How To Do House Defect Check & Inspection in Malaysia & Complete Checklist

I'm going to show you an effective way to use the color sticker to indicate all the defects.

Red - Serious defects that the developer must rectify properly. Examples: cracks on walls, gaps or dents on doors or window frames, cracked or chipped tiles.

Orange - Hollow tile or wall skirting

Yellow - Other defects. Examples: improper installation, gaps or stains on tiles, leakage

Green - Wall & Ceiling. Uneven surface, poor paint jobs

If you're using a masking tap, you need to write each defect clearly such as “crack”, “gap”, “water damage”, “uneven surface”, “cement stain”

A general rule of thumb: Do inspection room by room.

Repeat all the 6 steps below:

1 Wall & Ceiling

Check your walls for uneven surfaces, poor paint jobs, cracks, and watermarks.

Defect	Color
Cracks, holes, or chips on the wall or ceiling	Red
Fungus or watermarks	Red
Protruding objects (nails, strings, wiring)	Red
Uneven surface	Green
Lumps, bubbles, or flaky paint	Green
Paint stains or cement residue	Green

2 Floor & Tiles

Your floors and tiled areas should be even with no cracks, damages, or discolouration. Wall tiles should consistently join your flooring. Tiled areas should not sound hollow when knocked.

A hollow echo means the ground beneath that piece of tile might not be cemented properly.

Defect	Color
Cracks, scratches, chipped and slanting tiles	Red
Hollow tiles	Orange
Gaps between tiles and wall skirting	Orange

Note: Hollow tiles are only considered defects by developer if reach 25% hollowness. Anywhere, you still want to indicate it.

3 Doors & Windows

Ensure that doors and windows open and close with no issue and that the hinges work well. There should be no cracks or damage to the glass.

Gently open and close all doors and windows in your new home to ensure that they can be opened easily without obstruction or squeaky sound.

Defect	Color
Dents, cracks, and scratches on door or window surfaces.	Red
Missing screws, parts, malfunctioning locks, Poor installation	Yellow
Poor paint works	Yellow

4 Piping & Plumbing

Check all your taps for scratches or leaks. Turn them on to ensure they're in working condition.

Check the drainage system by allowing the water to run in your kitchen, bathroom, and sinks. It should not be blocked.

Observe the water pressure while you're at it. Pressure that's too low signals a problem with the plumbing.

Defect	Color
Drainage system is blocked (kitchen, bathroom, sinks, drainage at car porch or backyard.	Yellow
Stagnating water (Toilet & Bathroom)	Yellow
Leakages, scratches on taps	Yellow
Low water pressure	Yellow
Rust traces in sinks, toilet bowl	Yellow

How to check for leakage?

Cover the drainage hole using a plastic bag or simply the used sticker sheets. Run the water until the whole floor is submerged. Wait for a 1 - 2 hours and check if water leaked to the lower floor.

5 Accessories by Developer: Cabinets, Electrical Appliances

If your developer promised a list of fixtures, accessories, and electrical appliances that come with your home. Cross-check all these fixtures and fittings with the list that you are provided with, to ensure that every single piece is properly installed and functions well.

How to check for electrical power point?

Just use a phone charger

6 Balcony, Car Porch, Backyard & Exterior

Check for any defects found starting from your gate until, all the way to roof and backyard.

You should include any damages or cracks in the small drains at the side of the house, cracks on the walls outside the house.

Defect	Color
Gate or Grill: Poorly painted, rusty, misaligned, and noisy when open and closed.	Yellow
Mail Box: Damaged or poorly installed	Yellow
Balcony or Car porch: Uneven floor & water stagnation	Yellow
Gutter: Leaking	Red
Exterior walls or pillars: Cracks, Inconsistent paint, uneven surface	Refer to Step 1
Tiles: Cracks, Hollow, Gaps	Refer to Step 2
Drainage system: Poor workmanship, water stagnation	Refer to Step 4
Defects related to fence	Yellow
Roof tiles cracks, improper installation, leakage	Yellow

Additional Step 1: Electrical Detailed Wiring (Professional Only)

Covering Distribution Box (DB) checking, Earthing/Grounding, TNB Meter, and electrical schematic checks.

Additional Step 2: Roof & Water Tank (Professional Only)

If you are not a pro, do not climb to roof top. You are advised to hire a professional to inspect the condition of the roof for leakage or cracks.

Covering roof tiles or roof sheet checks, gutter checks, and potential threats for bird nesting.

Note: You are required to pay extra for Electrical Detailed Wiring and Roof & Water Tank checks in Malaysia.

Final Step: Record & Report All Defects to The Developer in Malaysia

After finishing the checks, take pictures of the defects or write them down for your own record.

The developer should provide you with the defect form or you may required to download apps to enter all the defect information.

Remember to keep a copy of the form or other documents and images before submitting them to the developer.

If you are hiring an external professional in Malaysia to do it, they will handle the defect report submission for you and send you a copy of the report explaining every detail.

You will be required to hand a copy of the house key to the developer so their contractor will work on those defects.

Ensure you have all home inspections done within the DLP period.

After all defects are rectified, you're now ready to renovate your house and move in!

The cost of home inspection varies from RM300 to RM1000 for basic inspection, depending on the house size and inspection coverage.

The cost can be as high as RM700 - RM1500 for larger landed properties or house owners who requested additional services like detailed wiring and roof checks.

It's up to you.

If you read until here, you're probably learning how to learn to check for home defects. There are a lot of resources online!

People who request external home defect inspection services are mainly for their professionalism ensuring all defects are captured and saving time to do it themselves.

Electrical tests such as grounding checks and climbing up the roof are risky if you do not have the right tool and may be injured if not done right.

If you're looking to hire a professional home defect check in Malaysia, you may drop us a contact!