Nitpik — Guide
How to choose a handover inspector in Melbourne.
A handover inspection is one shot, taken at the moment you have the most leverage over your builder. These are the nine things worth checking before you hand that moment to anyone.
Nine checks before you book
Work through these with any inspector you're considering. Most reports you'll be sent will fail at least three of them.
01
True independence
Ask who pays them. If an inspector also does rectification work, takes referrals from builders, or quotes on behalf of a builder's preferences, the report can drift. The only person an inspector should answer to is the client who booked them.
02
A published standard
A handover report is only useful if it points at something the builder accepts. Ask which standard defects are measured against, and whether the report cites clause numbers. In Victoria the reference is the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026, published by the Building and Plumbing Commission (Victoria). A report that just says "poor finish" starts an argument; one that says "visible from 1.5 m under Cl. 16.2" doesn't.
03
Photo evidence for every item
Each defect should come with its own photograph, room location and clause reference. A defect the builder can't see on paper is a defect they'll dispute. Ask to see a full sample report before you book — not a page of it.
04
The right focus for handover
At practical completion the building surveyor has already signed off on compliance. What you need now is someone who judges the finish: paint, plaster, tiling, stone, joinery, doors and glass. Structural and pest inspections answer a different question and belong earlier in the build.
05
Tolerances, not opinions
Finish inspection is measurable. Lipping between tiles, gaps under cornices, scratches on glass — the Guide sets numeric tolerances for each. Ask whether the report records the tolerance beside every defect, so items stand or fall on the standard rather than on taste.
06
Delivery you can act on
Ask when the report arrives and in what form. A same-day digital report means you can send it to the builder before handover, while your leverage is highest. A report that lands a week later, or a PDF that can't be forwarded to the site manager, loses its purpose.
07
A re-check, on the record
After the builder fixes the list, someone has to confirm each item is actually rectified. Ask whether a re-check of the original items is included, how long you have to use it, and whether it is marked item by item as rectified or outstanding.
08
Flat, published pricing
The fee shouldn't depend on how many defects turn up — an inspector paid per defect has the wrong incentive, and one who prices after the walk has the wrong order. Flat, published rates with scope and liability in writing keep it clean.
09
Someone who answers the phone
You'll have questions between booking and handover. Ask who does the inspection, whether they'll speak with you directly, and how quickly reports and re-checks get turned around. If that's hard to establish before you pay, it won't improve afterwards.
What a good report looks like
A finished handover report should read like evidence, not a mood. Every item carries a photo, a room, a clause from the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026 and the tolerance that applies. The builder can open it, see the mark from 1.5 metres, read the clause, and get on with fixing it — no debate required.
Then it becomes a working list: each original item tracked through to re-check as rectified or outstanding, so nothing quietly drops off before handover.
Walk-away signs
- Won't show you a complete sample report before booking.
- Reports that list defects without photos, clause references or tolerances.
- Pricing that changes after the inspection, or fees tied to defect counts.
- No written scope, liability limitation or standard cited in the report.
- A re-check offered as a verbal promise rather than written into the terms.
Judge us against this list
Nitpik is independent — the only client is you. Every defect photographed and cited to the 2026 Guide, digital report the same day, re-checks quoted individually. $450 single-storey · $750 double-storey. Servicing Victoria.
This guide is general information about cosmetic finish defects only. It isn't legal advice or a structural or compliance assessment. Your contract and the law take precedence over the Guide.