Before the Final Payment: A Homeowner’s Patio Door Handover Audit

Patio doors are one of those purchases where the big moment—the glass sliding smoothly, the garden suddenly closer—can distract you from the boring bits. But the boring bits are what you will live with in February. A handover audit is not about being difficult; it is about being fair. The fitter wants to get paid, you want doors that work, and a calm half-hour with a torch, a jug of water and your phone camera is the best way to make sure both happen.

Paperwork before hands-on checks

Ask for the paper trail while the fitter is still on site. It is much easier to sort now than by email in three weeks.

1. Match the installed doors to your order: frame colour, glazing spec, handle style, locking points and opening direction.
2. Ask for the product warranty and confirm the start date, the length and what is excluded.
3. Check the installation certificate or building-control notification—FENSA, Certass or local authority, depending on the route used.
4. Confirm the guarantee covers both the doors and the installation work, and note who to call for a fault.
5. Keep a copy of the manufacturer’s care instructions, especially for aluminium, timber or composite frames.

Threshold, drainage and the outside face

6. Inspect the threshold for a clean, level finish. You should not be stepping over a wobbly upstand or a gap that catches a toe.
7. Pour a jug of water into the external track and watch where it goes. It should drain out through the weep holes, not pool inside.
8. Check the weep holes and drainage slots are clear of sealant, mastic and site dust.
9. Look at the external sealant line. It should be continuous, neat and stuck to both frame and wall, with no cracks or hollows.
10. Check the cill or sill has a slight fall away from the house, so water does not sit against the frame.
11. Open and close the door during heavy rain if you can, or at least hose the outside face gently. Watch for water tracking inside.
12. Look under the door and around the frame for daylight or a visible gap. A small gap can become a cold draught once the wind gets up.

Draughts, seals and airtightness

13. Close the door on a strip of paper, then try to pull it out. It should resist slightly; if it slides out with no resistance, the seal is not doing much.
14. Run your hand slowly around the frame, especially the corners and the meeting stile, on a breezy day.
15. Check brush seals, bubble seals and corner gaskets are fitted, continuous and not flattened or cut short.
16. Make sure the trickle vents, if fitted, open and close properly and are not painted shut.
17. Check the frame-to-wall junction inside. A neat bead of airtight sealant or expanding tape should be doing the work, not a draught.
18. Look for gaps behind trims and under windowsills. These are easy to hide and annoying to fix later.

Glass, frame and finish

19. Look along the glass at an angle, with a torch if needed, for scratches, scuffs and polishing marks.
20. Check the glazing beads and gaskets are evenly fitted and not standing proud or pinched.
21. Look for condensation between the panes. If you see it at handover, flag it immediately.
22. Inspect frame corners and welds for cracks, colour mismatch or rough edges.
23. Check handles, hinges, rollers and locking points operate smoothly without forcing.
24. Test every key and every lock. Make sure the door locks securely from both sides and the key does not stick.
25. Check any child-safety or restrictor function, if specified, works as intended.
26. Open and close the door slowly and fully. It should glide without a thump, scrape or wobble.
27. Check the sliding track or hinge line for grit, debris and damage. A gritty track will wear the rollers.
28. Make sure the door lines up with the frame when closed. Uneven gaps usually mean adjustment is needed.
29. Look at the internal and external finish: no scuffs on the frame, no mastic smears on the glass, no missing end caps.
30. Photograph every fault, every label and every document. Include a wide shot and a close-up with something for scale.
31. Ask for a written snag list with agreed dates for putting things right, and do not hand over the final payment until the list is signed and the major items are done.

The faults that get expensive after the first winter

Minor-looking issues have a habit of growing. A threshold that drains slowly in July can back up in a January storm. A door that drags slightly when the weather is warm may stop sealing properly when the frame contracts. A tiny gap in the external sealant can let in driving rain, and by the time you notice a damp patch inside, the fault is no longer a quick adjustment.

The same goes for operation. If the door needs a firm push to lock, or the handle feels gritty, get it adjusted before final payment. Rollers and hinges are easiest to set up when the installer is still there with the right tools. Once they have packed up, even a small return visit can take weeks to arrange.

Keep a little perspective, too. No handover is perfect, and a scuff on a trim or a bit of excess sealant is not the same as a door that leaks or will not lock. The point of the audit is to separate the cosmetic from the structural, record both, and agree what happens next. Take your photos, write your list, ask your questions—and only then reach for the cheque book. A good fitter will respect you for it.