In this article I want to give villa owners a practical checklist for inspecting a new Bali villa before accepting handover — specifically from a cleaning and finish quality perspective. Builders often hand over when the main work is done, not necessarily when all the small details are right. Knowing what to look for means you can request corrections before accepting keys rather than discovering them as ongoing issues.
All Rooms – Check on Arrival
Before detailed inspection: AC systems should be running to check they work. All lights switched on — missing bulbs and non-functioning fittings are easy to miss in daylight. Taps run — check water flow and drainage. Flush all toilets. Open and close every door and window.
Floors
Crouch down and look along the floor surface in raking light — this reveals high spots, hollow areas (sound hollow when tapped), and uneven grout joints that don't show in normal overhead light. Check tile edges at walls for chipped or unfilled joints. Check floor drains — should have clean covers and drain freely.
Bathrooms
Check all silicone seals around shower trays, baths and basins — should be continuous, same colour throughout, no gaps. Grout in shower area should be complete and consistent. Check under sanitary ware for silicone at floor joint — unsealed floor-to-toilet/pedestal joint allows water ingress. Test shower pressure and drain flow rate. Check that extraction fan works if fitted.
Kitchen
Open all cabinet doors — check hinges are adjusted so doors hang straight and close fully. Check inside all cabinets for construction debris. Test all appliances if fitted. Check under the sink for visible pipe joints and confirm there are no drips. Check extraction hood light and fan.
Exterior
Check all drainage outlets on roofs and terraces are clear and properly terminated. Check parapet walls for open cracks. Check all exterior silicone joints around windows and doors — should be continuous and properly adhered. Check pool water is clear, filtration is running, and all jets are functional.
Air Conditioning, Electrical & Water
Two systems get missed constantly at Bali handovers because they look fine and only fail later. The first is air conditioning. If split units were installed before the build finished, construction dust is sitting inside them, and the first time you run the AC it blows that dust straight back into a freshly cleaned room. Run every unit, check it cools properly, and ask whether the indoor coils and filters were cleaned after construction — if dust-generating work was done with the AC already fitted, they almost certainly need it. The second is water. Bali villas often run on pumped well water, so check pressure at every tap and shower, look for air spitting from the lines, and confirm the water heater actually heats. Run a tap for a minute and watch for discolouration that signals debris still in the pipes.
On the electrical side, switch on every light and circuit, test power points room by room, and confirm the consumer unit is labelled and the RCD trips when tested. These are five-minute checks that are far easier to get fixed before handover than after.
Why a Professional Pre-Handover Clean Helps
You can run this checklist yourself, and you should. But a professional pre-handover clean does the same inspection at a different level of detail, because cleaning every surface means physically touching every surface — and that's when the small defects reveal themselves. As we clean we photograph anything that needs builder attention and hand you a dated record, so you can raise corrections with your contractor while they're still on the hook to fix them. Pair this checklist with our final clean & handover service, and read the materials guide before anyone cleans your new floors. Questions about your handover? Message us any time.