The end of each year marks the peak season for property handover. With the gradual increase in fully-furnished properties, more consumers are purchasing these units. Many readers inquire about how to inspect the finishing work in such homes and what standards constitute a qualified property.
Standards for Accepting Fully Furnished Homes
The Director of the Engineering Quality Department at the Beijing Home Decoration Committee informed us that two acceptance standards are currently used in Beijing's decoration industry: the "Beijing Home Decoration Engineering Indoor Acceptance Standard" (to be published in this edition) and the "High-Grade Decoration Engineering Acceptance Standard." Which standard applies depends on the terms specified in the purchase contract; the project must be accepted according to the standard stipulated in the contract.
Key Areas to Inspect During Acceptance
Due to northern climates, certain renovation items may exhibit weather-related issues during inspection. Experts recommend prioritizing concealed work:
Inspect water supply and drainage pipes in kitchens and bathrooms.Verify drainage pipes flow smoothly and check for leaks in water supply pipes. Fill the sink, basin, and bathtub with water, then drain them to assess drainage speed. For toilet drainage, conduct multiple flush tests to evaluate performance.
Inspect electrical circuits. Turn on all light switches to ensure every fixture illuminates. If possible, use a multimeter to verify power at outlets, test telephone lines for signal with a phone, and check TV antenna reception with an antenna signal tester.
Inspect woodwork and painted surfaces. This step is more complex. Essentially, check for warped wood, severe cracking at joints, properly aligned and secure hardware fittings, paint runs, and large-scale cracking in wall coatings—most of which can be visually assessed.
Test wall and floor tiles for hollow spots. Check tiles in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas by lightly tapping them with a small rubber mallet. If the hollow rate exceeds 3%, it indicates a quality issue (the hollow rate refers to the percentage of hollow tiles out of 100 tested).
Inspect details. Carefully examine edges and corners: check if bathroom entrances have water barriers, verify windows are watertight, examine switch/outlet panels for scratches, and confirm bathroom hardware is properly positioned.
Verify building material brands match the contract
Additionally, experts advise homeowners to allocate time during construction quality inspections to verify building material brands. Reports indicate some homeowners in fully-furnished properties discovered discrepancies during inspections—such as security doors, sanitary ware, decorative materials, lighting fixtures, and kitchen cabinets—not matching the brands specified in the original contract. Substituting building material brands and equipment implies potential downgrades in residential quality.Homeowners should verify the exact differences between the substituted brands and the original contract specifications, being cautious of downgraded building material grades.
Term explanation: Hollow sound: A localized area where the surface material is not bonded to the base layer, or the adhesive has failed, producing a hollow sound when tapped lightly with a small hammer. For example, insufficient cement mortar saturation between tiles and walls can create hollow areas.