Closeout, Handover & Defect Liability
Work a closeout checklist with evidence, record a formal handover that starts the defect liability period, track warranties, and let clients report defects during the DLP.
Use this when: A project is finishing and you need to run a proper handover — closeout checklist, certificate, and the defect liability period that follows.
Closeout turns 'status = completed' into a real handover. A per-project checklist (as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, certificates) is worked with evidence; a formal handover records the certificate and signatory and starts the defect liability period (DLP). During the DLP the client can report defects straight into the snag list, and warranties are tracked to expiry — all from the project's Closeout tab.
The Closeout Checklist
Open a project's Closeout tab. The checklist is copied from your company template the first time it is opened, so later template edits never rewrite a project already being closed out. Tick each item and attach evidence — as-built drawings, O&M manuals, the completion certificate. A progress ring tracks the required items.
Optional completion gate
Turn on the Closeout Completion Gate in Settings to block marking a project completed while any required checklist item is still outstanding — the error names exactly what is missing.
Recording the Handover
Handover freezes the checklist, records the certificate, and starts the defect liability period. Retention release is recorded when the DLP settles.
- 1
Complete required items
Every required checklist item must be done before handover is allowed.
- 2
Complete Handover
Record the handover date, the client signatory, the DLP length in months (defaulted from Settings), and optionally the handover certificate. This is admin-only and final.
- 3
The DLP begins
The defect liability period runs from the handover date. A countdown banner shows the days remaining, and the checklist is frozen as a record.
Defects During the DLP
After handover the client can report defects from their portal's Handover page. Each one lands in your snag list tagged DLP, numbered and notified like any other snag — fixing post-handover defects is exactly what the DLP is for. Reporting is only possible between the handover date and the DLP end date.
Warranty Register
Record the warranties you must honour after handover — element, start date and length. Each expiry is tracked, and you are reminded 30 days before a warranty lapses or the DLP ends, so the final inspection and retention release are never missed.
Automatic reminders
A daily check notifies your team about DLPs ending and warranties expiring within 30 days.
The Client Handover Pack
Once handed over, the client sees a Handover page: the certificate, client-visible closeout evidence, the DLP countdown, and the defects they have reported with live status. It is the client's transparent record that the project was properly closed out.