Final acceptance of a renovation: checklist before moving in
Before the last payment, inspect the apartment in daylight, room by room, and write all remarks in one list. Turn on every socket, every tap, the heating, ventilation and air conditioners. Give the list to the contractor in writing and agree on deadlines. When everything is fixed, collect the documents and warranties, check the work against the budget, settle up, and only then sign the acceptance certificate.
Why final acceptance matters
You have already accepted the hidden work stage by stage - pipes, cables, screed, waterproofing. Final acceptance is about what you can see and what works. After the certificate is signed and the last payment made, agreeing on fixes is usually harder than before.
There is a legal reason too. Article 720 of part two of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation says that the client inspects and accepts the work with the contractor taking part, and reports any deviations from the contract straight away. Defects found at acceptance are worth noting in the certificate. If the work was accepted without checking, it may not be possible to rely later on defects that an ordinary acceptance would have revealed, unless the contract says otherwise. Hidden defects found later have their own procedure in the same article. Read the article in its current wording at pravo.gov.ru: we summarise the general rules and promise no outcome in a particular case. These are Russian rules; other countries have their own.
The “Final acceptance” stage item by item
In the app route, final acceptance has eight items in this order:
- Make a punch list. Go through every room and write all issues down in one list. Inspect during the day in natural light.
- Check the building systems - electrics, water, heating, ventilation and air conditioning under normal operation. Try every socket and every tap.
- Give the punch list to the contractor and agree on deadlines for fixing. Record the handover in writing.
- Follow up on the fixes. Check every item on the list after the rework and check off what's fixed with a photo.
- Get a professional clean. Construction dust only comes off with specialist cleaning.
- Collect documents and warranties - contracts, certificates, appliance manuals, warranties and pipe and wiring diagrams.
- Make the final payment. Check the completed work against the budget and settle up.
- Sign the acceptance certificate - once all issues are fixed.
Inspection checklist by room
Below is what people usually look at in a final inspection. It's practice, not a standard: the quality requirements are the ones written in your contract.
Walls and ceilings
- No cracks, stains, tool marks or missed paint; shine a torch along the wall - side light shows waves.
- Wallpaper without bubbles or opening seams.
- Square corners where the kitchen, wardrobes and bath stand.
- A stretch ceiling without folds or sagging.
Floors
- The flooring doesn't creak or give, joints are even.
- Thresholds and transitions between rooms are in place.
- Skirting fits without gaps.
Tiles
- Tap the tiles: if one sounds different from its neighbors, there may be a void under it.
- Joints are the same width, grout has no gaps.
- In the shower, water runs to the drain.
Electrics
- Every socket works - check with a phone charger or any appliance.
- Every switch turns on its own light.
- Breakers in the panel are labeled, each RCD trips with its test button.
Water and heating
- Open every tap: hot and cold are in the right places, the pressure is normal.
- It's dry under sinks, the bath and the toilet.
- Drains empty quickly, without a smell.
- Radiators heat up, if it's the heating season.
Doors, windows, ventilation and air conditioners
- Doors close without rubbing, locks and handles work.
- Window sashes open in every mode, no drafts.
- Vents draw: hold a sheet of paper to the grille.
- Air conditioners switch on for cooling and heating, the drain doesn't leak.
Documents before the last payment
While you haven't settled up yet, it's easier to get everything you need:
- the contract, estimates and stage certificates;
- manuals, instructions and warranty cards for appliances and equipment;
- diagrams and photos of utilities, the panel diagram;
- test reports, if there were any;
- material details: paint brand and color, tile article number.
What to keep and for how long is in Which documents to keep after a renovation. How to pay by stage so the last payment stays your leverage is in Paying a crew by stage.
After signing: the “Move-in” stage
The route doesn't end at acceptance. The “Move-in” stage has five items:
- submit meter readings and compare them with the photos taken at the apartment handover;
- set up utility accounts - usually through the management company;
- monitor the home in the first weeks - humidity, heating, ventilation; most hidden defects show up in the first heating season;
- complete the digital property passport - photos of utilities, documents, warranties and the budget are saved in the app;
- mark the renovation complete.
If cracks appear or something leaks a year later, what to do is in Warranty on renovation and materials.
How to run it in the Doma app
Write remarks in the “Final acceptance” stage: a comment on the item with a photo of the spot. Check off fixes with a photo - that way the property history shows what was closed and when. Put documents in the “Documents” tab, and do the budget check in the “Budget” tab. When everything is ready, move the property to lived in: Profile → “My properties” → “Renovation done - move to lived in”.
The “Final acceptance” and “Move-in” stages are still a draft: a builder is reviewing them, and items may change.