Renovating During the DLP
What It Does to Your Defect Claims (2026)

The DLP clock and what it covers

For a house or strata unit bought from a licensed housing developer, the defect liability period guide explains that the DLP runs 24 months from the date of vacant possession. Within it, any defect, shrinkage or other fault that becomes apparent and is due to defective workmanship or materials, or to the property not being built to the approved plans and descriptions, must be repaired by the developer at its own cost within 30 days of receiving written notice. The 30-day rectification guide explains how that clock is counted.

The same guide lists what the DLP does not cover: damage caused by the buyer or tenant, including unauthorised renovations; normal wear and tear; improvements or additions made by the buyer after handover; and appliances and fixtures the developer did not supply. That list is the whole reason renovation timing matters.

Why renovating early can weaken a claim

A developer only has to repair what is its own fault. Once your contractor has hacked, retiled, rewired or covered part of the house, any defect in or near that area has two possible causes, and the developer will point at yours. ClickBina's defect inspection guide puts it plainly: get the developer's defects fixed under the DLP before starting renovation, because once you alter finishes the developer may argue the defects were caused by your work.

This does not mean waiting two years to move in. It means separating the two jobs in time and on paper: the developer's defects are found, reported and repaired first, and your renovation starts on a surface that is recorded as accepted.

What to do before any work starts

1. Inspect the whole unit at handover, including tapping floor and wall tiles, testing every point and water-testing wet areas.
2. Send the defect list to the developer in writing, in a form that proves delivery, and keep the proof.
3. Let the developer repair, then re-inspect the repairs before signing them off.
4. Make a dated written and video record of every room your contractor will touch.
5. Only then hand the unit to your renovation contractor.

The new condo VP inspection checklist lists what to check room by room at key collection.

Which works can wait and which can go ahead

Not every job carries the same risk. The question is whether the work removes, covers or disturbs something the developer built and is still responsible for.

Works that bury the developer's work

The most expensive mistakes are the invisible ones. New tiles laid over a bathroom that already leaks bury the evidence and the leak together; when the stain appears downstairs, the developer will say your retiling broke the membrane. The DLP water leak guide explains why a written finding of the cause matters more than a description of the symptom. The same logic applies to concealed wiring behind new carpentry and to plaster ceilings closed over pipe joints.

If a wet area must be redone, water-test it before work starts and keep the result. If it leaks, report it and let the developer repair it first.

Keeping your contractor's work separate

Write the boundary into the renovation contract: the areas the contractor will work on, the areas it will not touch, and a condition record signed by both sides on the first day. Ask for the contractor's own defects period in writing. If the developer's men and your contractor need the unit in the same weeks, agree who works where and when, so nobody can later say the other side caused the damage. The renovation contract guide lists what the contract should cover.

If a defect appears in the middle of a renovation

Stop work in that area, record it with dated notes and video, and send written notice to the developer the same week. Ask your contractor for a short written statement of what it did in that area and when. If the cause is unclear, an independent inspection or leak detection gives you a finding the developer has to answer. Do not repair it first and argue later: the DLP water leak guide explains the sequence for notifying the developer of the cost of works before you carry them out yourself.

Strata units: approvals and common property

In a condo, renovation also needs the management's approval and follows the building's by-laws, whatever the DLP position. Defects in common property, such as the facade, the roof or a common pipe, are reported to the management, not repaired by your contractor. The strata renovation rules guide covers deposits, working hours and what needs approval.

What inspection and the first works cost

These published ClickBina figures cover the inspection that comes first and the usual first renovation items (indicative 2026, Klang Valley):

How ClickBina can help

WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the property type, the VP date and the works you plan. ClickBina carries out defect inspection and rectification and whole-house refurbishment, so the inspection, the defect list and the renovation can be planned in the right order. We are an experienced KL & Selangor contractor; we reply within the hour, and the price agreed is a flat price with no hidden charges. A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina defect liability period guide — DLP length, start date and what is not covered (Schedules G and H, Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989).
• ClickBina DLP water leak and 30-day rectification guides — repair duty wording, written notice, self-help sequence.
• ClickBina defect inspection guide — fixing defects before renovation; inspection prices.
• ClickBina new terrace house first renovation guide — first renovation prices.

Methodology: legal points are as quoted on the ClickBina guides named; prices are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges from the guide named beside each. This page is general information, not legal advice.