Picture Source: Quality Guidebook for Homeowners by CIDB Malaysia

About Qlassic

There is an item that you need to add to your checklist before you move into your new place. Imperfections may add beauty to an art, not so when it comes to a residential building. Imperfections such as cracks, poor plumbing, lack of coating and loose screws are bound to add to your worries down the road.

It is crucial to carry out a professional and complete assessment to find and identify the imperfections at your new place. It might be a little tedious to look for cracks and loose fittings from top to bottom.

Defects Assessment is often overlooked with the notion that new places are bound to be near perfect. On the contrary, new buildings are prone to imperfections. One way to deal with this is to hire a professional assessor who will be assessing your place. You can also make sure your contractor employ an assessor. Better still, you could do it yourself!

Whether it is contractor's assessor, hiring of a professional assessor or doing it yourself, adherence to QLASSIC will result in a thorough assessment of your new place.

QLASSIC is Quality Assessment System for Building Construction works. It covers six internal aspects of a property which are the floor, walls, ceiling, doors, windows and fixtures.

Where to begin?

If you are keen on carrying out the Defects Assessment yourself, you need to do your homework.

Defects Assessment relies heavily on your eyes. If you see something wrong, you need to check it out using reliable tools.

Some of the tools are unit floor plans (a few copies as you would be making notes), pen or marker pen, camera, torchlight, stickers, tapping rod, measuring tape, Sales & Purchase Agreement (with relevant specifications and measurements) and spirit level.

The additional tools that are required to enhance the precision of the assessment are L-square, steel wedge, steel gauge and angle mirror.

Next, use an organised framework for the assessment. It is wise to be systematic to cover all the places. You can start the evaluation from the entrance to the end part of the floor plan and then take it up to the upper floors.

An example of the organised framework would be to begin at the entrance hallway followed by the main living room, dining room and other locations in the unit.

Collect evidence in the form of photos of the damages.

Picture Source: Quality Guidebook for Homeowners by CIDB Malaysia

Use Assessment Method 6+1

Internal finishes of a building are best assessed using the 6+1 method. The six interior finishes encompass floor, walls, ceiling, doors, windows and fixtures.

Additionally, you must also evaluate the mechanical and electrical fittings. An example of the mechanical and electrical ill-fitting is misalignment and inconsistent width of joining between the fittings.

The abovementioned six internal finishes contain five defects groups each. You need to be aware of all the defects group to ensure all aspects are covered.

You will need to assess the finishing, alignment and evenness, cracks and damages, hollowness and delamination, jointing, roughness and patchiness, joints and gaps, materials and damages, functionality and accessories defects of the internal finishes.

It is best to refer to the Quality Guidebook for Homeowners by CIDB Malaysia for specific assessment criteria and checklist.

Do-It-Yourself

Equip yourself with the knowledge, skills and tools required to carry out Defects Assessment using Qlassic, and you are all set to go!

Want to know more? Download the “Quality Guidebook for Homeowners” by CIDB Malaysia here.