A practical aftercare process for new homes
Aftercare is the work a developer's team does after a home is handed over. It includes receiving defect reports, arranging the next action and keeping the owner informed.
Use these six steps to review your own process. The example follows a cracked kitchen tile from the first report to the care team's decision to close the case.
The six steps of residential aftercare
Record what the owner has observed
Start with the home, room and precise location. Ask for a short description and photos that show both the surrounding area and the detail. Give the report a reference so everyone can refer to the same case.
Review the report and identify the next action
The customer care team checks the information and asks for anything missing. The team decides urgency and sets the deadline. Tell the owner what happens next and show the date once it has been set.
Assign the work with enough context
Give the responsible team the location, photos and a clear description of the work to assess or carry out. Share the records they need for that assignment. Confirm who will provide the next update.
Agree access and the visit
Arrange the visit with the people who need to attend or provide access. Keep the appointment separate from the repair deadline. If the visit changes, record the new arrangement and tell the people affected.
Record the completed work
Ask the contractor to describe what they did and attach the relevant photos or documents. Include anything that remains outstanding. Send the completed work to the customer care team for review.
Review the result and record the outcome
The customer care team checks the result against the report and agreed work. It can close the case or return it for further work. Record the decision, the person who made it and the date, then tell the owner the outcome.
Who is responsible at each stage?
Give people access to the information required for their role. Keep internal notes and unrelated homes out of the material shared with owners and contractors.
Homeowner
Describe the observation, provide requested information and arrange access where needed.
Their own report, the next step, the team-set deadline and relevant updates.
Customer care team
Review reports, decide urgency, set deadlines, coordinate work and record the outcome.
The complete case and the internal context needed to manage it.
Contractor or internal service team
Assess or carry out assigned work, record progress and provide completion evidence.
The assigned work, location, relevant photos and agreed arrangements.
One cracked tile, followed through the process
Cracked kitchen floor tile
D-2026-014Example development · Apartment 12 · Kitchen doorway
“A crack runs across the floor tile beside the kitchen doorway. I noticed it on 14 September 2026.”
Fictional example. Dates and details illustrate the process.
- 14 Sep2026Owner sends the description and two photos
- 15 Sep2026Team assigns D-2026-014, reviews the report and sets a 24 September deadline
- 15 Sep2026Tiling team receives the location, photos and repair instructions
- 18 Sep2026Visit is agreed for 22 September, 09:00–11:00
- 22 Sep2026Tiling team reports the replacement complete and provides a photo
- 24 Sep2026Team records its review, closes the case and informs the owner
When the next step changes
Information is missing
Ask for the specific detail needed to assess the report. Keep the request and response with the same case so the next person can see what was clarified.
The work needs another review
Explain what remains outstanding and send the work back to the responsible team. Keep the earlier completion update and review decision in the history. Record the new next action.
The case ends without a repair
Record the outcome and its explanation. Tell the owner what the team decided and what happens next, if anything. A closed case should describe its actual outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Is snagging the same as aftercare?
Snagging usually happens around handover. Aftercare continues after the owner has moved in and covers every report until the case is closed.
Who should set the repair deadline?
The customer care team, after reviewing the report. The owner sees the date once it has been set.
Can we use this process with a spreadsheet?
Yes. The six steps work in any tool, as long as everyone uses the same reference and the record is kept current.
See how Toveta would work for your team.
Choose a case you would like to discuss. In thirty minutes, we will show how Toveta supports the process, from the homeowner's report to your team's review and case closure.
Book a demo