A project can be well managed for eighteen months and still be remembered for its last eight weeks. Handover is where fatigue sets in. The contractor wants to demobilise, the owner wants to move in or start leasing, and the details that protect the asset for years afterwards get rushed.
Retention exists to keep the contractor engaged after handover. Releasing it early removes the main incentive to fix defects. The defects liability period should be actively managed: defects logged, the contractor notified, and repairs verified before retention is released.
Taking over a building with an open snag list and missing documents, on the promise that the contractor will come back, rarely ends well. A clear close-out checklist, agreed at the start of the project and enforced at the end, avoids the argument.
As PMC and owner’s representative, DNA runs close-out against a defined checklist, witnesses testing and commissioning, and holds retention until the defects are closed. Our clients receive a finished asset with complete documentation and a contractor who remains accountable.
Handover requirements belong in the contract, not in a meeting in the final month. The documents the owner must receive, the testing to be witnessed and the conditions for practical completion should be written into the tender documents. A contractor who priced them knows they are part of the job. A contractor who did not will treat them as extras.
In practice this means three things. The specification lists every handover document by system. The contract makes their delivery a condition of practical completion, so the certificate is not issued until they arrive. And the programme shows testing, commissioning and snagging as their own activities, with realistic durations, rather than squeezing them into the last week.
Waiting until the contractor declares the whole building finished is the slowest way to snag. By then defects are hidden behind finished surfaces, trades have left site and every repair competes with the handover date. Inspecting each floor or zone as it completes catches problems while the right trades are still mobilised, and before ceilings and finishes close them in.
Each defect should be logged with its location, a photo, the responsible trade and a target date, then re-inspected before it is closed. A shared log, reviewed weekly, keeps everyone working from the same list and makes it clear what still stands between the project and completion.
Commissioning is where the building is shown to work as designed: air conditioning balanced, fire alarm and sprinkler systems tested, lifts certified, water and drainage proven. The results should be witnessed by the owner’s side, not simply reported by the contractor, and recorded in a form the facilities team can use later. Systems commissioned in a hurry tend to be the ones that fail in the first summer.
A building cannot be occupied, leased or registered without its completion certificates and utility connections. In Dubai these depend on inspections by the relevant authorities and service providers, each with its own requirements. Treat them as activities on the critical path, prepare the inspection documents early and track each one weekly. A finished building waiting on a certificate is still earning nothing.
The months after handover are part of the project. Defects that appear in use should be reported to the contractor in writing, repaired within an agreed time and checked before they are closed. The end of the defects liability period is the last point of leverage, so a final inspection before releasing retention is worth the time it takes.
Our free Developer’s Handbook sets out the handover controls alongside the rest of the project, from feasibility to completion.
See our services or speak to us if your project is approaching completion.
When should snagging start?
Progressive inspections should run throughout construction. Formal snagging should begin as each area reaches completion, not when the whole building is finished.
What is a defects liability period?
A period after handover, set in the contract, during which the contractor must fix defects that appear. It is usually backed by retention or a bond.
Who should witness testing and commissioning?
The owner’s representative or PMC, together with the MEP consultant, so the results are verified independently rather than reported by the contractor alone.
Related reading: 5 Mistakes Private Clients Make When Hiring a Contractor in Dubai