You have the keys and an empty unit. Here is how to plan the smart home without weakening your defect claims: what can go in now and what should wait.
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Key collection is a good time to plan a smart home for a new condo, but not to drill first and ask later. Inspect the unit and report defects to the developer before anything is fixed to a wall, get the management’s approval for any works, then start with devices that leave the developer’s work untouched: a hub, battery sensors, an IR blaster and plug-in devices. Leave switch swaps and drilling until the electrical defects are closed and the dates are on record. For the wider picture, start at the smart home hub.
An empty new unit is the easiest place to set up a smart home. There is no furniture to move, the walls are clean, and you can stand in each room and decide where the hub, the router and the sensors should go. Many owners also want the place working before the family moves in, so the aircon can be scheduled and the door can be checked from the office.
The catch is timing. A new home bought from a developer comes with a defect liability period, and the first weeks after vacant possession are when most owners inspect, report and chase repairs; the vacant possession handover guide explains what happens on the day you collect the keys. A smart home plan that ignores that process can make defect claims harder. A plan that works with it costs nothing extra and simply puts the jobs in the right order.
ClickBina’s defect liability period guide explains when the period starts, what it covers and how to report a defect in writing. The part that matters for smart devices is what the period does not cover. ClickBina’s guide to renovating during the DLP lists damage caused by the buyer, unauthorised renovations and improvements the buyer adds after handover among the exclusions. Anything you change in the unit therefore becomes something the developer may point to when a defect appears nearby.
That does not mean you must wait for the whole period to end before adding a single sensor. It means doing the defect work first, keeping your own additions separate and visible, and choosing installs that do not disturb walls, pipes or wiring until the developer has finished its repairs. Check the terms in your own sale and purchase agreement for anything specific to your project.
| Step | What to do | Why it comes here |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect | Walk every room with a checklist and photograph everything | Defects found later are harder to pin on the developer |
| Test the electrics | Try every socket, switch and the RCCB | Smart switches will sit in these boxes later |
| Report in writing | Send the defect list to the developer and keep proof of sending | Starts the developer’s repair clock |
| Get approval | Apply to the management for any renovation or drilling | Most new buildings require it |
| Network | Decide the router position and test WiFi in every room | Every smart device depends on it |
| Smart devices, no drilling | Hub, battery sensors, IR blaster, plug-in devices | Leaves the developer’s work untouched |
| Fixed installs | Locks, switches, anything screwed or wired in | After the related defects are closed |
The new condo VP inspection checklist covers the first step room by room, and the guide to testing every power point at VP covers the second. Do both before you plan a single smart switch.
Sort every device on your list by how it is fixed in place. The fewer holes and wires, the less it can be confused with a defect.
| Device | How it is usually fixed | Touches the developer’s work? | When to do it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hub | Stands on a shelf, plugged into an existing socket | No | From day one |
| IR blaster for aircon and TV | Stands on a shelf or cabinet | No | From day one |
| Door, window and leak sensors | Adhesive pads or simply placed on the floor | Barely; adhesive can mark paint | From day one, after photographing the surface |
| Smart plugs | Into existing sockets | No | After the sockets pass your test |
| Mesh WiFi points | On a shelf or table | No | From day one |
| Clip-on curtain driver | Rides your own curtain track | No, if you put the track up yourself | After the curtains go up |
| Smart lock on the main door | Drilled into the door | Yes, the door and frame | After door defects are closed and the management agrees |
| Smart wall switches | In the existing switch boxes | Yes, the electrical installation | After electrical defects are closed |
| Video doorbell or camera | Screwed to a wall, sometimes outside the unit | Yes, and possibly common property | After management approval |
Most new condo walls hide conduits and water pipes, and some are structural. A screw in the wrong place can start a leak or a fault that shows up months later, and at that point it is hard to prove whether the developer’s work or your screw caused it. The condo smart home guide sets out the building by-laws on drilling near concealed pipes and conduits.
Swapping the developer’s switches for smart ones is the change most likely to blur a defect claim, because it opens the electrical installation the developer is responsible for. If a socket or light point fails a test at VP, report it and let the developer fix it first. Once the electrical items on your defect list are closed and recorded, the swap can go ahead. Keep the original switch plates in case they are needed for a later inspection.
Swapping a wall switch is electrical work. For smart switches and anything wired into the mains, we supply the devices and set up the app, and the switch or wiring work is done by an electrical contractor registered with Suruhanjaya Tenaga that we coordinate. Any mains electrical work, such as a new power point, a change at the distribution board or a hardwired switch that needs new wiring, must be done by an electrical contractor registered with Suruhanjaya Tenaga.
A smart lock is often the first thing a new owner wants, and it is also the install most bound by rules. Many condo main doors are fire-rated, and the management may have a view on what can be fitted. Close any door and frame defects first, then check with the management before drilling. The guide to smart locks on fire-rated condo doors explains what to ask and which lock types suit.
A new condo usually comes with the fibre point wherever the developer put it, often in a corner of the living room or inside a cabinet. Before buying devices, decide where the router will live, then walk the unit with your phone and check the signal in every bedroom and at the main door. Devices bought before this check tend to end up in dead spots.
If you are planning carpentry, a TV cabinet or a store room, this is the time to give the router a proper home; the guide to network cabinets and router placement covers ventilation and position.
Owners who plan a false ceiling, built-in carpentry or extra lighting should treat the smart home as part of that renovation, not an afterthought. Cable routes, switch box sizes and hub positions are far easier to settle before the ceiling closes; the smart home prewiring guide lists what to plan. The same rule applies as for any renovation during the defect period: let the developer repair first, then let your contractor start on surfaces that are recorded as accepted.
When the unit is ready for daily life, the starter setup guide helps you choose the first handful of devices without overbuying.
We install hubs, sensors, IR blasters, mesh WiFi, plug-in devices and battery curtain drivers in new units, starting with the installs that leave the developer’s work alone. We do the smart device, app and low-voltage side of the job. If your defect list is not done yet, we can plan the setup now and schedule the fixed installs for after the repairs.
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