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Developer handover checklist: owners association handover (developer to OA)

When a developer hands a completed building to the owners association or the management company that will run it, a lot changes hands at once: drawings, warranties, keys, equipment, contracts, meter accounts and the list of what is still unfinished. Without a checklist the new operator finds the gaps one by one, in the first months.

The name of the receiving body differs by market: owners association, owners' corporation, jointly owned property body, master community or residents' management company. This checklist works for any of them and makes no legal claim for any jurisdiction. Print it or save it as a PDF.

How Unitify does it

Opens your browser's print dialog: choose a printer or "Save as PDF". Only the form is printed.

Developer handover checklist

Handover of the building to the owners association or management company

Project and building
Date of handover
Handing over: developer (name)
Developer's representative (name, role)
Receiving party: owners association or management company
Receiving party's representative (name, role)
Number of apartments and other units
Handover meeting: date and place

What is handed over

No.ItemHanded overNote or outstanding
Documents
1As-built drawings: architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical
2Completion and occupation approvals, as issued in your jurisdiction
3Warranties and guarantees with start and end dates: building, roof, facade, lifts, equipment
4Fire safety documents and certificates, as issued in your jurisdiction
5Electrical, gas and water test certificates
6Operation and maintenance manuals and equipment data sheets
7List of apartments and other units, with areas and owners
8Insurance policies for the building and the common parts
9Service contracts in force: lifts, fire systems, cleaning, security, landscaping
10Utility accounts, meter numbers and the last readings
Keys, access and equipment
11Keys, fobs and access codes for all common areas and plant rooms, with a register
12Master key schedule and the list of who holds which keys
13Spare parts, tools and consumables left for the building
14Intercom, CCTV and access control: logins and administrator rights
15Car park allocation list and the bays assigned to each unit
Building systems tested and demonstrated
16Lifts and their inspection certificates
17Fire alarm, sprinklers and emergency lighting, with test records
18Water supply, pumps and tanks
19Heating, cooling and ventilation plant
20Electrical rooms, generator and backup power
21Roof, facade and drainage
22Car park, barriers and gates
23Shared amenities such as pool, gym, playground and landscaping, where they exist
Money and accounts
24Service charge budget for the first year
25Opening balance of the reserve or sinking fund
26Opening balances by apartment, including units still owned by the developer
27Unpaid contractor invoices and retentions that affect the building
28Bank account arrangements for the association or the management company
Open defects and warranty
29Snag list for the common parts, with owners and dates
30How residents report warranty claims after handover, and to whom
31Name and contact details of the developer's warranty team
32Date when the warranty on each part of the building ends
People and the first weeks
33Training of the building team on each system
34Named contacts on both sides for the first months
35Plan and date for the first owners' meeting

Items still outstanding at handover, with dates

Outcome

  • Everything on the list handed over
  • Handed over with the outstanding items listed above and dates agreed
  • Handover postponed, reason:

Developer's representative

Name, signature and date

Receiving party's representative (owners association or management company)

Name, signature and date

This form is a reference template prepared by Unitify. It is not a legal document: wording, annexes and signing arrangements should be approved by your lawyer for your project and contract.

How to use the checklist

  1. 1

    Share the list a few weeks before handover

    Send it to the receiving party early, so both sides see what is expected. Missing documents are easier to find a month before than on the day.

  2. 2

    Gather the documents first

    Most delays are paperwork: drawings, warranties and manuals. Collect them in one place and tick them off before the building walk-through.

  3. 3

    Walk the building and test each system

    Take the receiving party through the plant rooms and common areas, run each system and note what does not work.

  4. 4

    Hand over keys and access with a register

    Record every key, fob and login in a register with the name of the person who now holds it.

  5. 5

    List what is outstanding, with a date

    Write the unfinished items and open defects on the sheet, each with an owner and a date, and sign. Keep one copy each.

  6. 6

    Plan the first weeks together

    Agree the contacts on both sides and how warranty claims will be reported, so residents are not left guessing who to call.

What to agree with your lawyer

The checklist makes no legal claim for any jurisdiction. The rules on who receives a building, which documents must be handed over and when responsibility passes depend on your market and your contract. Before using it, agree with your lawyer:

  • what the receiving body is called in your market and what authority its representative needs to sign
  • which documents and approvals your jurisdiction requires you to hand over, and in which form
  • when responsibility for the common parts, insurance and utilities passes, and how that is written in the protocol
  • how opening balances, reserve funds and unpaid charges are handed over and recorded
  • how long defects in the common parts can be reported, and who answers for them
Built for your project

How Unitify does it

Unitify can hold the building from before handover: apartments, owners, opening balances, charges, requests and announcements on one platform, so the receiving party starts with working data and not with a folder of papers.

Setting the building up before handover and running warranty requests are in the product. The handover of a building to an owners association or a management company, as a scenario with its own checklist and roles, is assembled for each project and is not a ready-made module. We show it on a demo and agree what your handover needs.

  • The building set up before handover

    Apartments, owners, opening balances and charges are entered before the day, so the management company opens a working building and can prepare the first invoices.

  • Defects in the common parts as requests

    The snag list for the common parts becomes requests with an owner and a date. Residents report new warranty claims in the app while the developer's warranty runs on the building.

  • The resident app from day one

    Residents install the app and add their apartment. Once the management company verifies them, they get requests, announcements and payments.

  • The handover scenario itself

    The handover day with the association or the management company, who sees what and from which date, is a scenario we agree with you on a demo.

A demo site of your residential complex in 1 hour

Tell us about your development. We build a demo site of it in 1 hour, and show how a building is set up and handed over on that example at a call.

Send us your company website and your country. We build a demo site of your complex on unitify.homes with your logo and colors, your buildings and the pages residents see, and send you the link within 1 hour on working days.

  • Free, no card and no obligation
  • Your logo, colors and complexes, taken from your website
  • If your website blocks automated access, we assemble the demo by hand and tell you how long it takes

Optional. We take your logo and colors from it.

An email, a Telegram or WhatsApp handle, or a phone number.

Optional. For example: number of apartments, handover date, what you use now.

We use these details only to answer you and prepare your demo. They reach the Unitify team through a private channel and are not shared with anyone else. To correct or delete them, write to [email protected].

Already know what you need? Skip the demo site and book a 30-minute call.

Book a 30-minute call

Developer handover checklist: questions

Who receives the building from the developer?

That depends on the market and the building: an owners association, a jointly owned property body, a master community or a management company appointed by the developer or the owners. This checklist works for any of them. The legal rules on who receives and when are for your lawyer.

Which documents should a developer hand over?

At least the drawings, warranties, manuals, keys, contracts and the opening financial position listed on the checklist. The required list and its form depend on your jurisdiction and contract, so confirm them with your lawyer.

When should the checklist be shared with the receiving party?

A few weeks before the handover meeting. Missing documents are much easier to collect early than on the day.

What if some items are not ready on the day?

List them as outstanding with an owner and a date, tick the outcome for a handover with outstanding items, and sign. Keep the list: it is the starting point for the warranty and defects follow-up.

Is the handover to an association a ready module in Unitify?

No. Setting up the building before handover and running warranty requests are in the product, but the handover to an association or a management company, as a scenario, is assembled for each project. We show it on a demo and agree what you need.

Can Unitify run the building after handover?

Yes. A management company can run billing, requests, announcements and the resident app on Unitify. It works when the developer's own management company takes over and when an outside company does; tell us which case is yours on a demo.

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