Off-the-Plan Settlement Inspections: What to Check at Practical Completion

Settling an off-the-plan apartment is a different exercise from buying an existing home. The buyer has contractual rights rather than statutory inspection rights, and the time between notice of practical completion and final settlement is often just a couple of weeks.

What deserves particular attention in a high-rise? Balcony waterproofing under AS 4654.2-2012 is historically one of the most problematic areas. Fire services and smoke seals to Class 2 requirements under NCC Volume One Section E1. Penetrations through fire-rated walls for plumbing, electrical and mechanical services, these are often rushed at the end of the program and are the first place smoke and fire can cross compartments.

The NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 requires registered designers and builders for Class 2 work, which has meaningfully improved documentation trails. Inspectors commissioned for settlement inspections should ask for the design compliance declarations and construction issued for construction (CIFC) drawings where available.

The distinction between cosmetic and structural defects matters for the developer's rectification clause in the contract. Cosmetic items usually must be listed at defects inspection; structural items typically fall under longer warranty periods. Both should be documented photographically with GPS and timestamps.