Apartment handover inspection in Bratislava

Before you sign the handover report for a new apartment, it pays to have it checked by a specialist. We carry out handover inspections in new builds in Bratislava: we inspect the finishes, windows, doors, plumbing fixtures, and building systems, measure the geometry of the walls and floors, and draw up a list of issues for the developer. The service is for buyers of new-build apartments who want to see the defects before signing and have them written into the report. At the inspection, we represent the buyer, not the developer.

Most of our projects in Bratislava are new builds: we design their interiors and renovate them with our own crews. So we also look at the apartment with the future renovation in mind. A wall that leans out of plumb where the kitchen will stand, or a difference in floor level between rooms, is easy to miss at the handover, but when the kitchen is installed and the flooring laid, it means leveling the base and adjusting the furniture to fit.

• that the apartment matches the design documentation: layout, openings, location of water and electrical connection points;
• walls, ceilings, and floors — cracks, chips, stains, uneven finishes;
• geometry: how far walls and corners are out of true, how level the floor is;
• windows, balcony doors, and balcony structures — how they open and close, and whether the frames or glass are damaged;
• doors supplied with the apartment;
• electrical wiring, water supply, and ventilation;
• plumbing fixtures and installed equipment.

Every defect we find goes on the list of issues: exactly what is wrong and where. After the inspection, we go through it with you — what is serious and what is a minor unfinished item — and suggest how to word the issues for the report.

A new apartment is accepted with a handover report (preberací protokol) signed by the buyer and the developer. Defects and unfinished work are entered in the report before signing, including minor ones that do not stop you from living in the apartment. An issue that is not in the report is harder to raise once it has been signed.

Each issue is written so that it cannot be read two ways: what the defect is, where it is, and what problem it causes. Photos are attached to the report. Each item gets a deadline for the repair. The same report records the meter readings for electricity, water, heating, and gas, if the building has gas.

If the developer has not given you the apartment’s operating manual (manuál užívania bytu), ask for it. It describes the materials and the required maintenance — for example, the permitted load on the terrace or regular lubrication of the windows. If the contract provides for it, the developer may refuse to fix a defect when the maintenance in the manual was not followed.

• €250 — handover inspection of an apartment up to 50 m²;
• €400 — handover inspection of an apartment of 50 m² or more;
• €200 — a return visit, if another inspection is needed after the developer has fixed the defects.

Example: a 48 m² apartment costs €250. If the developer has fixed the issues and you want us to check the result, a return visit for €200 is added, for a total of €450. A 72 m² apartment with a return visit costs €600.

If you plan to renovate after the handover, order a renovation cost estimate or an apartment interior design project — they make it easier to work out the budget in advance.