Final inspection before handover: a checklist

Before you sign at the Dutch civil-law notary (notaris), you walk through the house with the seller. You compare its condition with what was agreed, tick off the list of movable goods and record the meter readings. If you see damage or something is missing, discuss it with your estate agent and the notaris before you sign.

Why you do this again

Three months often pass between your last viewing and the transfer. In that time the seller has moved out: cupboards have been unscrewed, furniture carried through doorways, installations used for the last time. New damage usually happens during the seller’s own move, so shortly before your inspection.

On this round you compare the house with the agreements in your purchase agreement and the list of movable items. A structural survey has a different purpose: examining the structural condition.

What to walk through

Condition of the home

Go through every room looking for what has appeared since the move-out. Scratches on the floor where a cupboard stood, a chunk out of a door frame, damaged plaster in the stairwell, a socket pulled loose. Record any damage you find and raise it during the inspection.

Empty and broom-clean

If the agreement is that the home is handed over empty and broom-clean, check the attic, the crawl space, the shed and the garden too. That is where something is most often left behind. If a different arrangement applies, what counts is the wording of your purchase agreement.

The list of movable items

Bring the list and tick it off. Pay particular attention to the things that fit easily into a moving van:

• light fittings
• curtains and rails
• sun blinds
• fitted wardrobes
• built-in appliances
• EV charging point
• items in the garden or shed

Water and sanitary ware

Run a few taps, flush the toilets and look under the sink. That tells you whether something which worked at the viewing is now obviously broken. It does not replace a technical inspection.

Windows, doors and keys

Open and close every exterior door and window, and count the keys. Ask about keys for the shed, the letterbox, the garden gate and any key safe as well.

Meter readings

Photograph gas, electricity and water so that both the reading and the meter itself are recognisable. Pass the readings on later to the energy and water suppliers and keep the photographs. If a question comes up about your first statement, you can look back at the readings you recorded at the transfer.

Bring the paperwork

Bring the purchase agreement and the list of movable items, on paper or on your phone. If a curtain rail is missing, you can look up straight away what was agreed about it. You do not have to think back to the conversation at the viewing.

What if something is wrong?

Take photographs and write down what differs from the agreement. Call your agent and the notaris before you sign, and discuss how you want to settle the point.

What happens next depends on the scale. Buyer and seller often agree on a repair or settle an amount. Do not assume you can have money held back by the notaris. That only works if it was agreed before signing and is written into the purchase agreement. The notaris carries out what buyer and seller agreed and does not decide this alone. With a new-build home a different scheme applies. For that, read the 5% retention.

Should you postpone the transfer?

A missing shed key calls for a different arrangement from a wall with a leak. You might agree that the key is delivered within a week, for instance. With damage, you discuss which repair is needed. Let your agent and the notaris judge the severity and the consequences. Bear in mind that a delay costs you too: a moving van already booked, a mortgage offer with an expiry date, and a seller waiting on their own transfer.

How much time to allow

Allow an hour for an average home, and schedule it well before your appointment rather than right up against it. A ten-minute inspection when you are due at the notaris in a quarter of an hour leaves little room to walk round calmly and raise anything that differs.

What to do now

• set aside an hour for the inspection and keep room before the appointment at the notaris
• bring the list of movable items and tick it off on the spot
• note the meter readings with the date against them
• discuss what you find with your estate agent before you sit down at the notaris