The Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before Paying a Deposit on a Resale Unit

In resale, what you see is what you get — there is no developer warranty visit coming to fix things later in most cases. The viewing before you pay a deposit is your one real chance to discover problems while you still have full negotiating power. Bring this checklist, a phone flashlight, and patience.

Inside the unit

• Walls and ceilings: cracks, damp patches, signs of repainting over leaks.
• Water pressure and drainage in every bathroom and the kitchen.
• Electricity: test sockets, breakers, and air-conditioning provisions.
• Windows and doors: alignment, sealing, and noise insulation.
• Actual area and layout versus the contract drawings.
• Meters: are electricity, water, and gas meters installed and in whose name?

The building and the compound

A perfect unit in a neglected compound is a bad buy. Walk the common areas: elevators, garage, landscaping, and cleanliness tell you how well the place is managed. Ask neighbors casually about maintenance response times and service fees. Check the state of facilities you are paying for — clubhouse, pools, security gates — and whether the compound feels lived-in or abandoned.

The paperwork layer of inspection

Inspection is not only physical. Confirm there are no unpaid maintenance bills or utility arrears attached to the unit, ask the developer or management company whether any violations or modification penalties are recorded, and verify that anything the seller added — a pergola, an extra room, a garden fence — was approved. Unapproved modifications can become your problem after transfer.

The takeaway: pay your deposit only after the unit, the compound, and the papers all pass — and put every promised repair or included item (kitchen, ACs, furniture) in writing in the preliminary agreement.