After the deed, the problem becomes yours
Buying property is the largest financial decision most people ever make, and it is usually taken after two forty-minute viewings, with the agent alongside and the light at its best. A crack behind the wardrobe, damp that only shows in heavy rain, an undersized consumer unit, built area that is not on the title — none of that is visible that way.
The moment that information has value is before signing. There it is worth a discount, worth repairs carried out by the seller, worth walking away at no loss. After possession transfers, it is worth a difficult argument: article 445 of the Brazilian Civil Code allows one year to raise a hidden defect in property, and for visible defects, having accepted without reservation counts against you.
For sellers the logic inverts with the same result: a date-stamped report of the condition at handover is what stops the buyer attributing to you, months later, a problem that arose during their own occupation.
The clock nobody remembers to start
Bought off-plan? Article 618 of the Civil Code gives you five years of developer liability for the soundness and safety of the works, and the Consumer Protection Code covers quality defects.
In all of these scenarios the same practical rule applies: with a date-stamped report the clock runs in your favour; without one, you spend the time arguing about whether the problem already existed.
What the report shows you before you sign
The scope is wider than a rental inspection, because the decision is final and your capital is on the line:
Structure and walls: cracks and fissures classified by width, direction and probable origin; signs of settlement, lean and movement. This is the item that changes buying decisions most often.
Damp and water ingress: slabs, terraces, shower areas, wet rooms and walls in contact with the ground — rising damp, penetrating damp and efflorescence, with the cause identified.
Roof and coverings: tiles, flashings, gutters, downpipes, ceilings and supporting structure, with every water-ingress risk point listed individually.
Full installations survey: consumer unit, apparent circuit sizing, earthing, water and drainage points, flow, run-off, tanks, pumps and the gas supply point.
Measured area vs. registered area: we measure on site and compare against the title deed and the municipal tax record. A discrepancy here blocks mortgage lending and cuts the property's value — better to know beforehand.
Checked against the specification: for a new build, a line-by-line comparison with the specification, drawings and sales plan, including contracted materials, brands and models.
Parking, storage and ancillary areas: existence, location, usable dimensions and whether they are tied to the title — verified on site, not in the listing.
Order of magnitude of repairs: an estimate of what needs putting right, so you have an objective argument for renegotiating the price.
Four situations, four different reports
Pre-deed condition report
Records the property's condition before the deed or the transfer of possession. Protects the seller from later claims and gives the buyer technical grounds to renegotiate or demand repairs.
New-build handover survey
For taking delivery of an off-plan purchase. Compares what was delivered against the specification and produces a defect schedule ranked by severity, ready to submit to the developer.
Pre-construction neighbour survey
Before works start, documents the cracks, fissures and leans that already exist in neighbouring buildings. Without that record, every crack a neighbour reports will be blamed on your site.
Technical due diligence
For income, investment or development acquisitions: condition, material defects, documentary compliance and an estimate of the capital expenditure required.
Condition report or handover survey? Which one is your case
Both come from the same site work but answer different questions. If in doubt: do you need to prove what condition the property was in, or to show where it does not match what was promised?
| Criterion | Condition report | Handover survey |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Establishing evidence of the property's condition on a specific date. | Checking that what was delivered matches what was contracted. |
| When to do it | Before possession transfers, or before neighbouring works begin. | Before sign-off and before the keys are accepted. |
| Compared against what | The property itself, as found. | The specification, drawings, sales plan and technical standards. |
| What you receive | A descriptive report with date-stamped photographs. | A defect schedule ranked by severity, with suggested remediation deadlines. |
| Most common use | Renegotiating price; defending against a later defect claim. | Serving notice on the developer, accepting with reservations, claiming under warranty. |
| Who usually books it | Buyer, seller and the party responsible for works. | Off-plan buyers, investors and building managers at scheme handover. |
Planning building work? The neighbour survey is the cheapest report there is relative to the risk it covers. On South Zone streets with excavation metres away from existing buildings, without a prior record of your neighbour's cracks you carry the burden of proving the defect pre-existed — proof that is virtually impossible to produce after the fact.
Four simple steps to your report
Message us on WhatsApp
Send the address and what you need. We reply within 24 hours with a firm price and an available date. No long forms, no run-around.
We book around your schedule
The visit is set to fit your agenda, including outside business hours when needed. You don't have to be there if you'd rather not.
We run the inspection
Full on-site survey with date-stamped photos of every room and every relevant finding. One to five hours, depending on the property.
You get the report
A PDF ready to use in a contract, a negotiation or a court case, digitally signed, with CRECI-SP 95215 and CNAI 051776. Follow-up questions included.
What clients say after the job is done
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Who books pre-purchase inspections most often
Buyers. A technical visit before signing has, in many cases, returned a multiple of its cost in negotiated discount or in repairs carried out by the seller.
Sellers. A report of the condition at handover closes the door on later complaints and signals confidence to the buyer — which tends to speed up the deal.
Off-plan buyers. The handover survey is the difference between receiving the keys and receiving what you contracted for. Done before sign-off, with the specification in hand.
Anyone about to build or refurbish. A neighbour survey before the first machine enters the site.
Investors and lawyers. Technical due diligence and documentary evidence for structured transactions, hidden-defect claims or rescission negotiations.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost and how quickly do I get it?
The price depends on floor area, property type and which survey you need, and it is fixed before the visit. The report is delivered within 5 business days — longer than a rental inspection because it involves document review and measurements. If your completion date is set, say so upfront: we can prioritise. Quote within 24 hours, free of charge.
What exactly is a property condition report?
It is an inspection carried out pre-emptively to establish evidence of the property's condition on a given date, ahead of an event capable of changing it. In a sale it documents the condition before possession transfers. On a construction project it records the neighbours' condition before works begin.
Is it worth inspecting before signing the deed?
It is the single point of greatest leverage in the whole transaction. After possession transfers, arguing about a visible defect becomes far harder — article 445 of the Civil Code sets one year for hidden defects in property, counted from actual delivery. Before the deed, the same report is worth a discount, a repair, or walking away at no loss.
Can the handover survey be used to claim against the developer?
Yes. Article 618 of the Civil Code establishes five years of developer liability for the soundness and safety of the works, and the Consumer Protection Code covers quality defects. The report documents each non-conformity with date-stamped photographs and references to the specification and the applicable standard — it is the document that supports the formal notice and, if needed, the claim.
Can I refuse the keys based on the report?
The report is a technical instrument, not a legal decision: refusing sign-off depends on your contract and your lawyer's advice. What the report does is rank each non-conformity by severity — separating outstanding finishes from functional or safety problems — so that the decision to accept with reservations or refuse is made on facts.
Is a pre-construction neighbour survey the same service?
It is a specific application of the condition report, aimed at construction projects. Before works begin, the condition of the adjoining buildings is recorded — existing cracks, fissures, leans and settlement. In South Zone neighbourhoods with intense high-rise development, it is all but essential.
Does the inspection detect unregistered built area?
It does, and it is one of the most valuable findings in the report. We measure on site and compare against the title deed, the municipal tax record and the approved drawings. Unregistered area restricts mortgage lending, shrinks the pool of buyers and requires an express caveat in any valuation. Finding out before the deed changes the negotiation.
Other inspection types and services
Do not sign before you know what you are buying
Condition reports, handover surveys and neighbour surveys across the whole South Zone of São Paulo. Send the address and your expected completion date — we will fit your timetable.
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