Apartment Expertise in a New Building: Why It Is Needed and What It Gives the Buyer

Apartment Expertise in a New Building: Why It Is Needed and What It Gives the Buyer

Buying an apartment in a new building is always a risk. Even if the developer has an impeccable reputation and the building is commissioned according to all standards, the quality of an individual apartment may differ from the declared one. Apartment expertise in a new building is a tool that allows the buyer to obtain an objective assessment of the object’s technical condition, identify hidden defects, and avoid financial losses.

What Is Apartment Expertise in a New Building

Apartment expertise in a new building is a comprehensive technical examination of a real estate object, conducted using specialized equipment and in accordance with current building codes. It allows for assessing the actual quality of construction, the object’s compliance with project documentation, and identifying any deviations from standards. In accordance with DBN V.2.2-15:2019 “Residential Buildings. Main Provisions,” every residential object must comply with approved state building codes. Checking compliance with these standards on your own without special equipment and engineering knowledge is virtually impossible. That is why construction and technical real estate expertise is mandatory in cases of buying an apartment in a new building, purchasing a private house, or investing in unfinished construction.

What Is Included in Apartment Expertise in a New Building

Professional new building expertise covers all critical elements of the object. Specialists conduct a comprehensive check that includes:

1. Instrumental structural examination — assessment of the foundation, walls, floor slabs, roofing condition using modern diagnostic equipment.
2. Thermal imaging examination — identification of thermal bridges, insulation violations, wall freezing, and low-quality installation of window structures.
3. Checking engineering systems — diagnostics of power supply, water supply, sewage, heating, and ventilation.
4. Measurement of structural moisture — detection of high humidity that may indicate a violation of waterproofing.
5. Verification of room geometry — recording wall, floor, and ceiling deviations from the vertical and horizontal.
6. Analysis of compliance with project documentation — verification of the actual parameters of the object against the approved project.

Full instrumental building examination allows for obtaining a detailed picture of the object’s technical condition and forecasting future maintenance costs.

Who Needs New Building Expertise and Why

Apartment expertise in a new building is necessary for different categories of buyers:

1. Private buyers — to ensure housing quality, detect hidden defects, and avoid additional renovation expenses. Expertise is especially important if the apartment is purchased with developer renovation — serious problems with structures or communications may be hidden behind decorative finishing.
2. Investors — to assess the actual value of the object and forecast future maintenance costs. Expertise allows for identifying defects that could reduce the object’s liquidity upon subsequent resale.
3. Businesses — when buying non-residential premises in new buildings for offices, shops, restaurants, or production. The technical state of such premises directly affects their ability to be used for their intended purpose.

And how to get a BTI technical passport — find out here.

Typical Problems Identified by New Building Expertise

Experience from new building technical expertise shows that the following problems are most often identified:

1. Geometry violations — wall, floor, and ceiling deviations from the norm, which complicates further finishing and furniture installation.
2. Engineering system defects — errors in electrical wiring, water supply, sewage, heating, and ventilation installation.
3. Insulation violations — problems with hydro- and thermal insulation, leading to heat loss, high humidity, and mold formation.
4. Cracks in structures — especially at plate joints and in corner rooms.
5. Area deviation — discrepancies between design data and actual room dimensions.
6. Poor-quality installation of windows and doors — tightness violations leading to heat loss and drafts.

Follow our news regarding typical new building problems and the protection of buyer rights.

How Apartment Expertise in a New Building Is Conducted

The expertise process consists of several stages:

1. Preliminary documentation analysis — study of the technical passport, project documentation, documents on commissioning the building.
2. Visual inspection — identification of visible defects and damage.
3. Instrumental examination — conducting measurements and diagnostics using special equipment (laser levels, thermal imagers, testers, moisture meters).
4. Analysis of results — systematization of detected defects and assessment of their impact on operational characteristics.
5. Preparation of conclusion — preparation of a detailed report with a list of defects, recommendations for their elimination, and a forecast of future costs.

GlobalBud Ukraine company has a team of experienced engineers who conduct apartment expertise in new buildings of any complexity. Contact us to get an objective assessment of the technical condition of your future home.