Designer defect inspections · Melbourne
Independent cosmetic finish inspections for high-end new builds and renovations, with every defect photographed, numbered and cited to the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026, and your report delivered the same day.
Current promotion · Community giveaway
Every month Nitpik gives away one completely free new home inspection, valued at $750, to someone building in Victoria. No catch.
Victoria residents only. Winner announced on Instagram. Not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram or Facebook.
Choose your path
Pre-handover, PCI, renovation and warranty finish inspections — $450 or $750, flat.
Project packages and a pre-handover QA retainer, so homes are checked before your clients see them.
Pre-sale cosmetic condition reports for listings, and rental condition reports for your rent roll.
How it works
Monday to Saturday, 8am–11am or 1pm–4pm.
Every room, every finish, checked from the Guide's viewing positions.
Room by room, photographed and numbered, ready for your builder.
Re-check visits after rectification are quoted individually.
The report
Victoria's Building and Plumbing Commission publishes the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026. Every item on a Nitpik report is logged on site in our own defecting software and cited to the relevant clause — so your builder gets a numbered list they can't argue with.
#047 · Bed 2 · East wall
Paint roller texture visible under raking light across ~800mm section.
Cited:
Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026 — Cl. 16.2 Surface finish of paintwork: paintwork is outside tolerance where blemishes such as runs, sags, brush or sanding marks and gloss variation are visible from a normal viewing position (1.5 m, non-critical light).
Status: Defect · rectification required.
Recently inspected
Pricing
Single storey
Houses, townhouses and apartments on one level.
Double storey
Two or more levels — stairs, upper wet areas and voids.
Builder or developer? See project pricing →
What we inspect
Runs, bleeds, patch marks, roller texture.
Every wet edge, cornice line and skirting join.
Alignment, joins, chips, wave.
Chips, alignment, closer feel, hinges.
Lippage, spacing, grout finish, silicone.
Scratches, seals, handles, latches.
Cosmetic finish only, not structural, compliance, pest or pre-purchase inspections. Full scope
Inspecting across Melbourne, led by Toorak, Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Canterbury, Malvern, Brighton and South Yarra. See all areas →
Proof
Homeowner — pre-handover inspection
A full cosmetic finish inspection before handover under raking light, with every item photographed, numbered and cited to the 2026 Guide, and the report delivered the same day.
73 items logged across 17 rooms in a single inspection on 24 September 2026 — every item photographed, numbered and cited, with the room-by-room PDF delivered the same day.
Homeowner — pre-handover inspection
A pre-handover cosmetic finish inspection of a new home in Melbourne's north, with marked items photographed, numbered and cited to the 2026 Guide.
146 items logged in a single pre-handover inspection — every item photographed, numbered and cited to the Guide, with the builder-ready PDF delivered the same day.
Developer — project package · Upcoming
Our next project: a small Melbourne developer has engaged Nitpik for their first dual occupancy townhouse project. Both dwellings will be inspected before handover, re-checked after rectification and closed out in a register.
Upcoming — results and photos will be added once the project is closed out.
Google reviews
5.0 / 5 from 3 customer reviews
View on Google“Highly recommend NITPIK! Tim was thorough and knowledgeable, identifying defects in my home and clearly explaining how they related to the relevant building guidelines. His attention to detail gave me confidence in knowing exactly what needed to be addressed. Excellent service and the next property I'll buy, definitely us this service!”
Andrew Goro · Google
“Had Nitpik check our new build before handover and it was honestly one of the best decisions we made. They found stuff we never would have spotted in a million years — small paint marks, uneven caulking, a chipped skirting board — and the report came back the same day, fully photographed, which made the whole thing with the builder so easy. Price was upfront, no messing around, and they even came back after to double check everything actually got fixed properly. Such a nice touch! Took so much stress out of the whole handover process. Can't recommend them enough — will absolutely be using them again!”
Madonna Bradbury · Google
“Tim was fantastic. I’d been over the house multiple times and was sure I’d covered everything, but he picked up issues I’d completely missed. He was thorough, explained each finding clearly, and gave me real confidence going forward. If you’re building a family home that’s meant to last, get Tim in. Highly recommend!”
Sandy Agyeman · Google
For builders & developers
Every dwelling inspected before handover, a re-check after rectification and a closeout register. From $380 per dwelling.
We walk each job about a week before the client's PCI. From $1,250 per month.
About Nitpik
Nitpik is led by a designer and former developer project manager with a construction delivery background — the same eye that reviews high-end builds, pointed at yours.
More about Nitpik →Questions
They're the same thing: an independent inspection when your builder says the home has reached practical completion, before you sign off, pay the final instalment and take the keys. Nitpik lists every cosmetic finish defect, photographed and cited to the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026.
A pre-handover inspection happens before you accept the home, when you have the most leverage. A warranty inspection happens after you've moved in — usually near the end of the builder's defects liability or maintenance period — to document defects that have appeared or were never fixed.
No. Nitpik inspects cosmetic finish only. We're not structural engineers, building surveyors or pest and termite inspectors, and we don't do pre-purchase building and pest reports on existing homes.
Every defect is photographed, located by room, described in plain English and cited to the relevant clause and tolerance in the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026. You get the PDF the same day. Re-check visits after rectification are available on request, quoted individually.
Re-check visits after rectification are available on request, quoted individually. On a re-check, each original item is marked Rectified or Outstanding.
The Handover Guide
The 33-page walkthrough we run on site, packaged so you can check your own build before handover.
Paid download · PDF · 33 pages · instant
Cosmetic scope only — not a substitute for a full Nitpik inspection. See what's inside.
We inspect Monday to Saturday, 8am–11am or 1pm–4pm. Free reschedule up to 48 hours before.