Just Received Your Resale Unit? The Complete Moving-In Checklist

Receiving a resale unit feels like the finish line, but it is really a handover point — and what you check in the first days determines how smooth the next years will be. Work through this list before furniture makes every problem harder to reach.

Documents and accounts first

• Confirm the ownership transfer is complete with the developer or compound management, and that the unit is registered under your name in their records.
• Transfer utility accounts — electricity, water, gas — and record meter readings on day one with dated photos.
• Verify maintenance and club fees are settled up to the handover date, and get that in writing; old debts have a way of following the unit.
• Collect every key, access card, and parking permit, and ask which locks the previous owner recommends changing.

Inspect while the unit is empty

An empty unit hides nothing. Run all taps and flush every toilet while watching under sinks. Test every socket, switch, and air conditioner. Open and close every window and door fully. Check water heater operation and drainage speed in showers. Photograph existing defects room by room — this record settles arguments about what was pre-existing if anything is covered by a warranty or a seller promise.

Settle into the compound

Register your family and vehicles with security, save the numbers for facility management and emergency maintenance, and learn the rules for deliveries, contractors, and finishing works — most compounds restrict working hours and require permits for renovation. Introduce yourself to the neighbors; in compound life they are your first alarm system and your best source of practical knowledge.

Then, and only then, renovate

Live with the unit briefly before major changes if you can. A few weeks of real use reveal which walls actually bother you and where the light falls — knowledge that saves expensive corrections later.

The takeaway: an organized first week costs a little patience and repays it for years. The boxes can wait three more days.