Buying a Subsale Condo
The Pre-Purchase Defect Check Before You Sign (2026)

How a subsale condo check differs

In a condo you own the parcel, the unit inside its walls, and share the rest of the building with every other owner. Defects in the parcel are yours once you buy; defects in common property are for the JMB or MC. A useful check therefore does two things: it finds what is wrong inside the unit, and it sorts each finding into "mine to fix" or "management's to fix".

A new condo is checked at vacant possession against the developer's work, which the new condo VP checklist covers. A subsale condo is a different job: the developer's defect period has usually ended, someone has lived there, and the previous owner may have renovated. If you want someone to walk the unit with you, our house defect inspection service covers subsale condos as well as new ones.

Before the viewing: what to ask

A few questions to the agent and the management office tell you where to look harder:

• Has the unit, or the unit above or below, reported a leak to management? Was it fixed, and by whom?
• Was the unit renovated, and did the owner get management's renovation approval?
• Are there building works planned, such as a facade repair, roof waterproofing or pipe replacement?
• Is the unit tenanted? A tenanted unit may have furniture covering walls and floors, so ask for a second viewing.

Write down the answers. If the seller says a leak was repaired, look at that ceiling and wall yourself.

The subsale condo check at a glance

Work room by room and note each finding by location. The checklist tool lets you tick your findings room by room so nothing is missed.

Bathrooms and the units above and below

Bathrooms cause most condo leak disputes, because a failed waterproofing layer leaks into the ceiling of the unit below, not into your own unit. Pour a little water on each bathroom floor and watch it run to the trap. Look closely at grout lines, silicone at the basin and shower screen, and the base of the wall behind the shower. Then look at the other side of each bathroom wall: a bedroom or corridor wall with a tide mark or blistered paint means water is getting through.

Look up as well. A stain on your ceiling under the bathroom of the unit above is that owner's problem to fix, but it is your ceiling to repair afterwards. The common property leak guide explains how to tell a neighbour's leak from a building leak and who reports it to management.

Ceilings: stains, patches and fresh paint

A freshly painted ceiling in an otherwise lived-in unit is worth a closer look. Stand under each ceiling with a torch held flat against it: a patch repainted over a stain often shows a slightly different sheen or a faint ring. Look for cut-out and re-patched boards, which usually mean someone opened the ceiling to reach a leak.

Not every mark is a leak. Black spots in a corner of a cold, closed room can be condensation from an aircon left running. The condensation vs seepage guide shows how to tell them apart.

Windows, sliding doors and the balcony

Open and close every window and the balcony sliding door. They should run smoothly, lock and seal. Look at the inside of each sill and the floor just inside the balcony threshold for water marks, swollen skirting or stained grout: wind-driven rain gets in at worn seals and blocked track drain holes. On the balcony itself, check the floor runs to its outlet and that the outlet is clear.

In older condos, windows and the outer face of the building may be common property; ask management before assuming a leaking window frame is yours to replace.

Kitchen, yard and floors

Open the sink cabinet and look at the base panel: swelling, softness or water marks mean a slow leak has been running. Run the tap and wipe the trap and hoses with a dry tissue. In the yard, pour water at the floor trap and check where the washing machine drains.

Tap the floor tiles in every room with a coin or your knuckle. A dull, hollow sound in a patch means the tiles have lost their bond. The hollow tiles guide explains why it happens and when it spreads. Timber or vinyl floors laid by the previous owner should be flat, tight at the joints and show no swelling near wet areas.

Water, power and aircon points

Run every tap and the shower, and turn on the water heater if there is one. Look at the DB box: an old fuse board or no RCCB suggests the wiring has not been renewed, and scorched sockets or loose switches are warning signs. Testing and any rewiring is work for a registered electrician; the electrical safety inspection guide covers it.

For aircon, look at the wall below each indoor unit and around the piping hole for water stains, which point to a blocked or badly sloped drain pipe.

What a previous renovation can hide

Many subsale condos were renovated before sale. A new bathroom can be a full rebuild with fresh waterproofing, or new tiles laid over old ones with the old waterproofing left as it was. Built-in carpentry can cover damp walls; a new false ceiling can cover old leak stains. Ask what was done, when and by whom, and whether management approved it. The viewing water damage checklist lists the usual cover-ups.

Open wardrobes and cabinets on outer walls and bathroom walls and look at the back panel and the wall behind for mould or damp.

What it costs to put right

ClickBina's published indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges for the repairs these checks most often turn up. Use them to see which findings matter, not as a quote.

Where water keeps appearing and the source is unclear, leak detection by ClickBina is RM300 – RM800 per visit, a separate service from any repair.

Using what you find

Sort your findings into three lists: yours to fix, management's to fix, and unclear. Put the first list in writing with locations and indicative costs before you pay the booking fee or sign the SPA. The subsale defect negotiation guide covers how to time the check and present the figures to the seller. If you are buying landed instead, the old terrace pre-purchase check covers the roof, extension and damp. If a defect only shows after you have bought, the hidden defects guide explains your position.

How ClickBina helps with a subsale condo

We check subsale condos and apartments across KL & Selangor before you sign: wet areas, ceilings, windows, kitchen, floors and points, and we note which findings are yours and which look like common property, with indicative repair costs. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for defect rectification, whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, so the same team can carry out the repairs after you buy. WhatsApp us your unit type, size and viewing date for an inspection quote. We reply within the hour, we are registered with SSM, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges. For repair work, a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina property inspection before buying guide — the rectification price ranges for bathrooms, ceilings, tiles and wiring.
• ClickBina terrace house waterproofing and silicone resealing guides — the non-hacking and resealing prices.
• ClickBina common property leak and condensation guides — who is responsible for which leak, and how to tell condensation apart.
• ClickBina handover water check guide — the leak detection fee.

Methodology: the checks are visual owner checks during a viewing. No moisture reading, gap or level tolerance is given because none is published on the pages above. Prices are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges. Who is responsible for a defect depends on the building's records; this is not legal advice.