Between “the building is finished” and “the unit is accepted” lies one day that is worth more than any payment plan. Handover day decides who pays to redo cracked grout, replace the air conditioner that blows warm and seal the terrace leak that only the first downpour will reveal. A Phuket developer transfers the unit against a signed certificate, and after that signature the burden of proving a defect was there before you falls on you. That is why a snagging inspection is not a formality with keys: it is the last free repair you will ever get on the property.
This article is a complete handover checklist for a Phuket condo or villa: what to check room by room, which tools to bring and what they cost, how the tropical climate changes the usual list, how to write a defect report the developer will actually act on, and what Thai law says about the warranty on a new property. The checklist works for two scenarios: you inspect in person, or a representative inspects by proxy in a remote purchase.
Contents
- How handover works in Phuket
- What the law says: 5-year and 2-year warranties
- Inspection tools and where to buy them
- Condo snagging checklist by zone
- Tropical specifics: damp, salt, termites, power
- What a villa adds
- Documents and the key handover
- The defect report: how to write one that gets done
- Units with a furniture package and a rental programme
- DIY or a professional snagger
- Traps
- Case: 27 snags and three weeks
1. How handover works in Phuket
Handover is built into the end of the transaction. The developer notifies you in writing that the unit is ready and invites you to inspect. Events then run in this order: inspection and snag list, rectification, re-inspection, signing of the handover certificate, final payment and registration of title at the Land Office. The timing of each step is written into your contract, and that is the document to re-read before the visit, not after.
| Stage | What happens | What matters to the buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Notice of completion | The developer sends a letter with an inspection date | Check that the project has its occupancy permit and the common areas have been accepted |
| First inspection (pre-handover) | Walk-through with the checklist, photos, snag list | Do not sign the handover certificate on this day |
| Rectification | The developer fixes the listed defects | Agree a written deadline; the benchmark is 30 days |
| Re-inspection | Each item on the list is checked | Closed items are signed off, open items stay on the list |
| Handover certificate | Signature, keys, access cards, meter readings | The certificate does not cancel the warranty: hidden defects remain with the developer |
| Registration | Transfer of title at the Land Office | Fees and duties are covered in our guide to the cost of buying |
Two visits instead of one is the norm, not a whim. In Laguna-grade projects and with the larger developers the pre-handover procedure is formal: the buyer gets time, a snag-list form and a handover manager. With smaller developers you have to set the procedure yourself: ask in writing for two inspections and send your checklist in advance.
The developer is usually represented by a customer-relations manager and the site engineer. Insist on the engineer: the manager will note a snag, the engineer will explain whether it is structural and how it will be fixed. In a remote purchase your representative attends under a power of attorney, and you need a report of the same quality: a photo of every snag tagged to a room, video of the equipment running and the signed list.
2. What the law says: 5-year and 2-year warranties
Handover in Phuket rests on three rules, and it pays to know them before the manager says “that is how everyone does it”.
Condominiums. Under the Condominium Act, a unit is sold on a standard contract form prescribed by the Ministry of Interior. In that form the developer is liable for defects: 5 years for the structure and structural components of the building, 2 years for the other parts, counted from the date the condominium is registered. Your contract may go further, but these periods cannot be shortened.
Rectification period. In 2024 the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) updated its rules for the contract-controlled business of selling condominium units through reservations: a defect must be repaired within 30 days of written notice from the buyer or the condominium juristic person, and an urgent defect immediately. That is your argument when the developer asks you to “wait until next quarter”.
Houses and villas. Here Section 600 of the Civil and Commercial Code applies: unless the contract provides otherwise, the contractor is liable for defects in a structure on land for 5 years after delivery of the work, and for other work for 1 year. The limit does not apply if the contractor concealed the defect, and a claim must be brought within a year of the defect appearing. For a villa buyer this means the contract is the primary document, and it should carry separate periods for structure, finishes, building services and pool equipment.
| Property | Rule | Liability period |
|---|---|---|
| Condo: structure and building components | Standard contract under the Condominium Act | 5 years from registration |
| Condo: other parts (finishes, services) | Standard contract | 2 years from registration |
| Condo: time to rectify a defect | OCPB rules for contract-controlled business | 30 days from written notice |
| House, villa: structure on land | Section 600, Civil and Commercial Code | 5 years from delivery |
| House, villa: other work | Section 600, Civil and Commercial Code | 1 year from delivery unless the contract extends it |
| Appliances: air conditioners, heaters, kitchen | Manufacturer warranty | Usually 1–2 years, sometimes 5 on the compressor |
The warranty does not replace the inspection. A hidden defect can be claimed a year later, but a scratched pane, a chipped tile or an appliance missing from the specification will be almost impossible to prove after a certificate signed without remarks. Everything visible is recorded at handover; everything hidden is covered by the warranty.
This is general information, not legal advice: the wording of your contract comes first, and disputes are handled by an independent Thai lawyer, whose selection we covered in the due diligence guide.
3. Inspection tools and where to buy them
Half of the defects are visible to the eye; the other half only to instruments. The good news is that the full DIY kit costs 3,000–5,000 baht and is sold at HomePro, Thai Watsadu, Global House or on Lazada with next-day delivery. The prices below are a guide from Phuket retail shelves in autumn 2026; a specific model may differ.
| Tool | What it does | Price guide |
|---|---|---|
| Socket tester with RCD test button | Shows whether the earth is connected and whether live and neutral are reversed; the button checks that the RCD really trips the circuit | 150–400 baht |
| Laser distance meter | Checks floor area and ceiling height against the plan and the contract specification | 800–1,500 baht |
| Spirit level, 60–100 cm | Walls, tiles, worktops, the lean of sliding doors | 200–500 baht |
| Glass marble or ping-pong ball | Floor falls in the shower and on the terrace: water must run to the drain, not to the threshold | 20 baht |
| Torch | Voids above ceilings, cupboards, the void under the sink, the consumer unit | 200–500 baht |
| Infrared thermometer | Air temperature at the air-conditioner outlet: 12–16 °C after 15 minutes is normal | 700–1,500 baht |
| Moisture meter | Damp patches under paint after rain, the bottom of walls by the balcony and bathroom | 500–1,000 baht |
| Water pressure gauge with a tap thread | Pressure in the shower and kitchen; below 1.5 bar, ask about a booster pump | 300–600 baht |
| Masking tape and marker | A tag on every defect so the engineer finds it without you | 100 baht |
| Phone charger or hairdryer | Testing every socket under load | already owned |
| Sink plugs and a bucket | Fill the basins and watch how they drain and whether the trap leaks | 100 baht |
| Step ladder | Look at the ceiling, inside the air-conditioner box, on top of the water heater | 900–1,500 baht |
A professional snagger adds a thermal camera, which sees wet zones through paint, and an ultrasonic tile-thickness gauge. For a studio that is overkill; for a villa with a flat roof it is the most valuable thing they bring.
Bring the paperwork too: the unit plan from the contract, the specification of finishes and appliances (an annex to the contract), a snag-list form in two copies and a fully charged phone. Take photos with location and date stamps on: they are evidence in a dispute.
4. Condo snagging checklist by zone
Go clockwise from the front door, room by room, and do not move on until the previous room is closed. Every item below is one action, not “have a look”.
Entrance and doors. The door closes without force and does not catch the floor, the lock and key card work first time, the closer does not slam, the peephole and bell work. Internal doors do not sag, handles are firm, hinges show no rust. Sliding doors to the terrace roll smoothly, the lock holds the leaf, the seal sits along the whole perimeter — run your palm along it: a draught is obvious at once.
Walls and ceilings. Look at an angle to the light: waves in the filler, paint runs, cracks at door frames and above windows. Put the level against the wall in three places. Check the ceiling separately at the air-conditioner box and in the bathrooms: yellow stains mean water has already been there. On the top floor, check the ceiling with a moisture meter after rain.
Floors and tiles. Tap the tiles with a coin: a hollow sound means a void under the tile, and that tile will crack within a year. Check the grout for evenness, the corners for chips, the tile-to-laminate joints for thresholds. A marble on the shower floor must roll to the drain. On the terrace, to the drain and not to the bedroom door.
Windows and glass. Scratches on glass show only in side light, so take your time. No fogging inside the double glazing, the sashes close with compression, insect screens are fitted on every opening window and come off without tools. On the west side, check that the solar-control glass promised in the specification is actually installed.
Electrics. The tester goes into every socket without exception, including kitchen sockets behind appliances and the terrace socket. Press the RCD test button: the lights on that circuit must go out. Open the consumer unit: breakers labelled, no signs of overheating, separate circuits for the air conditioners, water heater and kitchen. Press every switch, turn on every light, run every dimmer. Low-voltage: an internet outlet in every room, TV cable, intercom.
Plumbing. Open all taps fully and at the same time — the pressure must not drop to a trickle. Hot water arrives within a minute, the heater is fixed to the wall and wired through its own RCD. Basins and shower drain fast, the cabinet under the sink is dry after five minutes of filling. The toilet flushes, the cistern does not weep, the flexible hoses show no drips. Sealant around the bath and shower is even, with no gaps.
Air conditioners. Run each one for 15 minutes at 25 °C, then measure the outlet temperature. The condensate drain is routed outside and drips there, not into the wall. Outdoor units are secured, with no vibration or odd noises. Remotes and batteries are supplied, the filters are clean, and the unit carries an installation date — the warranty runs from it.
Kitchen. Hob, extractor, oven, fridge if they are in the specification: switch every appliance on. The worktop has no chips, the fronts are aligned, the hinges soft-close, the sink does not rock. The kitchen tap is often the last one fitted — test the pressure here in particular.
Balcony and terrace. Railings are secure, glass has no chips, the drain is not blocked with builders’ debris, the terrace socket has a cover. The terrace threshold sits above the outdoor floor level: if it does not, storm water will come into the room.
Common areas. The lift, corridors, parking and pool affect rental income as much as the unit does. Make sure the common areas have been accepted, the project has a management company, and the CAM fee and sinking fund terms have been announced in writing.
5. Tropical specifics: damp, salt, termites, power
A temperate-climate checklist does not work in Phuket without five corrections.
Rain and damp. The rainy season, May to October, is the best time to inspect: one downpour tells you more about a building than a week in the dry season. Flat roofs, terraces and windows on the windward side leak precisely then. If your handover falls in the dry season, hose the terrace and shower trays for ten minutes each and check the ceiling on the floor below. Mould in wardrobes and behind the bed means there is no ventilation and the air conditioner only dries the air while running.
Salt and sea air. In beachside projects ordinary steel rusts within a season. Look at hinges, railings, the brackets of outdoor units and the kitchen sink: grade 316 stainless steel resists salt, cheap grade 201 does not. Check against the specification.
Termites. Ask for the termite-treatment certificate from construction and its validity period. Untreated timber doors and built-in furniture are a matter of time. In a villa, check whether the pipes for re-treatment under the slab are in place.
Electricity. The island grid is not perfect: voltage spikes happen in the storm season. Ask whether the consumer unit has a surge-protection device, and do not connect expensive equipment before it is installed. A whole-house stabiliser is standard for a villa, not a luxury.
Water. In the dry season mains pressure drops. For a condo this is a question about the building’s tanks and pumps; for a villa, about your own tank and pump. Check the tank volume against the number of bedrooms: for a family of four, less than 2,000 litres of storage will not work well.
Sun. West-facing façades heat up at sunset until the air conditioner runs flat out. If the specification promises solar-control glass or external blinds, their presence is an item on the list, not a wish.
6. What a villa adds
A villa is a condo plus the services of an entire house, and the expensive defects hide precisely there. Add a separate day to the checklist above.
Pool. Filled, water clear, level does not drop over 24 hours (mark it with tape). Tiles and mosaic with no voids, skimmers and jets working, pump and filter starting from the timer, chlorination or salt electrolysis switched on and explained to you in person. Pool lighting works and is wired through its own RCD. There is an equipment file and a service contact.
Water and drainage. Tank, pump, coarse filters, a softener if needed: switch on and watch the pressure. Septic tank or treatment plant: where it is, how it is serviced, who empties it. A grease trap on the kitchen line. Storm drainage across the plot — especially on a slope: during rain the water must go to the drains, not to the footings.
Roof and gutters. Go up or ask for photos: tiles not displaced, valleys and abutments sealed, gutters clear, flashings at wall junctions. Check the loft or attic ceiling with the moisture meter.
Gates, security, connectivity. Gate automation, remotes, intercom, cameras and their recorder, perimeter lighting, the internet cable to the house and Wi-Fi points on each floor.
Grounds. Retaining walls without cracks, the fence within the Chanote boundary, irrigation and drainage running, plants alive. The driveway sloping away from the house, not towards it.
Solar panels and smart home, if they are in the specification: the inverter shows generation, the app is linked to your account and not the site foreman’s.
The legal side of a villa is a separate subject of land, house and ownership structure, which we return to in the documents section below and cover in detail in the guide to buying a villa as a foreigner.
7. Documents and the key handover
On signing day you should leave with a folder, not only with keys. Check the list:
- keys to every door and the letterbox, access cards, gate and air-conditioner remotes — with a count of each;
- electricity and water meter readings on the handover date, recorded in the certificate, and the procedure for transferring the accounts to your name;
- warranty cards and manuals for every appliance, the pool equipment file, the consumer-unit diagram;
- as-built drawings of the services: where pipes and cables run, so you do not drill into a water pipe a year later;
- a statement of fees paid to the handover date, the condominium rules, contacts of the juristic person and the management company;
- for a villa, the house registration book (tabien baan), the building permit and the land documents, whose composition depends on the ownership structure;
- the signed snag list with any open items and their deadlines if anything is still outstanding.
Transfer of title is registered at the Land Office, and you need the whole chain of payments ready for it: for a freehold condo the Land Office will ask for proof of the foreign-currency transfer, which is covered in detail in the article on the FET. Registration itself is no longer handover but the legal part of the deal, and the steps are collected in the guide to the buying process.
8. The defect report: how to write one that gets done
The snag list is the only document that turns your remarks into an obligation. A badly written list — “walls uneven, please finish” — will be done by no one. A good list looks like a table where each row is one defect with an address, a photo and a deadline.
| No. | Zone | Defect | Photo | Category | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bedroom 1, wall by the window | 40 cm crack above the reveal, moisture meter 22% after rain | IMG_0412 | A — structure, water | 30 days | Open |
| 2 | Living room, terrace | Floor falls towards the door, water does not reach the drain | IMG_0419 | A | 30 days | Open |
| 3 | Kitchen | Socket behind the fridge has no earth | IMG_0423 | B — safety | 7 days | Open |
| 4 | Bathroom 2 | 2 cm chip in the tile by the drain | IMG_0431 | C — cosmetic | 30 days | Open |
| 5 | Air conditioner, bedroom 2 | Outlet temperature 21 °C after 15 minutes | VID_0433 | B — equipment | 14 days | Open |
The rules that make a list work:
- One defect per row, with an exact address inside the unit. “Chipped tiles” does not work; “bathroom 2, third tile right of the drain” does.
- A photo of every defect with the tape tag in frame, plus a wide shot of the room so the location is clear. Video for equipment and water.
- Categories A, B, C: structure and water, safety and equipment, cosmetic. Open A and B items are grounds not to sign the handover certificate at all; C items can be closed after handover if the deadline and responsibility are written down.
- The rectification period in days, not “as soon as possible”, and both parties’ signatures on every page. For condos the OCPB benchmark is 30 days from written notice.
- A copy of the list in your hands on inspection day, plus an email to the developer with the same list: that gives the notice a date.
If the deadline passes and the defects are still there, the next step is a written claim citing the contract and the warranty periods, and if the developer stays silent, a lawyer and a complaint to the OCPB. Whether to withhold the final payment until categories A and B are closed depends on the wording of your contract: it is a negotiating tool to be used with a lawyer, not on advice from a chat group.
9. Units with a furniture package and a rental programme
Most investment condos in Phuket are delivered with a furniture package and go straight into a rental programme. That adds two documents to the handover.
The FF&E inventory. Every item of furniture, appliances and textiles with model and quantity — what you paid for in the package. Check against the list, not by “it all seems to be here”: a different mattress brand, two lamps instead of four and a smaller TV are typical discrepancies. Photograph every room in full: this is your baseline for future wear-and-tear disputes with the operator.
The handover to the operator. If the unit joins a rental pool, the operator takes it over from you, not from the developer, and is responsible for its condition from that day. Make sure category A and B defects are closed before then: the operator will not check a guest into a unit with a leak, and the vacancy will be yours. In VillaCarte Group projects such as Layan Green Park, the unit passes to the operator against an inventory, and it makes sense to settle any questions about the fit-out before the first guest rather than at the end of the season.
A separate point concerns units that the first tenants will occupy after you: ask the operator for a photo report after the first check-in. That is how you split responsibility for a scratch on the worktop between construction and operation.
10. DIY or a professional snagger
Phuket has independent inspectors and companies that carry out the snagging for the buyer: they arrive with a thermal camera, a moisture meter and testers and deliver a report with photos and categories. The price depends on the size and type of property and is agreed in advance.
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| A studio or a single unit in a large project with a track record | DIY with the checklist, 2–3 hours |
| Two- and three-bedroom units, penthouses, top floors | DIY plus thermometer and moisture meter; an inspector if in doubt |
| A villa of any size | An inspector with a thermal camera: roof, pool, drainage, electrics |
| A remote purchase under a power of attorney | An inspector or an agency representative with a photo and video report |
| A resale rather than a new build | An inspector is essential: the developer’s warranties may have run out |
What a good snagger brings besides instruments: their own list form, knowledge of local electrical standards and experience with the specific developer — they know where this contractor’s weak points are. The report is handed to you on inspection day, and a re-check after rectification is part of the service.
We attend handover with our buyers: we are present at the inspection, keep the list and chase the deadlines, and in a remote purchase we send a photo and video report for every room. It is part of our transaction support, not a separate service.
11. Traps
- Signing on a promise. The manager asks you to sign today and “we will finish the snags this week”. After the signature you are an owner with a warranty, not a buyer with the right to refuse. Open category A and B items are a reason to move the signing.
- Inspecting without the specification. Without the contract annex you cannot prove that a different air-conditioner brand or a stone worktop was due. Bring the document.
- Checking by eye. The socket looks fine but has no earth. The air conditioner blows, but at 21 degrees. Both defects show only with instruments.
- The dry season. Accepted in February, leaking in June. Ask for a written watertightness warranty for the first rainy season and hose it down yourself.
- Common areas later. The unit is perfect, but the lift is not commissioned, the pool is empty, the parking is unmarked. For rental income that is the same as a defect in the flat.
- Photos without an address. Thirty pictures of chips with no room reference — the developer will not find them. A numbered piece of tape in the frame solves it.
- Appliances switched on once. Switch every appliance on and leave the air conditioners running for the whole inspection: drainage problems and noise show up after half an hour.
- A representative’s “all good”. In a remote inspection demand a table with photos, not a messenger note. How to pick a developer so that fewer of these stories happen is covered in the article on developer red flags.
12. Case: 27 snags and three weeks
A typical handover of a two-bedroom unit in Bang Tao in September, at the height of the rains, using the checklist from this article and a 4,000-baht tool kit.
Three hours produced 27 snags. Category A — two: a damp patch on the bedroom ceiling by the air-conditioner box and a terrace falling towards the door. Category B — four: two sockets without earth, an RCD that did not trip the kitchen circuit, and an air conditioner with a 20-degree outlet temperature. The rest was cosmetic: chipped grout, a scratched pane, loose handles, a missing insect screen on one window.
The list with photos and tape numbers went to the developer by email the same evening. Deadlines on the list: 7 days for the electrics, 14 for the air conditioner, 30 for the rest. At the re-inspection three weeks later 25 items were closed; the terrace fall was rebuilt with the tiles lifted, the ceiling dried and repainted after the roof abutment was repaired. Two cosmetic items stayed open with a new date and went into the handover certificate as an obligation.
What the inspection was worth in money: the terrace and roof redone at the developer’s expense, rather than the first guests arriving to a bucket under the ceiling. What it was worth in peace of mind: the unit went into the rental programme with an inventory and a photo report, and the first wear-and-tear questions were settled by the operator from photos rather than from memory.
Handover is the last day when defects cost the developer, not you. The list in this article, four thousand baht of tools and a rainy day are all it takes to accept a condo properly. For a villa, add an inspector with a thermal camera.
If you buy with us, we run the handover together: the checklist, the list, deadline control and a photo report in a remote purchase. Write to us and we will send the defect-report template as a table and tell you what to check in your particular project.
Defect-report template and handover support
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Informational only, not legal advice. Warranty periods and the rectification procedure are set by your contract and by the law in force on the date of the deal; disputes are handled by an independent Thai lawyer.
