Digital guide · Instant download
Want the trade secrets and the confidence to defect it yourself?
The Handover Guide is the same walkthrough we run on site, written so you can run it yourself before you sign. 33 pages, photographed real-world defects, the room-by-room list, and where the published Victorian tolerances actually draw the line between "fussy" and "defective".
- The raking-light technique — the single trick that finds most defects
- Room-by-room checklist you can tick off on your phone
- Real photographed defects so you know exactly what wrong looks like
- Where the Victorian standards and tolerances draw the line
- How to write your list so a builder can't dismiss it
What's inside
Front entry & façade
Door margins, render, external caulking.
Living areas & hallways
Raking-light sweep, cornice and skirting lines.
Kitchen
Cabinet alignment, benchtops, silicone beads.
Bathrooms & ensuites
Tile lippage, grout, screens, floor fall.
Bedrooms & robes
Walls, robe interiors, window operation.
Doors, windows & hardware
Operation, margins, finish.
Floors
Boards, tiles, carpet edges.
Ceilings
Cracks, patching, access panels.
The easy-to-miss list
The spots builders assume you won't check.
What the guide covers
A 33-page, room-by-room reference for self-checking cosmetic and finishing quality at practical completion / handover. It photographs real defects, explains the raking-light technique, and paraphrases where Victoria's Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026 and relevant Australian Standards draw the line between acceptable finish and a defect.
What it doesn't cover
- Structural, waterproofing, electrical, plumbing, gasfitting or mechanical inspection
- Termite, timber-pest or concealed moisture testing behind closed cavities
- Roof-void or subfloor entry, or invasive opening of walls / linings
- Compliance certification, statutory certificates or warranties of any kind
- A professional opinion on a specific property — it is general guidance, not a report on your home
No liability
The Handover Guide is general information to help you inspect your own home. It is not a professional inspection, a certificate of compliance, a building surveyor's report, or a warranty of any kind, and it does not replace a Nitpik on-site inspection. Nitpik accepts no liability for defects you fail to identify, for defects concealed or not reasonably visible, or for any action taken or not taken based on the guide. Any reliance on it is at your sole risk. Digital product: strictly one download per purchase, with no refunds once the download link has been issued. Full terms are on the Terms page.