After fifteen years of building custom homes, I’ve walked through hundreds of properties—some freshly painted on the surface, others hiding problems behind new drywall. When I started working with buyers in India, I noticed the same pattern repeating: people fall in love with a layout or a location, and they overlook the things that will cost them real money later. This checklist is the one I use myself. It isn’t about finding a perfect house. It’s about knowing exactly what you’re buying.
I’ve broken this down into the areas that matter most in Indian residential construction. Some of these checks take minutes. Others require a professional. But every single one will tell you something important about the home.
Start with the structure, not the paint
Fresh paint hides a lot. I always tell buyers to ignore the colour of the walls for the first ten minutes and look at what’s holding the house up. Walk around the outside first, then go room by room inside.
- External walls: Look for vertical cracks wider than a hairline, especially near corners or where beams meet columns. Small settlement cracks are common, but wide or diagonal cracks need an engineer’s opinion.
- Dampness and efflorescence: White powdery patches on brick or concrete mean water is moving through the wall. Check near the base of external walls and around bathrooms.
- Plaster condition: Tap suspicious areas with your knuckle. A hollow sound means the plaster has separated from the wall. It will eventually fall off.
- Roof slab and ceiling: Look for water stains, rust spots from rebar, or sagging. If the building has a terrace, check the waterproofing layer for cracks or blisters.
Plumbing: the system you can’t see
Plumbing failures are among the most expensive to fix because the pipes are buried in walls and floors. You can’t inspect everything without opening walls, but you can learn a lot from pressure, drainage, and the age of visible fittings.
- Water pressure: Turn on the taps in every bathroom and the kitchen. Low pressure in one area but not others suggests a blockage or a badly routed pipe.
- Drainage speed: Fill a bucket and pour it down each floor drain. Slow drainage means a slope problem or a partial blockage.
- Leak evidence: Look under sinks, around toilet bases, and on the ceiling below bathrooms. Dark patches, peeling paint, or a musty smell are all signs of a slow leak.
- Pipe material: If you can see any exposed piping, check whether it’s CPVC, copper, or old galvanised steel. Galvanised pipes corrode from the inside and should be budgeted for replacement.
Electrical safety and capacity
Indian homes are using more power than they did ten years ago—air conditioners, induction cooktops, water heaters, EV chargers. An older electrical system may not be able to handle that load safely.
- Distribution board: Check for an MCB or RCCB. If the board still uses old ceramic fuses, the wiring is outdated and needs a full upgrade.
- Earthing: Ask whether the building has a proper earth pit. This is a safety issue, not a convenience. Many older buildings skip it.
- Socket condition: Loose sockets, scorch marks, or buzzing sounds when you plug something in are red flags.
- Concealed wiring: If the house was built before 2000 and hasn’t been rewired, assume the insulation on the wires is deteriorating. Budget for rewiring.
Doors, windows, and the building envelope
These are the parts of a home that separate you from heat, dust, monsoon rain, and noise. In Indian cities, a well-sealed window can make a bigger difference to comfort than a fresh coat of paint.
- Window frames: Check for warping, rust on metal frames, or rot on wooden ones. Open and close every window—stiffness often means the frame is out of square.
- Seals and gaskets: During the monsoon, gaps around windows let water run inside the wall. Look for daylight coming through the edges of closed windows.
- Door alignment: A door that scrapes the floor or doesn’t latch properly may indicate foundation movement or poor installation.
- Ventilation: Kitchens and bathrooms need proper exhaust points. A window that opens is good; an exhaust fan duct is better.
What the building’s common areas tell you
If you’re buying an apartment, the condition of the lobby, stairwell, and parking area tells you how the building has been maintained. A developer or society that neglects common areas will also neglect structural repairs.
- Stairwell cracks: Cracks in stairwell walls or landings can indicate structural movement affecting the whole building.
- Water tank condition: Ask to see the overhead and underground tanks. Rust, algae, or missing covers are signs of poor maintenance.
- Lift maintenance: Check the last service date inside the lift. If it’s overdue, that’s a management problem.
- Seepage in basement or parking: Water stains on columns or walls in the parking area suggest groundwater ingress or plumbing leaks from above.
Red flags I never ignore
Some issues are so expensive or so difficult to fix that I advise buyers to walk away unless the price reflects the full cost of repair—and sometimes even then.
- Structural cracks wider than 3 mm that run diagonally across walls or through beams.
- Visible rust on ceiling rebar or concrete spalling (chunks of concrete falling away).
- Persistent damp smell that doesn’t go away after a few minutes of ventilation.
- Aluminium wiring in older buildings—it’s a fire hazard and needs complete replacement.
- Unauthorised structural changes like removed columns or added floors without municipal approval.
Use this checklist, but don’t stop there
This checklist will help you spot obvious problems and ask the right questions. But it doesn’t replace a professional structural audit or a thorough inspection by a qualified engineer. If something feels wrong—if a wall sounds hollow, if a door doesn’t close, if the water pressure drops when you flush—trust that feeling and investigate further.
I’ve seen too many buyers in India make a decision based on a nicely staged living room and a good view. The view stays. The problems don’t. Take your time, bring this checklist with you, and don’t be afraid to look behind the furniture.
— David Goodwin