New build inspection in Batumi: accepting the apartment and renting it out

A new build inspection in Batumi decides who pays for unfinished work: the developer under the contract, or you out of your renovation budget. We start with the contract, then inspect the apartment and draw up a list of defects, and once you have the keys we get the apartment rented out: renovation if it is needed, preparation, photos and listings. If you are abroad, we accept the apartment under a power of attorney and show you the inspection on video.

A new build inspection in Batumi starts with the contract

We read the sale and purchase agreement and its annexes a day or two before the inspection and take them with us to the site. We look in them for what we will later check the apartment against and what affects your costs:

• what the frame condition or finish includes, and the specification of materials, furniture and appliances if they are included in the price;
• the floor area of the apartment and what the contract provides for if the actual area differs;
• the handover date and the developer's liability for delay;
• the developer's warranty period and the procedure by which it accepts claims;
• the date from which you pay the building service charge and utilities;
• whether electricity, gas and water are connected, and when the developer promises to connect whatever isn't yet;
• when and by whom your ownership is registered in the Public Registry.

We then tie every point raised at the inspection to a specific clause. "A socket is missing" sounds like a wish, while "the point shown in Annex 2 is missing" is already a demand that the developer will find hard to reject.

An apartment with the developer's finish

Many buildings in Batumi hand over apartments already renovated, and sometimes furnished. We check such an apartment against the specification line by line: whether the materials are the right ones and of the right grade, whether everything is there, whether the remote controls, manuals and warranty cards for the appliances are included. If the specification names one brand and another has been fitted, that goes on the list too.

We switch on every appliance, run the water at every outlet and look under the sink and the bath for drips at the joints. We check that doors and drawers close, that the grout lines in the shower haven't opened up, and that there are no scratches on the worktop or chips in the tiles. On the air conditioner we look at where the condensate drain goes: a pipe that drips onto the balcony of the neighbours below will become your problem within a month. A developer's finish is done for many apartments at once, so we check it item by item rather than at random.

The list of defects: how we draw it up

A list of unfinished work written in general terms gets closed off by the developer in general terms too. That is why in our list each line holds one defect and five fields:

We film the whole inspection and send you the video the same day, together with the list. You or your representative sign the list. You can take the keys even while items are still open, if the developer agrees to attach the list to the handover certificate. We check whatever the developer has fixed against the same list, line by line.

After the keys: meters, the building and the management company

On the day the keys are handed over we photograph the electricity, gas and water meter readings and enter them in the handover certificate. Then we transfer the utility accounts into your name, if there is a power of attorney for this, and find out from the building's management company the amount of the service charge and the date from which it is charged.

From the same company we get the building rules. They often cover the hours allowed for renovation work, how rubbish is removed and how materials are taken up in the lift, and, most important for future letting, whether the building allows short-term rental and how guests are let in. These rules are best known before the renovation estimate and before the first listing.

Getting the apartment rented out

The path from the keys to the first guest depends on the condition in which the developer handed over the apartment. From white or green frame there is a renovation ahead, and we plan it using the findings of the same inspection: whatever the developer won't fix goes straight into the estimate. How new-build apartment renovation works and how long it takes is described separately.

An apartment with the developer's finish can be let within a few weeks. After the building dust it is cleaned throughout, and then whatever is missing from the specification is bought: linen, crockery, curtains, sometimes a bed or a wardrobe. A ready-made furnishing package for short-term rental helps here, and the inventory, guest instructions and minor repairs are part of getting the apartment ready to rent out. The last step is photos and listings on Airbnb, Booking and local sites.

If neighbours in the building are still renovating, you can let the apartment to a long-term tenant for the first year and start short-term rental later. We also find and screen tenants.

A second inspection after the first winter

In summer a lot looks fine at the handover, but a building faces its real test in its first wet season. If over the winter a wet window reveal, a crack along a partition joint or mould behind a wardrobe has appeared, it is easier to deal with the developer while its warranty is still in force and the photos from the first list are to hand: they show that the defect was not there at the handover.

That is why we offer a second inspection in spring. It is a separate visit, and we agree its cost in advance. We go round the apartment following the plan of the first list, compare it with the earlier photos and set out any new defects in a written claim that refers to the warranty clause of the contract. If the apartment is let, we schedule the inspection for a day without guests.

What a new build inspection and rental launch cost

Accepting an apartment from the developer costs 480–720 ₾ per property, and for large apartments we charge by floor area, at 5.5–7 ₾ per m². This is a fixed price for the service, and it includes going through the contract, the inspection with measurements, a video for you and the list of defects.

We price the rental launch by the steps your apartment actually needs: listings on Airbnb, Booking and local sites cost 360–540 ₾, post-renovation cleaning 835–1,080 ₾ per visit, and preparation for renting out, photography and renovation are separate lines. The price is higher for an apartment with furniture and appliances from the developer, where every line of the specification is checked, for duplex apartments and for a repeat inspection after the developer's fixes. The final price is set once we have seen the contract and the floor plan of the apartment and agreed the scope of work.