(1) Walls

Best time for checking the finishing/painting of walls is in the evening with proper lighting.
Points to consider are:
Uneven surface - indicates that the base has not been done properly or the proper procedure has not been
adopted

Bubbles on the surface - indicates that proper process is not been adopted and the paint/distemper will peel off over a period of time

(2) Door/windows/frames

Again the checking should be done in the evening with proper lighting.
Points to consider are:

Any uneven spot or concentrated spot means painting is not done properly.

It could also mean that excess paint/P.O.P has been used to hide cracks/chipped surface, which will
show/surface over a period of time. This is a very standard procedure which is used by contractor/builders to hide shortcomings/bad quality/misalignment/chipping/cracks etc.

Check if the doors and windows close properly and there are no gaps.

(3) Polish of door/cupboard

Faults in polishing work are not easily detected but one can look for uneven polishing.

One should check for any incomplete work in the inside portion of cupboard, on the inside of the door, top of the doors and cupboard. One has to ensure that no portion is incomplete.

(4) Floors

Again the best time to inspect is in the evening with proper lighting. Point to consider

Look for cracks/chipped portion or corners. Mostly fillings or polish is used to conceal cracks and one has to look for them very carefully.

Cracks on tiles are easy to identify but cracks on marble or granite can be identified by touching or sliding your finger nails across the suspected portion

Mismatch of tiles/marble – there is always a possibility that tiles/marble are not matching. Normally a nearest matching colours are used and thereby one has look at them very carefully.

Improper fixing – both in case of stones and tiles there is a possibility that they have not been fixed properly. This can be identified by knocking on the tiled surface or walking over the stone surface with you feet firmly pressed on the floor. In both cases you will hear a hollow sound and in case the stone is not fixed properly there will be some movement of the stone when pressure is applied on a particular spot.

(5) Seepage

Unless the seepage is apparent it is again not so easy to identify it but one can do a few things to preempt the possibility.

Roof/walls – one should block the outlets on the terrace and put lot of water which should remain there for at least few hours. By adopting this method there is a possibility that if the water proofing is not done properly the seepage, in case it is there, might show up.

Let all the taps run for some time and flush should be operated a few times to see if there is any leakage/blockage of pipes which might cause seepage.

Fill up the bath tub and leave it for some time. If it’s not installed properly then again the seepage will occur for you to identify it.

Pour buckets of water to check the slope in the bathroom, balcony and terraces.

(6) Leakage

Run the showers to check if the flow is proper.

Run the health faucets to check for proper flow and leakages.

Check under sinks in the bathrooms, for leakages.

Questions to ask regarding maintenance while taking the possession:

1. What all is covered under maintenance?

2. For how long will the builder take responsibility to repair any defects and replace any shortcomings in the house?

3. Has an anti-termite treatment been undertaken?

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