Muscle) – to identify removable/non-removable stains
9. Camera – to take photos of the defects for recording and tracking
10. HP charger – to check that all electrical sockets are working
11. Spirit level – to check whether a surface is level
Great, now we are all set for the actual hands-on defects checking:
Things to look out for:
1. Flooring
-> uneven surface/uneven coloured tiles especially in corners
-> holes on tiles/unsightly gaps on tiles
-> hollow tiles
2. Windows
-> no cracks on glass windows
-> windows can be fully opened
-> operating window latches
-> no gaps with walls i.e. windows have been fixed properly
3. Cupboards/cabinets
-> no signs of water condensation (lumps on the inside)
-> no chip off
-> doors can be properly opened
-> no rusty latches
4. Walls
-> no cracks on walls
-> no bubbles (i.e. indicative of water leakages)
-> crooked walls (neighbours spotted a unit with crooked walls based on naked eyes)
5. Doors
-> all doors can be closed properly
-> door stopper in correct position
-> no signs of scratches on doors
-> no uneven colour tone
6. Power points
-> electricity can be switched on
7. Water points
-> water pressure
-> water leakage (e.g. around toilet bowls and sinks)
-> flooding (water cannot be channeled to drains)
To be continued.