Choose the checklist around the actual change. Taking occupation, changing an FM provider, completing a project or transferring one service can each require a different package. Agree the purpose and contacts before collecting documents.
1. Identify the property and handover boundary
Write down the address, rooms or areas, equipment and services being transferred. Confirm the date and who is responsible before and afterwards. Make clear what remains with the landlord, tenant or a supplier.
If you are taking over only part of the premises, identify shared access, equipment and utilities. These connections still need clear responsibilities even when they sit outside the rooms being transferred.
2. Record the current condition
Use the inspection or condition information agreed for the handover to describe the starting state. Keep defect photographs tied to specific locations and identify hidden or inaccessible areas and questions needing further investigation.
A list of equipment tells you what is there. A condition record tells you what is known about its state. Do not assume either document proves a technical inspection was completed.
3. Transfer the operating information
- An equipment inventory with labels you can recognise.
- Instructions needed to operate and maintain relevant items.
- The present service schedule and recent work reports.
- Inspection documents and a list of findings still open.
- Details of suppliers and existing service agreements.
- Drawings and property documents promised as part of this handover.
Open the files and check that their names and references make sense. Make sure you have the access needed to use them; receiving an unreadable or inaccessible folder is not enough.
4. Explain outstanding work
Ask for the position on unfinished jobs, orders, quotes, planned appointments and decisions. Record who will take the next step and when. A repair awaiting its paperwork needs a different status from one that has not started.
Do not let an open job lose its owner during the transfer. Agree who follows it up after handover, rather than assuming the person receiving the list has accepted that task.
5. Manage physical and digital access
List keys, entry passes and system permissions transferred through the agreed secure process. Arrange removal of old access and appropriate handling of sensitive information. Keep passwords out of the general handover documents.
Find out who to contact about the property from the changeover date, including where to raise a problem that needs a decision or further attention.
6. Confirm acceptance and follow-up
Confirm what you received and record anything missing, who will supply it and the expected date. Agree a follow-up check so the remaining items are dealt with after the meeting.
Common questions
Does a folder transfer prove that handover is complete?
No. Check that the information is usable and covers what was agreed. Missing items still need someone responsible for supplying them and a follow-up date.
Should outstanding defects be excluded until repaired?
No. You need to know about existing defects now, with a clear account of who is arranging investigation or repair.
Is a property handover the same as a technical survey?
It is not. The package may contain a survey, but that report can only describe the inspection included in the surveyor’s actual appointment.
Related services
See Project Handover, Testing and Commissioning and Asset Maintenance. Other routes include projects, services, sectors and locations. Discuss your handover with the property details and what needs to be transferred.
