Bring the apartment's agreed documents
Prepare the signed contract, equipment and materials appendices, applicable drawing and handover invitation. Check the unit, tower and version. A show-apartment photograph can prompt a question but should not replace the specification agreed between the parties.
The Government Portal's apartment-contract template treats handover and warranty separately. Prepare two sets of questions: what is being recorded today, and through which channel will later issues be handled? Do not infer your applicable deadlines from a generic template.
Follow the same order in every room
Start at the entrance and move continuously through the apartment instead of repeatedly returning to attractive details. In each room, look at the whole space before checking doors, finishes, listed equipment and safely accessible features against the specification.
Mark each item observed, inaccessible or requiring specialist attention. If ordinary use cannot be checked because electricity or water is unavailable, write not checked. An empty box is not a pass. Do not open electrical panels, technical valves or restricted areas.
Separate observation, measurement and diagnosis
A mark on a wall is something you can observe; its cause and significance need appropriate assessment. Use neutral descriptions rather than diagnosing structural leakage or declaring a system compliant. Agree specialist inspection arrangements with the handover team beforehand.
For dimensions, record the tool, measurement endpoints and unit. Your reference measurement does not independently determine legally relevant floor area or payment adjustments. If it differs from documents, ask for the discrepancy and measurement method to be recorded and clarified.
Write a defect another person can locate
Use room / exact position / description / photo or measurement / document reference / receiving contact / next agreed step / status. Give each issue its own line. A wider photograph provides location; a closer one supplies detail.
A fictional entry might describe a loose handle on the cabinet beneath the window in the bedroom left of the entrance, noticed during ordinary use. Add an image reference and ask who will recheck it. Avoid damaging finishes with labels or photographing someone else's private information.
Close the follow-up loop
Before signing, read the record and ensure you understand its statements, attachments and unresolved disagreements. If its legal effect is unclear, seek explanation or independent advice. This guide cannot decide whether you should sign or refuse handover.
Keep the copy provided, key and access-card inventory, any meter readings and the supplied warranty contact. Track each issue from acknowledgement to reinspection rather than marking it complete because an appointment exists. Organise images privately; do not upload personal contracts to HAVO.
Words worth knowing
- Handover record
- The document recording delivery and the matters stated by the parties at handover.
- Defect log
- A separate working table tracking individual issues, evidence and progress.
Take this to a viewing
- Prepare matching drawings and appendices.
- Use a consistent room sequence.
- Match image references to defect entries before leaving.
Common questions
Can photographs replace written defect records?
Do not assume so. Ask how images are linked to the matters recorded by the parties, and keep both.
Can I bring specialist testing equipment?
Agree the scope with the handover team. System and safety testing requires appropriately qualified people, not improvised checks.
Sources
- Contract template: handover and warranty, 27 August 2024Vietnam Government PortalDistinguishes topics; no reader-specific deadline inferred.