The first 90 days after handover

Handover · defects · meters · building fees · documents · updated July 2026

The first three months of ownership decide more than they appear to. This is when defects are recorded, building charges begin, and the document folder takes shape that you will rely on for years — when letting, when selling, and in any dispute. A step missed here usually surfaces later, at the point where fixing it costs more.

Why ninety days

There is nothing magic about the number. It is that several clocks start on the handover date. The period in which the developer must remedy defects runs from it. So, usually, do management fees and building fund contributions — whether or not you are living in the apartment.

An important caveat: the specific defect periods are set by your contract, not by a general rule. We have not confirmed a single statutory warranty period covering all Cambodian projects in this review — read the SPA and the project documents, and if in doubt show them to a lawyer.

Separate every operative date in one event register

Do not use “handover” as a single date for every consequence. Record separately when physical access and keys were received; when the handover record was signed; the handover date defined by the SPA; the opening and closing dates of the contractual defect-notification period; the trigger dates for management fees and sinking fund contributions; the opening of each utility account; the insurance inception date; the date the ownership-registration application was lodged; and the date the ownership document was issued.

For each line, name the governing document, responsible person, evidence and next action. Where the parties use different dates, preserve both positions, request the basis in writing and refer the discrepancy for legal review. A buyer's SPA deadline, statutory construction provisions and the developer's internal repair schedule are not automatically the same clock.

Close a defect only after re-inspection

Give every defect an ID and keep its line open through the actual outcome: exact location, description, before photograph, notification date and channel, recipient, promised action, target date, contractor-access dates, status and after photograph. A developer message saying “completed”, or a closed status in an app, does not by itself show that the defect has been remedied.

The re-inspection should reproduce the original condition: operate the appliance again, run the water, test the window or inspect after rainfall, depending on the complaint. Record any fresh damage caused by repair work. Close the line only through an owner or authorised-representative entry; where the result is disputed, preserve the original claim, the other party's response and a reservation instead of deleting the history.

Open an incoming account for the apartment

Before making the first payment, request a written opening statement at the date from which you are responsible for costs. It should separate management fees, sinking fund, water, electricity, parking and any other charges, with the period, tariff, floor-area or other calculation basis, prior balance, payments and closing amount. Add the meter ID and location, unit of measurement, reading date, applicable tariff and billing party to each meter reading.

Do not accept an inherited balance merely because it appears in a system. Mark the portion that predates your contractual responsibility, request the underlying invoices and dispute the discrepancy in writing. Where the building uses a master meter and internal allocation, ask for the allocation rule, master reading, unit coefficient and a specimen monthly bill rather than assuming that a state utility account can be transferred into your name.

Verify who manages the building and who receives payment

Obtain the management company's full legal name, registration particulars, evidence of appointment or management contract, scope of services, current charge schedule, complaints route and named responsible officer. Where the company provides real estate management services for a professional fee, request its current licence and confirm that the name on the licence, invoice, agreement and beneficiary bank account is the same.

The co-owned building rules should identify the management body, co-owners' rights and duties, allocation of common expenses and decision process. Keep the effective version and the date received. Treat a change of bank details as a fraud-control event: verify it through an independent channel already known to you rather than relying on the email that contains the new account.

Week one: what cannot wait

Draw up the defect list before signing the handover record, not after. Each item with a photograph and the room it belongs to.
Take water and electricity meter readings and photograph the meters together with the readings.
Collect the set of keys, access cards and remotes — count them and record the number.
Take copies of every signed handover document, dated and signed by the developer's representative.
Photograph the whole apartment: every room, plumbing, appliances, windows, balcony, the condition of walls and floors.

These photographs are not a formality. A year from now they will be the only evidence of the condition in which the apartment was accepted. What to look for at handover is set out in the separate guide to defects and warranty.

Weeks two to four: connections and money

What to do	Why
Transfer utility accounts into your name	While they sit with the developer you see no charges and control no arrears
Request the schedule and basis of the management fee	To know from what date and at what rate charges run, and not to build a debt unknowingly
Clarify sinking fund contributions	This is a separate payment and often comes as a surprise
Get the management company's contacts	Emergencies do not wait while you look for the right number
Read the house rules	Limits on renovation, pets, short-term letting and use of common areas

Read the house rules before you plan anything: the detail is in the guide to condominium rules and co-owner rights. NovAsia helps with connecting utility accounts and obtaining access if you are outside the country.

Months two and three: what happens to the apartment

By now the apartment is accepted, accounts are transferred and defects are in progress. Time to decide what you are doing with it — the next steps follow from that.

Freeze the zero-state before furnishing, works or letting

Before cleaning, drilling, furniture installation, appliance fitting or tenant occupation, freeze the delivered baseline: a dated room-by-room record, a plan with zone IDs, the current defect list, meter readings, access register and appliance serial numbers. Preserve it as a separate immutable version rather than an album that is edited later.

Record every subsequent change in a change log: what was done, by whom, when, under whose approval, cost, invoice, warranty and before-and-after images. This separates a handover defect from contractor damage, an owner alteration and tenant damage. Do not put the apartment into use until it is clear which open defects prevent safe or normal occupation.

Letting it. Preparation, rent level, listing, tenant selection and contract. Start with getting it rent-ready and tenant screening.
Keeping it for yourself. The minimum is working insurance, fees paid, and someone who can get into the apartment in an emergency.
Preparing to sell. Then holding period and documents matter: see resale and exit.

The owner's folder

Keep in one place, ideally in the cloud and reachable from your phone: the SPA and all annexes, the handover record, the defect list and the correspondence about it, the ownership document, meter readings at handover, condition photographs, the management company's details and payment schedule, the insurance policy, and contacts for management and emergency services.

Track ownership registration as a separate process

Keys, the handover record and payment of the price do not replace registration control. For a foreign owner of a private unit, a transfer by agreement is not effective until registered under the applicable procedure. The owner's folder should therefore contain not only the eventual ownership document but evidence of lodgement: receiving authority and date, reference number, document list, custodian of originals, outstanding action and written case status.

Check that the applicant, project, building, floor, unit number and common-part share are consistent across the application and final document, and that a representative's authority covers the registration act itself. Do not mark the task complete on a “title processing” message: obtain the registered document copy, record the original's location and restrict who may collect it.

This folder is not for a rainy day; it is needed at every subsequent step with the apartment. The full contents are set out in the buyer's document pack.

If you are not in Cambodia

Handover can be carried out by a representative under a power of attorney. NovAsia arranges handover support when the buyer cannot travel: what matters is that the representative does not simply collect the keys but produces a defect list with photographs, takes meter readings and passes you the full set of documents.

Agree in advance who decides in a contested situation — for example, if the developer proposes signing the record with a promise to remedy defects later.

Create an access register and limited emergency mandate

Record every physical and digital access item: key or card ID, purpose, holder, issue date, copying ability, return date and lost-access response. Do not keep door, safe or app codes in the general folder next to the address; record only the secret owner and protected storage location. Revoke unnecessary access after contractors, tenants or a management change rather than relying on an oral understanding.

Define the local representative's permitted emergency actions in advance: enter after a verified incident, call the relevant service, isolate water or power, admit a contractor, document the event and approve only urgent loss-limiting work within a written cap. Authority to let the unit, sign an unqualified acceptance, release a claim, accept a settlement or hand over the original title should sit outside that emergency mandate unless the owner has expressly chosen otherwise.

Handover coming up? We can tell you what to record at handover and in what order to act in the first weeks — and arrange handover with a representative if you cannot travel.

Frequently asked questions

What must not be postponed after handover?

Recording defects and meter readings. The period within which the developer must remedy defects runs from the handover date and is set by your contract rather than by a general rule. The later the list is drawn up, the harder it is to show that a defect existed at handover rather than arising in use.

Do I have to accept the apartment in person?

No. Handover can be done through a representative under a power of attorney, and NovAsia arranges handover support when the buyer cannot travel. What matters is that the representative produces a defect list with photographs and takes meter readings rather than simply collecting the keys.

When do building charges start?

As a rule from handover rather than from the day you move in. The exact basis for management fees and sinking fund contributions is set by the documents of the specific project — request the schedule and the basis of charge from the management company straight after handover.

Sources

Practice supporting handovers in Phnom Penh · NovAsia corpus on ownership and management · checked July 2026. A single statutory defect-warranty period covering all Cambodian projects is not confirmed in this review — periods are set by the contract for the specific project. This content is for general information only and is not legal advice.

Template: first 90 days checklist — a CSV table that opens in Excel and Google Sheets. It is a working draft, not a legal document: the items should be adjusted to the specific unit and contract terms.