Granny flat handover to first lease: close the evidence gaps

Start with the project’s completion requirements

The BPC explains that the building permit states whether an occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection is required. Keep the relevant document with the final project records and check unresolved questions with the appointed building surveyor.

Do not use a furnished interior photograph or a marketing completion date as a substitute for the required record. Identify the point at which the intended occupation is permitted and the tasks still assigned to the owner, builder or other provider.

At the end of your building project

Separate outstanding work from maintenance

Walk the dwelling and affected site with the current scope and record outstanding items by location, description and responsible party. Photograph the issue and preserve the agreed next step. A vague list headed “minor things” is difficult to manage after suppliers leave.

Keep completion requirements, contractual defects, owner-selected additions and routine maintenance in separate categories. They follow different responsibilities and dates. Changes to the agreed work should remain connected to the project’s written change record.

Changing a major domestic building contract

Create a usable record for the owner and manager

Assemble final drawings, equipment information, certificates available for the work, contact details and access instructions. Include shut-off locations and the intended service and bill arrangements. Where a record has not arrived, assign the follow-up rather than leaving an empty folder.

Show how the new dwelling relates to the front home: entry, bins, parking arrangement where applicable, outdoor areas and shared maintenance. An owner may understand the project history; a future manager or tenant needs an intelligible operating record.

Advertise the delivered product accurately

Use photographs and a description of the actual completed dwelling, with facilities and inclusions that match the operating brief. Label concept images and do not present another project’s image as this property. Keep any remaining work visible when it affects the offer.

Ask the appointed manager to assess the relevant rental and readiness requirements and arrange the applicable records before letting. A market rent estimate and a planned launch date are working assumptions, not proof of an achieved tenancy or collected income.

Track the first lease as an operational result

Record the ready-to-market date, advertising date, agreement start and first collected rent separately. If the property needs furniture, cleaning, utilities or unresolved works, put those tasks before the relevant operational milestone.

Use the actual sequence to update the cash timeline. A later first receipt changes cash flow even if the total construction price is unchanged. Preserve the difference between asking rent, agreed rent and cash collected so future reviews can compare the original plan with what happened.