Kitchen & Bathroom Finishing Checklist Before Handover

The final payment should be released against a checklist, not a feeling. Work through this list room by room — most of these checks take under a minute each.

Bathrooms

• Waterproofing test. Flood the shower area for 24–48 hours and check the ceiling below for damp patches.
• Falls to the drain. Pour water at the far corner — it should reach the drain without pooling anywhere.
• Grout lines. Consistent width, no hollow-sounding tiles when tapped.
• Cistern and flush. Flush three times in a row; check for seepage at the base.
• Hot and cold. Confirm both lines actually deliver at the fittings you will use.
• Exhaust fan. Runs, vents outside, and is not wired into the light circuit by mistake.
• Mirrors and fittings. Level, firmly anchored, silicone sealed at edges.

Kitchen

• Sink plumbing. Fill the sink, release, and inspect the trap underneath for drips.
• Dishwasher point. Isolated valve, dedicated electrical point, and a drain connection you can actually reach?
• Chimney or hood. Ducted outside, not recirculating, unless that was the design.
• Countertop joints. Tight, level, and silicone sealed at the wall upstand.
• Cabinet hardware. Every door aligned, every soft-close hinge working.
• Under-cabinet lighting. On a separate switch, positioned where you will actually chop.

Across both rooms

• Silicone everywhere wet meets solid — no gaps behind the WC, under the vanity or at the shower screen.
• Tile-to-skrirting junction sealed, not just butted.
• Water pressure test at the highest fixture in the house, not just the ground floor.
• Isolation valves labelled — you should be able to shut one bathroom without killing the house.

The documentation you should receive

Before releasing the final payment, collect:

1. Warranty cards for sanitaryware, appliances and water heaters
2. As-built drawings showing where pipes and conduits run in the walls
3. Paint and material codes for future touch-ups
4. Signed snag sheet confirming every item above is closed

A handover without documentation is a handover that will cost you later — the first time someone drills into a concealed pipe, you will wish you had the as-built drawing.

Print this list, walk the house with your site engineer, and tick every line before the last cheque clears.