Viewing a ready home: 7 things to check on site

Legal basis: Decision 86/2024/QĐ-UBND of HCMC dated 21 October 2024 (price range for apartment building operation and management services) · Circular 12/2021/TT-BLĐTBXH dated 30 September 2021 (lift inspection procedure) · Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue No. 55/2024/QH15 (effective 1 July 2025) · Updated 20 October 2026.

When viewing a ready home, you need to check 7 things that the paperwork will not tell you: leaks, sun direction, noise, building management, service fees, lifts and fire safety. Each can be seen with your own eyes or asked about right there in the building. The pink book, mortgage and deposit contract are covered in Buying an apartment with a pink book: what to check before the deposit.

1. Leaks

Water seepage is the most common defect in homes that have been lived in for a while, and it is costly if found after handover.

• Look at the bathroom ceiling and walls, the base of walls next to the bathroom, around window frames, the balcony and the service shaft: look for yellow stains, bubbling or peeling paint, mould.
• Smell for damp in built-in wardrobes and closed-off corners.
• For a top-floor unit, ask when the roof terrace was last waterproofed.
• View it after heavy rain if you can. Fresh paint on just one patch of wall is a reason to ask more.

2. Sun direction

The direction in a listing is usually that of the balcony or the front door, not necessarily the bedrooms.

• Use the compass on your phone to work out which way each large glass surface faces.
• West-facing glass gets the afternoon sun. If possible, come back to see the unit in the afternoon and touch the glass and the floor near the window.
• Check whether the building opposite blocks the light or looks straight into the rooms.

3. Noise

• Close all doors and windows and stand in the middle of the bedroom for a few minutes to listen for traffic, lifts, pumps and the neighbours' air-conditioner units.
• Ask where the plant room, electrical substation, rubbish area and swimming pool are relative to the unit.
• Units next to a main road are best viewed at evening rush hour; units near shops and eateries are best viewed in the evening.

4. Management company and Owners' Board

• Ask the name of the operating and management company, the duty phone number and how to report problems.
• Ask whether the building has an Owners' Board yet, and whether the maintenance fund has been handed over to it. Buyers of units from the developer must pay a maintenance fund of 2% of the unit's value; the developer collects it and then hands it over to the Owners' Board.
• Read the building notice board: notices of water cuts, lift repairs or fee disputes show how the building is run.

5. Service fees

The operation and management fee is calculated as unit rate × usable area of the unit. In HCMC, the range under Decision 86/2024/QĐ-UBND is:

Type of apartment building	Range (dong/m²/month)
With lifts	1,800 – 7,000
Without lifts	600 – 3,500

This range is mandatory for state-owned apartment buildings; for commercial buildings it is a reference when the parties agree a rate or in a dispute. The actual rate in each building may differ, so ask for the management company's fee notice rather than relying on the figure the seller gives you. The range excludes parking, electricity, water, fire insurance, the maintenance fund and VAT.

Reference example: a unit with 70 m² usable area, assuming a management fee of 7,000 dong/m²/month → 490,000 dong/month, excluding parking, electricity and water.

Also ask for confirmation that the unit has no unpaid fees up to the handover date.

6. Lifts

• Look for the inspection sticker in the car or near the lift door (it must be placed where it is easy to see) and check the expiry date.

• Under Circular 12/2021/TT-BLĐTBXH, lifts in apartment buildings are inspected periodically every 2 years; lifts in use for more than 15 years are inspected every year.

• Try the lifts at the morning peak: how long you wait, how many lifts are running, whether there is a separate service lift.

7. Fire safety

• Walk from the unit's door to the nearest fire escape stairway: the route is not blocked by belongings, fire doors close by themselves, and exit signs are lit.
• Look at the fire extinguishers, hose cabinets and fire alarm call points in the corridor, and the smoke detectors and sprinklers inside the unit.
• Ask the management company about the most recent fire drill and fire safety inspection; ask whether the building has passed fire safety acceptance.
• See whether the car park and the fire engine access around the building are encroached on. The 2024 Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue prohibits encroaching on or placing obstacles that hinder firefighting and rescue vehicles.

After the viewing

Note the points that fall short and ask the seller to fix them before handover, or take them off the price. Any agreement on repairs, handover condition and furniture left behind should go into the deposit contract. To compare the unit's price with similar units before making an offer, see Secondary versus primary prices.

This article is for reference only and does not replace legal or financial advice for your specific case.

1. Leaks: ceilings, bathroom walls, wall bases, around windows, balcony, built-in wardrobes — stains, bubbling paint, damp smell.
2. Sun direction: work out which way each glass surface faces with a compass; if it faces west, come back in the afternoon.
3. Noise: close all doors and windows, listen for a few minutes in the bedroom; ask where the plant room, substation and rubbish area are.
4. Building management: name of the operating company, duty number for problems; whether the building has an Owners' Board and the maintenance fund has been handed over.
5. Service fees: ask for the management company's fee notice (unit rate × usable area) and parking fees; ask for confirmation of no unpaid fees.
6. Lifts: check the inspection sticker is still valid (apartment buildings: every 2 years); try them at peak hours.
7. Fire safety: walk to the fire escape stairway; look at fire doors, extinguishers, smoke detectors; ask about the latest fire safety inspection.
8. Write up a viewing record: points that fall short, items left behind, repairs the seller will do before handover — put them into the deposit contract.

Sources in Vietnamese; titles kept in the original, with a short English translation in brackets.

• VnEconomy — TP.HCM: Phí quản lý chung cư tối đa 7.000 đồng/m2/tháng (HCMC: apartment management fee capped at 7,000 dong/m²/month — Decision 86/2024/QĐ-UBND dated 21 October 2024), 29 October 2024.
• LuatVietnam — Thông tư 12/2021/TT-BLĐTBXH quy trình kiểm định kỹ thuật an toàn thang máy (Circular 12/2021/TT-BLĐTBXH on lift safety inspection procedure), issued 30 September 2021, effective 15 November 2021, read 20 October 2026.
• Can Tho City legal education portal — Luật Phòng cháy, chữa cháy và cứu nạn, cứu hộ năm 2024 (2024 Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue, effective 1 July 2025), read 20 October 2026.
• Vietnam Lawyers Journal — Luật Phòng cháy, chữa cháy và cứu nạn, cứu hộ chính thức được thông qua (Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue passed), 29 November 2024.
• Thư viện Nhà đất — Năm 2025, mức phí bảo trì chung cư mà cư dân phải đóng là bao nhiêu? (How much maintenance fee do apartment residents pay in 2025? — Article 152 of the 2023 Law on Housing, Article 40 of Circular 05/2024/TT-BXD), read 20 October 2026.
• Tuoi Tre (Phap Luat TP.HCM) — Lưu ý khi mua chung cư cũ (Things to note when buying an older apartment), 27 May 2021.