Overseas Renovation checklist

Write down what the finished property has to do

A rental, a holiday home and a full time home lead to different specifications and different budgets.

Set a total budget including taxes, professional fees and currency movement

Research typical local build costs per square meter before any design work

Check whether foreign owners face restrictions on buying or renovating

Understand the local tax position on owning, renovating and renting the property

Plan how many site visits you can realistically make, and when they matter most

Decide who can act for you locally when you are not there

Set this up formally, because many steps need a signature in person or a power of attorney.

Confirm the legal owner and that the title is clear of debts and claims

Confirm the building on site matches what is legally registered

Unregistered extensions and past changes usually have to be legalized before a new permit is granted.

Get an independent structural and damp survey

Check for heritage, coastal, flood or conservation restrictions

Check access rights, shared walls and rights of way

Confirm which utilities are connected and what capacity they have

Ask for the annual running costs, including local taxes and any association fees

Appoint a local technical professional to lead the drawings and permits

Confirm every company is registered, insured and current on its obligations

Ask for three recent similar projects and contact those owners

Ask them about the schedule, the changes and the final cost against the estimate.

Visit a current site of the contractor if a trip is possible

Confirm who supervises the work day to day while you are away

Somebody has to be on site regularly, and it should not be the same person building it.

Agree the working language and who translates

Appoint a local lawyer or accountant for contracts and payments

Put a written limit on what anyone may commit on your behalf

Have the technical lead confirm which permits the scope requires

Confirm the expected approval time and build it into the schedule

Confirm what work may legally start before approval, and what may not

Get any association, neighbor or heritage consent in writing

Confirm insurance is in place for the whole works period

Confirm the site safety obligations and who carries them

Keep copies of every permit and approval in one place

Get a written contract with an itemized scope

A single lump sum on one page gives you nothing to check progress or a change against.

Tie payments to completed and verified milestones

Release each payment only after somebody you trust has confirmed that stage is actually finished.

Keep the deposit as small as the local market allows

Agree in writing how variations are priced and approved

Agree the retention held until the punch list is complete

Holding a final percentage until defects are fixed is the main leverage you have at a distance.

Agree the completion date and what happens if it slips

Plan the currency transfers and budget for exchange rates and fees

File every invoice and transfer receipt by date as you go

Agree a fixed weekly photo set

Ask for the same views each week from the same positions, so progress and problems are easy to compare.

Agree a weekly written update against this checklist

Hold a scheduled video call at the same time every week

Agree a monthly report covering progress, spend and the next month's plan

Ask for a walk through video before any wall or floor is closed

Keep every decision in writing, in one place, readable by everyone

Agree how urgent questions are raised and how fast you will answer

Time zones stall a site, so set a rule for what the team may decide without waiting for you.

Log every change with a date, a price and the name of whoever approved it

Confirm the electrical supply capacity matches the planned appliances

Supply upgrades are slow almost everywhere, so check this before choosing an electric kitchen or a heat pump.

Request any supply upgrade early, because meter changes take weeks

Confirm the heating and cooling approach and where the equipment will sit

Confirm the hot water capacity for the number of bathrooms

Confirm the water pressure and whether a pump or a tank is needed

Confirm drainage, including whether the property is on a sewer or a tank

Confirm the internet options if the property will be rented

Collect the installer certificate for every system

Order windows, doors and tile early

These are usually what sets the finish date, and a delay here idles every following trade.

Confirm tile, stone and flooring quantities with the waste allowance included

Ask for a photo or a sample of the actual batch before ordering

Stone and tile vary between batches, and a screen image is not a reliable guide to color.

Confirm the waterproofing in wet areas before any tiling starts

Confirm the kitchen and bathroom layouts against the plumbing rough-in

Confirm paint colors on site rather than from a screen

Agree who receives deliveries and checks them for damage on arrival

Do the walkthrough in person if possible, or by video against this checklist

Write one shared punch list with photographs and agreed dates

Confirm every system works, room by room

Confirm all permits are closed and any completion certificate is issued

Collect the warranties, manuals and installer certificates

Collect as built drawings and the photographs taken before walls were closed

Record paint, tile and flooring references for future repairs

Get keys, codes and meter readings, and put the ongoing bills in your name

Arrange somebody to check the property between your visits

A small leak or a blocked gutter found in a month costs a fraction of one found in a year.