When should I book a handover inspection?

Four to six weeks before your expected escritura date. That leaves time for the inspection, for the developer to respond, and for a re-check.

New-Build Handover Inspection Portugal

Why Before, Not After

Inspect before the escritura, while your payment is still waiting

Look at your payment schedule. Most new-build contracts in Portugal collect 20–30% before completion — and the remaining 70–80% at the escritura. So the weeks before you sign are when the developer has the strongest reason to deal with what you raise: your final payment is still to come.

Defects raised before the escritura are much easier to get attended to, because the developer still wants to complete. Raised after you have the keys, they tend to turn into emails and delays with a developer who has already been paid. What the developer agrees to fix, and when, is between you, them and your lawyer; we give you the evidence to have that conversation.

Most buyers walk through their new apartment once, with the seller’s agent, and sign the auto de receção on the spot. Then they discover what’s behind the paint.

How It Works

Four steps. One deadline.

Book

4–6 weeks before your escritura date.

We inspect

2–3 hours, thermal camera, accessible systems tested. You don’t need to be in Portugal.

You raise it with the developer

You get a photographed snag list in English and Portuguese, ready for the developer and your lawyer, before the final payment is made.

Re-check, then sign

Optional return visit (€290 + IVA) to check the agreed items, so you sign knowing what was put right and what wasn’t.

The Service

What we inspect

A builder carries out the inspection. Two to three hours on site covering:

Thermal imaging survey Missing insulation, thermal bridging, hidden moisture in walls and screeds. Invisible to the eye; obvious on camera.
Every system, tested Hot water, heating/AC, ventilation, every tap, drain, socket, switch, window, door and blind. Not looked at — operated.
Finishes and workmanship Tiling, joinery, paintwork, sealants, flooring, measured against what your contract and caderno de encargos promised.
Externals and common areas affecting your fraction Terraces, balconies, waterproofing details, garage, storage.

New handleless kitchen with marble island in a Porto apartment renovation

What you receive within 48 hours

Your full report in English — photographed, plain-speaking, every defect graded.
A snag list in Portuguese, formatted for the developer — no translation excuses, no ambiguity about what needs fixing.
A defect notification letter ready for your lawyer to attach before escritura.

Optional re-check visit — we return once the developer says it’s fixed, and confirm it actually is, before you sign.

Pricing

Straightforward, per unit

Apartment	from €590 + IVA
Duplex / townhouse	from €690 + IVA
Villa / moradia	from €790 + IVA
Re-check visit	€290 + IVA
11-month warranty inspection (bundle with handover)	€890 + IVA the pair

Every booking is subject to our Terms of Service. We go onto the roof where access is given and it’s safe, and use a drone where it isn’t.

The 11-month inspection: your strongest defect-claim windows close after the first year. We return before they do — after a winter of rain and a summer of movement — and document what’s appeared: settlement cracks, failed sealant, leaking terraces.

Why Antipodean

Independent means independent

Builders, not box-tickers

Builders by trade, across Australia, the UK and Portugal. We know how these buildings go together — and where they’re put together badly.

IMPIC-licensed

Fully insured, working in English and Portuguese.

No developers. No commissions. No conflicts.

We are paid by you and answer to you. Nobody else in this transaction can say that.

Common Questions

Handover FAQs

How quickly can you inspect before my handover?

Usually within 5–7 days, and the snag list is with you within 48 hours of the visit. Handovers get scheduled at short notice and we know it, so if your developer has given you a date, message us the moment you have it — even if it’s a fortnight out. Booking early costs you nothing and the slots near escritura dates go first.

When should I book?

Four to six weeks before your expected escritura date. That leaves time for the inspection, the developer’s fixes, and a re-check.

Can you attend the official handover (vistoria) with me?

Yes — many clients book the inspection to coincide with their scheduled walk-through, or the days just before it.

I’ve already signed and have the keys. Too late?

No — buyers of new property keep legal defect protections after completion (your own lawyer can confirm the exact windows that apply to your contract), and a documented independent report is the foundation of any claim. But the leverage is strongest before escritura: if your date hasn’t passed, book now.

I’m overseas. Can this happen without me?

That’s most of our clients. We inspect, report in English within 48 hours, and liaise with your lawyer directly if you wish.

Will this annoy the developer?

A professional snag list in Portuguese, delivered through the proper channel, is normal practice in every mature market. Good developers fix the list. The ones who bristle at inspection are the ones who most need inspecting.

Book

Your escritura date is the deadline.

Booking is per unit and slots cluster around building completions — when your building delivers, so do sixty others.

Book a Handover Inspection

We’ll confirm availability the same day.

Faster on WhatsApp: +351 969 718 294

Not ready? Take the free checklist

The free Handover Checklist (EN/PT) — what to check yourself, what the auto de receção commits you to, and what can’t be seen without kit.