Turnkey pool house: 10 marks of a real handover

2026-04-15 · 6 min read · MARDECO

«Sold turnkey» is the most universal listing phrase and the most vague in practice. Here are 10 concrete marks: 30 minutes of viewing will tell you if the house is truly ready or needs another 30,000 AZN of fixes.

Finish and walls

1. Straight walls and corners. Deviation over 3 mm on 2 m = poor work.
2. Tile joints. Uniform width, no chipped corners, grout in one tone.
3. Door thresholds. Level, gap-free, doors close on the first move.
4. Sockets aligned. Skewed sockets are a rush marker.

Engineering

5. Breakers and RCD. Panel labelled, split by groups, separate breaker for the pool.
6. Heating. Combi boiler 24+ kW, warm floor in bathroom and kitchen.
7. Ventilation. Heat-recovery in bathrooms and kitchen.
8. Water conditioning. Mechanical filter and softener at the inlet.

Pool and yard

9. Pool switched on and heated. The seller shows the equipment running, not «tomorrow we'll fix it.»
10. Landscaping. Living lawn, level tile, no post-construction concrete «scars.»

Bonus test: ask the seller to spend a night in the house with everything running. A real turnkey survives 8 hours, not 30 minutes.

Documents at handover

• Deeds on both house and land.
• Up-to-date technical passport.
• Pool and equipment passports.
• Contracts with utility and internet providers.
• 12+ months' builder warranty.

See also: 7 common mistakes, pool types, hidden costs.