Beyond snagging: what a proper handover actually includes

The end of a project is where corners get cut. The finishes are in, the client is eager to move in, and the temptation is to call it done. A real handover is more than an empty room and a snag list.

City Contracting does not hand over a project until it is tested, commissioned, and documented.

Testing and commissioning

Every system is proven before handover, not assumed to work. HVAC is balanced, electrical circuits are tested, plumbing and drainage are checked under load, and fire and life-safety systems are commissioned and signed off. For hospitality, guest room management and building systems are verified against the operator's standard.

Snagging, done properly

Snagging is a discipline, not a walk-through. Every room is inspected against the approved finish, defects are logged, corrected, and re-inspected, and nothing is closed out until it meets the standard the design intended.

The documentation that comes with it

A finished building comes with a record. As-built drawings, warranties, operation and maintenance manuals, and the certificates each authority requires. It is the difference between a building you occupy and one you can actually operate and maintain.

Handover is not the moment the work stops. It is the moment the building is proven ready. That is the standard we hand over to.