PunchleeClosing out a NYC co-op or condo renovation
In a New York co-op or condo the job is not over when the work is done. It is over when the building signs off and the deposit comes back.
Most co-ops and many condos make the owner sign an alteration agreement before work starts and hold a refundable deposit, often somewhere between $5,000 and $25,000. The deposit comes back after the work is finished, the building is satisfied that nothing in the common areas was damaged, and any permits are closed. On many buildings that takes 30 to 60 days after completion. A clean closeout is how you keep it on the short end.
Who signs off
- The managing agent runs the paperwork, collects the deposit and returns it.
- The building's architect or engineer, hired by the board, often inspects the finished work against the approved plans.
- The board approves the release, usually on the agent's and architect's say-so.
- Your architect or engineer closes the job with the Department of Buildings when a permit was filed, so it does not sit open on the building's record.
The closeout checklist
- Finish your own punch list first, before the building's architect walks it
- Photograph every finished item next to its before photo
- Walk the halls, elevator and service entrance for damage, and photograph them clean
- Remove protection from halls and elevators only after the last delivery
- Collect any required sign-offs and inspections for plumbing, electrical and gas work
- Have your architect or engineer close the DOB job if a permit was filed
- Gather warranties, manuals and the contractor's insurance certificate if the building asks for them
- Get the owner to sign off on the finished work
- Send the managing agent one package: the signed-off punch list with before and after photos, permit closeout and any inspection letters
- Ask the agent when the building's final inspection will be and who should attend
Why photos matter so much here
Disputes about deposits are almost always about the common areas: a scratch in the elevator, a mark on the hallway wall, a stained carpet. Photos of the hall before work started and after it ended, with dates on them, settle most of these in one email. The same goes for the work itself: a before and after photo of every punch item is faster for the building's architect to review than a walk-through.
A closeout report the building can read in two minutes
Punchlee builds the package for you. Every item has its before photo, its after photo and the date it was fixed. At the final walk the owner signs on your phone, and the PDF ends with their name, signature and how many items were approved. Add the managing agent to the job as Building / Managing agent and they can watch progress and read the report without being able to change anything.
Running the punch list itself? Start with the guide to writing punch list items or the free template.
Do it on your phone instead
Punchlee turns every item into a photo your crew can act on. Photo it, circle it, pick who fixes it. They mark it done with their own photo and you approve it from anywhere. Your crew gets the app free, and everyone reads the list in their own language. Add the managing agent as a viewer and send the closeout report in one tap.