For months, a new-build home exists mostly on paper: floor plans, renders, a building specification and the promise of a completion date. Key handover day is the first time that promise can be touched, opened, switched on and measured. It is also the last time the buyer holds all the bargaining power.
The handover visit serves three purposes: to verify that what has been built matches what was contracted, to check that every system works as it should, and to make sure the home arrives with its full legal file. Anything that falls short is recorded in a snagging report signed by the developer, which will form the basis of any later claim under the warranties set out in Spain’s Building Act (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación, LOE): one, three and ten years, depending on the nature of the defect.
Anyone who has bought off-plan before knows the process does not end with the reservation or the deed. This guide skips the obvious and focuses on what tends to go unnoticed even by experienced buyers, and that makes the difference between receiving a house and receiving the house you actually bought.
Before the visit: the property file
The inspection begins days in advance, with a cross-reading of three documents: the purchase contract, the building specification and the floor plans, together with any customisation addenda signed during construction. Finish changes agreed halfway through a project are often lost somewhere between the sales team, the site management and the subcontractor. Bringing them written down avoids discovering on handover day that the porcelain tile you chose was never ordered.
The second step is paperwork. In addition to the first occupancy licence or declaration (or the certificate of habitability in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands), it is worth having to hand the final completion certificate, the energy performance certificate for the finished building, the installation certificates, the Building Logbook (Libro del Edificio) and the ten-year structural insurance certificate. Without first occupancy, utilities cannot be connected in the buyer’s name, and without the ten-year insurance, the completed new build cannot be deeded or registered.
There is one piece of information almost nobody asks for, and it is worth requesting: the date of the certificate of acceptance of works, the document by which the builder hands the building over to the developer. It is this date, not the key handover date, that starts the warranty clock. If acceptance was signed with reservations, it is also worth knowing what they were, because they describe the weak points the developer itself has already identified in the building.
Finally, time. A high-end home with terraces, zoned climate control and home automation cannot be properly inspected in less than three hours. Asking for a generous time slot, ideally in daylight, is the first smart decision of the visit.
Inspecting with an expert eye
Any buyer can spot a broken tile. What sets a good handover visit apart is knowing where to look for what is not visible at first glance and becomes a problem with use. It pays to go through the home system by system, not just room by room.
The building envelope: water, air and noise
Facades, roofs and exterior windows and doors account for most claims in the first few years. On terraces and balconies, the most revealing test costs one bucket of water: pour it out and watch whether it runs towards the drain or pools next to the window frame. On windows and balcony doors, beyond checking that they open and close, look at how well the hardware is adjusted, whether the seals are continuous, and whether the glazing matches the specification, something usually shown by the manufacturer’s stamp inside the glazing unit.
If the development boasts about its acoustic insulation, it is worth testing it with the windows closed at peak traffic time, or asking for the results of the on-site acoustic tests.
Building services: what must work from day one
Climate control is the most technical area and the one most often taken on trust without testing. With aerothermal heat pumps and underfloor heating, activate each zone from its own thermostat and check that it responds, that the outdoor unit does not transmit vibrations to the structure, and that hot water reaches the furthest bathrooms within a reasonable time. With home automation, the question is not whether it works, but who sets it up, who holds the administrator credentials and which company provides support after handover.
In the electrical panel, circuits should be labelled and the residual current devices should trip when the test button is pressed. Testing every socket with a phone charger is tedious, but it is exactly the kind of check nobody will do later.
Finishes: the measure of quality
In the high-end segment, finishes are not a detail; they account for a large part of the property’s value. Raking light, from a torch held flat against the wall, reveals ripples in the plaster and differences in paint tone that go unnoticed under overhead lighting. Walk the wooden flooring room by room, listening for creaks or hollow spots, and check that expansion gaps have been left where the floor meets the door frames.
In kitchens and bathrooms, the key check is consistency with the specification: make and model of appliances, taps and sanitaryware. It is common for a discontinued item to be replaced with an “equivalent” one without notice, and the buyer has the right to know and to decide whether to accept it.
Beyond the front door
Parking space, storage room and communal areas are part of the purchase. The parking space should match the deed in number and dimensions, and it is worth testing the actual manoeuvre with the car you will be using. Communal areas are formally accepted by the residents’ association, but the visit is a good opportunity to confirm that the pool, gardens or gym have been completed as described in the sales brochure.
The snagging report: write it so you can enforce it
A snagging report is only as good as its wording. “Defective paint in living room” is an opinion; “ten-centimetre paint flake on the north wall of the living room, next to the balcony door” is a verifiable fact. Each item should be identified by its exact location, a dated photograph and, ideally, a repair deadline accepted by the developer.
How you sign also matters. Accepting the home with a general statement of satisfaction is not the same as accepting it while recording the outstanding reservations. The latter does not prevent you from completing the deed or moving in, but it records that the defects existed at the time of handover, something the developer could dispute later if it were not in writing.
For homes of significant value, bringing a building surveyor or an independent expert has gone from being overly cautious to standard practice. Their report adds technical judgement, detects what a visual inspection cannot, and gives the snagging list a weight that a private buyer’s list rarely has.
After handover, every new issue should be reported in writing, with proof of receipt and a precise description. That paper trail is what turns an annoyance into a well-founded claim.
The LOE warranty timeline
Spain’s Building Act (Law 38/1999) sets out the liability of everyone involved in a construction project across three time horizons. Towards the buyer, the developer is jointly and severally liable with the other parties, which makes it the natural point of contact for any claim.
The first horizon is one year and covers workmanship defects affecting finishes: windows and doors that sag, seals that give way, coverings that come loose. It is the warranty most often used in practice, because these are the issues that surface through everyday use of the home.
The second is three years and covers defects in building elements or services that affect habitability: leaks, condensation caused by poor insulation, waterproofing failures or installations that do not perform their function.
The third, ten years, protects against structural damage that compromises the strength and stability of the building. It is the only one of the three that, for residential property, must be compulsorily insured, through the ten-year structural insurance policy (seguro decenal), which passes with the property to each new owner.
Two points worth keeping in mind
The first, already mentioned: warranty periods run from acceptance of the works, not from key handover. In developments where sales take a long time, part of the one-year finishes warranty may already have been used up before the buyer moves in.
The second concerns who is liable. Many developments are carried out through companies set up specifically for that project, which may be wound up once all units are sold. In that scenario, the one- and three-year warranties lose much of their practical effectiveness, while the ten-year cover, being insured, remains in place. Knowing the developer’s solvency and track record is therefore part of the buyer’s due diligence, not just a matter of reputation.
Once damage appears within the warranty period, the right to bring a claim expires after two years. On top of this are the remedies arising from the purchase contract itself, for example when the building specification has not been met. For any significant issue, advice from a technical expert and a specialist lawyer is the best investment.
Frequently asked questions
Can completion of the deed be postponed because of defects found at handover?
Minor snags do not usually justify it, provided they are documented with a commitment to repair. It is a different matter when the issues make the home uninhabitable, when there is no first occupancy licence or certificate of habitability, or when there are substantial differences from what was contracted. In those cases, the decision should be taken with legal advice before signing.
How long does the developer have to carry out the repairs?
The law does not set a specific deadline for the snagging list, which is why it is advisable to agree one in the report itself. It is reasonable to expect them to be resolved while the construction teams are still on site, usually in the weeks following handover.
Is it worth hiring an expert for the visit?
In the upper-mid and high-end segments, yes. The cost is marginal compared with the value of the property, and the report picks up levelling, insulation or installation defects that escape a visual inspection, as well as strengthening any later claim.
What exactly does the ten-year structural insurance cover?
Only material damage resulting from structural defects that compromise the strength and stability of the building. Finishes and habitability issues are claimed from the developer within its one- and three-year periods.
Do the warranties transfer if I sell the home?
Yes. Subsequent owners retain the LOE warranties for the remainder of each period, and the ten-year insurance stays with the property.
A home is handed over, but above all it is received
Key handover is often treated as a final formality, when in fact it is the last opportunity to make sure the home is exactly the one you chose. Arriving with the file reviewed, a trained eye and a well-written snagging report is not a sign of distrust towards the developer; it is the natural way to close an investment of this size properly.
At aProperties, we also stand by our new-build clients at that moment. Our team works alongside developers in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Palma, knows every project from its inception and knows exactly what to look for when the day comes to open the door for the first time.