New Home First-Year Maintenance Plan (QLD)

You've got the keys. The builder's gone. Now what?

The first 12 months in a new home matter more than most people realise. It's when the house settles, when small defects show themselves, and when your builder is still on the hook to fix them. Get into a simple rhythm now and you'll catch problems while they're cheap, and while they're still the builder's to fix.

This is the playbook I'd follow in Queensland. It's built around two things: looking after the house, and using your defects period properly.

C17 - Handover Stage Checklist

$119.00 AUD

Checklist Type: Major (Handover Stage)

Form Factor: Fillable, print-ready PDF (A4, 15 pages)

When to use: Handover: final payment, keys and taking possession of your home

A 109-point handover checklist for the day you take the keys. Cover final payment, certificates, lock changes, warranties and how to notify defects on time.

Preview C17

✓ Authorship verified on the blockchain · View certificate

See all our checklists

Buy C17 – $119

Your defects period in one minute

Two timeframes get mixed up all the time, so let's get them straight first.

The 6-month maintenance inspection. Most builders book a visit about 6 months after practical completion. You hand them a written list of what you've noticed (shrinkage cracks, sticking doors, sealant gaps) and they come back and fix it. Our C18 6 Month Maintenance checklist is built for this visit.
The 12-month obligation. That 6-month visit is a routine, not the end of the builder's responsibility. Under Queensland's standard new-home contracts (QBCC New Home Construction Contract GC 29.1, Master Builders Level 2 cl 19), the builder must fix defects that appear within 12 months of practical completion. Anything you find after the 6-month visit can still be reported in writing, right up to the 12-month mark.

One more deadline to know: home warranty insurance only covers non-structural defects that appear within 6 months of completion, and you must lodge with the QBCC within 7 months. So don't sit on anything.

My rule: report defects in writing as soon as you see them. Don't save the serious ones for the 6-month visit.

Move-in week: safety and the basics

Test every smoke alarm. New Queensland homes need interconnected photoelectric alarms, so pressing one should set them all off.
Test your safety switches at the switchboard with the test button.
Find your shut-offs: the water main, the switchboard and the gas isolation valve. Take a photo of each so it's on your phone when you need it.
File your handover documents. Warranties, manuals, certificates, the termite system details, as-built plans. Our C17 Handover checklist lists what you should have received.
Register appliance warranties and set up your solar or inverter monitoring.
Start a home logbook. A spreadsheet or notebook with the date, what you checked, what you found, a photo and what you reported. It's your evidence if something goes wrong, and buyers love it when you sell.

Months 1 to 3: watch the house settle

Walk around once a month. Look for new cracks, stains, sticking doors and windows, and gaps in sealant. Add anything you find to your defects list, with a dated photo.
Clean the air-conditioner filters monthly in heavy-use months.
Check the outside drains. After heavy rain, look for ponding near the slab and make sure downpipes and yard gullies are flowing away from the house.
Keep the slab edge clear. Don't build garden beds, pile soil or stack timber against it. Covering the slab edge can void your termite system's warranty.
Report leaks straight away. A water stain on a ceiling or around a window is not a 6-month list item. Tell the builder in writing that day.

Before storm season (September to October)

Queensland storm season runs from about November to April. Get ahead of it.

Clean the gutters and downpipes, and check that roof valleys and any box gutters are clear.
Check stormwater pits and yard gullies drain freely.
Trim branches back from the roof.
Know where you'll put outdoor furniture when a storm warning comes through.
After the first big storm, walk the outside for ponding and blocked downpipes, then check ceilings and around windows inside for stains.

green house roof under blue sky — Photo by Simone Hutsch / Unsplash

Around month 6: the maintenance inspection

This is the big one.

Do your own walk-through first, room by room, using C18. Doors, windows, cabinetry, tiles, grout, silicone, paint, cornices, external cladding and paths.
Put your list in writing and send it before the visit, so the builder turns up with the right trades.
Be there for the visit. Walk the list with the supervisor and note what's agreed and when it'll be done.
Check the 7-month deadline. If non-structural items aren't fixed, you still have time to lodge with the QBCC.
Check wet areas. Look at silicone around showers, baths and benchtops, and re-check grout. Do this every 6 months from now on.

Months 7 to 11: keep logging

Keep up the monthly walk-around and add new items to your list in writing.
Before winter, check window and door seals and service your hot water system as the manual recommends.
Clean the exhaust fans in bathrooms and the laundry. They're your first defence against mould.
Book your termite inspection. Do one at least every year.

Month 11: your last walk-through

Do a full walk-through at about 11 months, inside and out, using your logbook and C18 again.
Send the builder any new defects in writing before the 12-month mark. After that, your contractual defects period is over, and your options narrow to the statutory warranty, the QBCC and, if it comes to it, a dispute.
Follow up on anything from the 6-month list that's still not done.

Every year after that

Termite inspection.
Air-conditioner service.
Gutters cleaned before storm season.
Check external timber, decks and fences, and seal or oil them if needed.
Check that weep holes in brickwork are clear.
Clean solar panels if they're dirty.
Replace smoke alarm batteries as the manufacturer recommends.

The short version

Test your alarms, find your shut-offs, and keep a logbook. Walk the house every month and report defects in writing as soon as you see them. Use C18 for the 6-month maintenance inspection, and do one last walk-through at 11 months so nothing slips past the 12-month defects period.

A new home still needs looking after. A little attention in year one saves you a lot of money and argument in year three.

FAQs

Does my builder's obligation end at the 6-month inspection?

No. The 6-month maintenance inspection is a routine most builders follow. Under QBCC and Master Builders contracts, the builder must fix defects that appear within 12 months of practical completion.

Should I wait for the 6-month visit to report a defect?

No. Report it in writing as soon as you notice it, especially leaks and anything structural. The 6-month visit is for the small stuff.

What if the builder won't fix something?

Put it in writing again with a reasonable date. If that doesn't work, lodge a defective work complaint with the QBCC. For non-structural defects, home warranty cover needs you to lodge within 7 months of completion.