Final Defect Inspection Before Your DLP Ends
A Month-20 Plan for the Last Months of the DLP (2026)

The 24-month clock and how to find your VP date

ClickBina's defect liability period guide is clear on the start date: the DLP commences on the date stated in the vacant possession notice, the day you received the keys, and it runs for 24 calendar months, for landed (Schedule G) and strata (Schedule H) homes alike. It does not run from the SPA date, the CCC date or the date the bank released your loan.

Find the VP letter, write the expiry date in your calendar, and add two reminders: one for booking the final inspection and one a few weeks before expiry for anything still outstanding. The same guide warns that your defect report letters must be sent before the 24-month period expires.

Why a second, final inspection matters

The inspection at key collection catches what was wrong on day one. It cannot catch what had not happened yet. A new house keeps drying, settling and being used for the first time for months after handover, and some of the defects that matter most only show in the second year: a crack that keeps opening, a bathroom that leaks once it has been used every day, a window that lets rain in only during the monsoon.

ClickBina's DLP water-leak guide puts it simply: a defect that becomes apparent in month twenty is still a defect that became apparent inside the period, and the record of when you first raised it is what shows that. The final inspection is how you make sure every such defect is on the record before the door closes.

Defects that tend to show up in the second year

ClickBina's guide to cracks in a new house explains which cracks are cosmetic and which need an engineer, and recommends re-checking repaired cracks a few months later, because shrinkage cracks sometimes reopen.

A month-20 inspection plan

Work backwards from the expiry date. The aim is to have the list in the developer's hands with enough time left for repairs and a re-check, not to find the defects on the last day.

You can tick your defects room by room to build the list, then add anything new from the second year.

What the final inspection should cover

Repeat the full key-collection walk, then go further. Pour water at the far corner of every wet floor and watch it reach the floor trap. Hold a torch flat against every ceiling under a bathroom or balcony. Tap the floor tiles again. Re-measure every crack you marked at handover. Check windows and sliding doors after a heavy rain if you can. Close every tap and do the water-meter test once more. Above all, go back to every item on your first list and confirm it was actually repaired.

Re-checking the developer's earlier repairs

A repair the developer reported as done is not the same as a repair that worked. ClickBina's new house defects guide notes that if a repair is incomplete, substandard or the defect recurs, it is a fresh breach: document it again and send another written notice. Common examples are cracks painted over without being filled, sealant run over a leak instead of fixing it, and replacement tiles that do not match. Each one goes back on the list, with the date it was first reported.

Submitting before expiry

Send the final list in writing, by a route you can prove: registered post, email with a read receipt, or the developer's defect portal with a screenshot of each submission. Number every item, give the room and exact location, and attach a dated image. ClickBina's crack guide notes that the statutory sale and purchase agreement requires the developer to make good within 30 days of receiving your written notice. Keep copies of everything in one folder; if the matter goes further, that folder is your case.

Strata owners: parcel and common-property dates

In a condo there are two clocks. Your own parcel's DLP runs from your VP date. For common property, the DLP guide states that the period runs from the date of VP for individual units or the date of the CCC, whichever is later. Defects in the lobby, corridors, roof or car park are usually claimed by the JMB or MC on behalf of all owners; the common property defects guide explains how. If a leak reaches your unit from common property, list it on your own notice as well and tell the management in writing.

After expiry: the short version

Once the 24 months end, the developer's statutory obligation to repair ends with it, and repairs become the owner's responsibility, or the JMB's or MC's for common property. A claim at the Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims has its own filing window: within 12 months of the CCC, the expiry of the defect liability period or the termination of the sale and purchase agreement, whichever applies to your claim, so check which date applies to you. The tribunal claim guide sets out the forum and the limit. Serious latent structural defects can raise other legal questions; take legal advice on those.

Booking a final inspection, and repair costs after the DLP

A final inspection is most useful when it is done by someone who knows where second-year defects hide and writes them up so the developer can act. ClickBina offers a defect inspection service in KL & Selangor for homes still inside the DLP, and can quote the rectification of anything left over once the period ends. These published ClickBina figures show what the same defects cost when they are yours to fix (indicative 2026, Klang Valley):

How ClickBina can help

WhatsApp us your unit type, size and VP date for an inspection quote, and tell us when your DLP ends. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, so leaks, cracks, tiling and finishes the developer leaves unresolved can be quoted as one job. We reply within the hour, and the price agreed is a flat price with no hidden charges. ClickBina is registered with SSM. A site visit to quote repair work is RM150, waived if you go ahead with the works; it is not the inspection fee.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina defect liability period guide — 24 months from the VP date, common-property start date, reports before expiry, what happens after.
• ClickBina DLP water-leak guide — a defect apparent in month twenty is inside the period; diarising the end date.
• ClickBina cracks in a new house guide — crack types, re-checking repaired cracks, the 30-day make-good, repair prices.
• ClickBina new house defects guide — repeat defects as a fresh breach, the tribunal limit and filing window.
• ClickBina handover water-damage check — leak detection price.

Methodology: every RM figure is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guide named beside it; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges for 2026. The month-by-month plan is ClickBina's practical suggestion, not a legal deadline. Legal points are general information, not legal advice.