The day the keys arrive on a sub-sale purchase: what to collect, note, transfer and change before you move in.
On a sub-sale, the keys usually come on completion, once the balance of the price has been paid, and from that moment the house and its bills are yours. On handover day, collect every key, remote and access card, note the electricity and water meter readings, start the account transfers, check the condition against your pre-purchase inspection, and plan to rekey the locks before you move anything in. There is no developer defect period on a sub-sale, so anything you find is yours to fix.
A sub-sale follows a different path from buying new. ClickBina's sub-sale vs new property guide sets out the order: letter of offer, solicitors, SPA, loan documents, consent where the title needs it, stamping, and then completion, when the balance purchase price is paid, usually from the loan, and the keys are handed over. Title registration follows after that.
Handover day is not the same as a developer's vacant possession. ClickBina's vacant possession guide covers new homes, where a defect liability period starts at key collection. A sub-sale has none: as ClickBina's subsale condo inspection guide notes, the developer's defect period has usually ended and someone has lived in the unit.
| Item | Why you need it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Every key: front door, grilles, back door, gate, bedrooms, letterbox | You need to know how many copies exist | Count them and write the number down |
| Gate and autogate remotes | Access to a landed house or a gated scheme | Ask whether the remotes are paired to a code you can change |
| Access cards and car park stickers (strata) | Lobby, lift, car park and facilities | Issued by the management and tied to the unit |
| Digital lock admin code or master card | Without it you cannot delete old users | Change the code and delete old fingerprints at once |
| Manuals and receipts for appliances, water heater, aircon | Servicing and any remaining supplier cover | Ask what was left behind and in what condition |
| Last paid bills: electricity, water, quit rent, assessment, maintenance | Proof there are no arrears carried over | Your lawyer's searches should also confirm this |
Note the electricity and water meter readings when the keys change hands, with the date, and keep a copy with your handover notes. ClickBina's rental handover checklist gives the same advice for tenancies: record each meter, note the account number, and cross-check the first bill so you are not charged for consumption before you took over.
In a condo, the water meter may sit in a riser or corridor cupboard rather than inside the unit; ask the management where yours is. ClickBina's water meter guide explains how individual and sub-meters are arranged in strata buildings.
Each account has to move from the seller's name to yours, and each provider has its own form. The usual list is the electricity account, the water account, and any internet or piped gas service, plus the council assessment and the land office quit rent. Close or transfer them from the readings you noted, so the final bill for the seller and the first bill for you split at the same point.
Arrears matter more than the paperwork. ClickBina's quit rent and assessment guide explains that the buyer's lawyer searches for unpaid quit rent and assessment, and that arrears have to be cleared before the transfer can proceed. In a strata scheme, the management may also require outstanding maintenance charges to be cleared before the transfer is processed.
In a condo, the card that opens the lobby, calls the lift and lets you into the car park is issued by the management office and tied to your unit. ClickBina's key and rekeying guide points out that this card is often more important than the front-door key. Visit the office with your proof of ownership, update the owner's details, ask for the old cards to be deactivated and new ones issued, and collect the house rules and renovation form if you plan any work.
While you are there, ask about the maintenance charge and sinking fund account for the unit, the car park allocation and any notices the previous owner had received.
You have no way of knowing how many keys the previous owner, their agent, a contractor or a cleaner still hold. ClickBina's key guide puts the rule simply: if you cannot account for every key ever cut, rekey rather than copy, and do it before you move anything in. On a digital lock there are no pins to change; you delete the old user codes and fingerprints instead.
If the lock is worn, or you want a different type, replacing it may make more sense than rekeying. The price table below shows what ClickBina's guides list for digital locks, for reference.
Walk the house with your pre-purchase inspection notes and check that nothing has changed since you agreed the price: fittings that were meant to stay, appliances in working order, no new stains on the ceilings, no new cracks, taps and toilets working, and power on every circuit. Write down anything different, with the date, and tell your lawyer before the matter closes if the agreement covers it.
Problems that were known and priced in go on your repair list. ClickBina's guide to subsale defect reports explains how defects found before signing are used in the price negotiation.
An empty house is the easiest one to clean and repair, so book the work between handover and moving day. ClickBina's move-in cleaning guide describes the empty-unit deep clean; if you are doing renovation or touch-up works first, a post-renovation clean replaces it, as the post-renovation cleaning guide explains.
| Item | Indicative price (Klang Valley, 2026) | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| Move-in clean, empty studio | RM250 – RM400 | Move-in and move-out cleaning guide |
| Move-in clean, empty 3-bedroom condo | RM400 – RM650 | Move-in and move-out cleaning guide |
| Move-in clean, empty terrace house | RM600 – RM900+ | Move-in and move-out cleaning guide |
| Post-renovation clean, studio | RM500 – RM800 | Move-in and move-out cleaning guide |
| Post-renovation clean, 3-bedroom condo | RM800 – RM1,300 | Move-in and move-out cleaning guide |
| Basic digital lock (keypad), supplied and installed | RM400 – RM700 | Key duplication and rekeying guide |
| Mid-range digital lock (fingerprint and PIN) | RM700 – RM1,200 | Key duplication and rekeying guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, and handles move-in and post-renovation cleaning, so the clean and any renovation between handover and moving day can be quoted together. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the area, the property type and size, and your key collection date. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.
How we estimated prices: every figure is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guide named beside it; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges, not a quotation. This page is general information, not legal advice; your lawyer confirms when completion has happened and what the agreement says.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteTell us what you need — we reply within the hour.