Guides for the part of the job nobody teaches you
Closeout is where good projects go wrong. These are plain, sourced explanations of inspection, snagging, practical completion and defect liability, written for the people who have to run them. Free to read, nothing gated.
Jurisdiction-specific pages identify their scope and cite official sources. See our editorial standards.
The new build snagging checklist, room by room
Every room, every external elevation, and the services. What to check, what counts as a defect, and what a builder will reasonably refuse.
12 minute readGlobalPunch list, snag list, defect list: one job, three names
The same closeout process is called four different things depending on where you work. A plain guide to the vocabulary, and where the process genuinely differs.
7 minute readAustralia and UKPractical completion: what to check before you sign
Signing off practical completion moves risk, insurance and payment. Here is what has to be true first, and the inspection to run before you agree.
10 minute readAustralia and UKThe defects liability period, explained properly
The DLP is not a warranty and it is not the end of your liability. What it covers, how long it runs, and how to come out of it without a dispute.
9 minute readGlobalHow to write a defect report that actually gets fixed
Most defect reports fail on the description, not the photo. The five fields that decide whether a snag gets fixed on the first visit.
8 minute readAustraliaThe pre-handover inspection checklist for Australian homes
A room-by-room plan for the final walk, with the documents, evidence and follow-up steps Australian owners should have ready before handover.
13 minute readAustraliaHow to run an end-of-defects-liability-period inspection
The final inspection is a project closeout exercise, not a last-minute walk. Work backwards from the contract date and prove what remains open.
10 minute readGlobalHow to photograph construction defects so the evidence works
Take photographs that show where the defect is, what the condition looks like and how large it is, without relying on memory or a separate note.
9 minute readAustralia and globalConstruction defect categories that stay useful on site
A good category helps route work and spot patterns. It should not try to carry the location, severity, status and cause in one overloaded label.
9 minute readThe app these guides were written alongside
Site Audit runs the same process on your phone: photograph the defect, assign it to a trade, and hand over a branded PDF before you leave the building.
See how it works