House snagging inspection in Batumi: an engineer, instruments, a defects record

House snagging inspection in Batumi: what to check before you sign

A house snagging inspection in Batumi is the last moment when defects are fixed by the developer rather than by you. Once the handover record is signed, it is much harder to prove that a crack or leak was there from the start. An engineer checks the house, townhouse or apartment against the contract and design, with instruments, and draws up a list of defects. The defects go into the record with deadlines for fixing them, and a re-inspection shows whether they were fixed.

What we check in a house or townhouse

• the foundation, the apron and drainage away from the house;
• the facade, joints, reveals and junctions;
• the roof, gutters, parapets and terraces;
• windows and doors: installation, seals, operation;
• walls, floors and ceilings: geometry, cracks, damp;
• water, drainage, electrics, heating and ventilation.

In a private house the developer is responsible for far more than in an apartment: the roof, the facade, the plot and all the services are entirely yours. So a house handover takes longer and goes into more detail. How townhouses are built and what to look at in them is on the townhouse construction page.

An apartment in a new build

In an apartment we check what the developer is responsible for under the contract: walls and floors, windows and balcony doors, risers, the consumer unit, ventilation, and if the apartment comes with finishes, the finishes too. We check the area, ceiling height and layout against the contract. If the apartment will be let, the handover is conveniently combined with getting it ready to rent; more on the apartment handover and rental launch page.

Instruments, not just eyes

Many defects can only be seen with instruments. A laser level shows uneven floors and leaning walls, a moisture meter finds wet concrete under paint, a thermal camera shows thermal bridges, gaps around windows and wet spots in walls. We check sockets and the protection in the consumer unit with a tester. In a new house damp often comes from concrete that has not dried yet rather than from a leak, and telling the two apart matters. How to deal with damp and mould is on the damp and mould protection page.

The defects record

We describe each defect with a photo, its location and a reference to the contract, design or standard, so the developer cannot brush it off with "it's the same everywhere". We give a deadline for fixing it. We do not advise signing the handover record without a note of the defects. If the developer drags their feet, you have a dated document. Minor snags are sometimes quicker to fix yourself; more on the fixing a developer's renovation page.

Buying before completion

If you are still choosing between a new build and a resale property, an engineer can look in advance at how the developer builds: the quality of the frame, masonry and windows in buildings already handed over. That tells you more about the future handover than a brochure. A comparison of the options is on the new build or resale page.

How much a handover inspection costs

A handover inspection of a private house or townhouse from a developer with a report costs from 1 260 ₾. An apartment handover inspection from 480 ₾ per property, a large apartment by area from 5.5 ₾ per m². A re-inspection after defects are fixed from 250 ₾. An airtightness test with thermal imaging from 1 020 ₾, a damp survey with a moisture meter and thermal camera from 570 ₾. The final cost is set after reviewing the contract and agreeing the scope of the check.