Nitpik — New homes / off-the-plan
New home inspection Melbourne.
Designer defect inspections, professionally picky.
A brand-new home should look brand new. We check the finish of new builds, townhouses and off-the-plan apartments the way a designer would, and record every shortfall against the 2026 Guide.
What a cosmetic finish inspection covers on a new build
We look at everything you can see and touch once the trades have left: paintwork and plaster, cornices and shadowlines, skirtings and architraves, doors and hardware, tiling and grout, stone and joinery, glazing and silicone. Each surface is viewed under raking light and checked with a level.
The aim is simple — a numbered list of the finishes that fall short of the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026, written so your builder can work through it room by room without debate.
New homes versus off-the-plan apartments and townhouses
On a detached new home you usually get a practical completion walkthrough with your builder before handover. Off-the-plan purchases work differently: you are buying a finished lot from a developer, and the inspection window before settlement can be short.
For apartments and townhouses we inspect inside the lot — the finishes you are paying for — before you settle. Common property and building services are outside a cosmetic inspection and sit with the owners corporation and the developer.
What we do not cover
We do not inspect structure, compliance, waterproofing or services, and we do not carry out stage or frame inspections. For those, speak to your building surveyor or a registered building inspector. Our job is the finish: whether what was delivered matches what you would expect from a quality build.
Timing
Book once your builder or developer gives you a practical completion or settlement date. Ideally we inspect a few days before you sign, so there is time to send the report and agree rectification.
Pricing
$450 single storey · $750 double storey. Same-day PDF report.
For the full handover process, see our main handover inspection page, or what to expect from a building defects report. Already moved in? Read about a warranty inspection.
Areas we inspect
Handover and building defects inspections across metro Melbourne, led by the city's high-end finish suburbs — plus the northern growth corridor and the rest of Victoria.
- Toorak
- Brighton
- Kew
- Camberwell
- Malvern
- Hawthorn
- South Yarra
- Armadale
- Canterbury
- Glen Iris
- Balwyn
- Ivanhoe
- Albert Park
- Middle Park
- Elwood
Common questions
Do you inspect apartments, townhouses and off-the-plan homes?
Yes. We do apartment and townhouse handover inspections in Melbourne, including off-the-plan settlement inspections, where the finish is checked inside the lot before you settle.
When should I book?
Once the builder tells you the home has reached practical completion, and before you sign off or pay the final instalment. That's when you have the most leverage to get defects fixed.
Do you do building and pest inspections?
No. Nitpik inspects cosmetic finish only. We're not structural engineers, building surveyors or pest and termite inspectors, and we don't do pre-purchase building and pest reports on existing homes.
How much does it cost?
Flat rates: $450 for a single-storey home and $750 for a double-storey home, booked and paid online. Re-check visits after rectification are available on request, quoted individually.
Book your new home inspection
$450 single-storey · $750 double-storey. Every defect photographed and cited to the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026, with your PDF report the same day. Servicing Melbourne and Victoria.
Nitpik inspects cosmetic finish only. We are not structural engineers, building surveyors (RBS), or pest and termite inspectors, and we don't do pre-purchase building and pest reports on existing homes. This page is general information, not legal advice. Your contract and the law take precedence over the Guide.