Final inspection before completion: buyer checklist

The home you viewed weeks ago may not be the home you receive at completion. A rushed move can cause damage, an included appliance can disappear, and a promised repair may still be unfinished.

The final inspection compares the empty property with what was agreed. It does not replace a technical survey or decide, by itself, whether you should complete: it produces facts to resolve before paying the balance and accepting the keys.

First, define what you are comparing

Bring the CPCV and its annexes. Add the inventory, dated photographs, plan, messages accepted by both parties and the list of promised works or repairs. A listing sentence or a saved phone photograph may explain the context, but does not replace the signed agreement.

Portugal’s Civil Code identifies transfer, delivery and payment as essential effects of sale. The delivery rule says the thing must be delivered in the state it was in at the time of sale and, unless agreed otherwise, includes integral parts and documents relating to it.

This does not mean every object seen months earlier is included. An integral part is materially attached to the property with permanence; loose furniture and appliances should appear in a clear inventory.

Agree access before the date arrives

There is no universal rule requiring an inspection 24 or 48 hours beforehand. Access, timing, attendance and what happens if there is a problem should be agreed and, ideally, addressed in the CPCV.

Try to visit after the seller removes their belongings. Walls, floors, cupboards and storage then become visible. Inspect close to completion but leave real time to send evidence and receive instructions from your lawyer or solicitor. If the visit happened too early, recheck the essentials when the keys are handed over.

Request access to everything you are buying: home, balcony, garage, parking space, storage, garden and exclusive-use areas. Also confirm that people, pets and belongings that should leave no longer occupy the property.

Walk through in the same order every time

Start outside and continue room by room. Do not dismantle equipment or carry out dangerous tests. If gas is disconnected, an electrical panel looks unsafe or there are signs of a leak, stop and request the appropriate intervention.

Bring a phone charger, small torch, absorbent cloth, tape measure and your printed or digital list. A phone charger does not certify the electrical installation; it is only a limited functional test.

Record facts, not diagnoses

Take a wide photograph of each room, then each difference. Include a reference point and retain the original dated files. A continuous video may show the route, but focused photographs make each issue easier to identify.

Prepare a short note with:

• date, time, property and people present;
• areas visited and areas not accessible;
• differences observed without exaggeration;
• associated photographs;
• items delivered and missing;
• the seller’s or representative’s response.

Write “damp mark approximately 30 cm wide beside the window”, not “structural leak”, if no professional has determined the cause. Send the note to the professional handling your purchase that day and preserve the written reply.

If you find a problem, do not improvise at completion

A failed bulb, an incomplete contractual repair and an occupied home do not carry the same weight. The CPCV, evidence, seriousness and available time shape the options.

Depending on the contract and professionals involved, the parties may agree a repair before completion, a new date, a documented price change, a formal retention accepted by the lender and completion professional, or a precise post-completion obligation. None should emerge from a corridor conversation. The lender may also need to review a change to the price or transaction.

For a serious issue, your lawyer should assess the CPCV and legal rights. Do not assume an inspection automatically creates a right to withdraw or recover the deposit.

Finish with a simple handover record

On completion or handover day, confirm nothing has changed since the inspection. List door and mailbox keys, garage remotes, cards, codes, manuals and warranties. Photograph the identifier and reading of water, electricity and gas meters where present.

ERSE explains that billing may use estimates without an actual reading. A photograph does not transfer the supply contract, but helps fix the handover reading; arrange the account change separately with each provider.

If both parties agree, sign a short record with date and time, readings, key count and outstanding reservations. Do not sign “without reservation” if the inspection note identifies an unresolved issue.

The physical check does not replace the final land-register or document review. Casa Pronta can complete the sale, mortgage and registrations in one procedure, but an empty home does not prove that burdens and pending requests have been handled.

This guide is general information. Make decisions about delay, payment, retention, price changes or breach with a Portuguese lawyer or solicitor who has read the CPCV and reviewed the evidence.