In short
You hand the fit-out of a white-frame apartment in Georgia to a contractor under a written works contract. It fixes the scope, staged payments for finished work, photo reports, sign-off and the warranty. Work follows a set order: services first, then walls, bathroom and floors, and finally kitchen, doors and lighting. From abroad you run it through an independent representative on site and pay only for work that has been documented.
The fit-out in four stepsWhere your fit-out starts depends on the finish level in the purchase contract. A separate guide explains what white, black and green frame include.
Finish levels explainedProcess
The sequence follows the build: whatever ends up behind plaster and tiles comes first. Time and cost depend on the flat, the materials and the firm, so rely on written quotes rather than rules of thumb.
Compare the flat with the specification annex to the purchase contract and with the handover report. With black frame, plaster, screed and services are often missing, sometimes partition walls too. With white frame you start with surfaces, bathroom and kitchen. With green frame, depending on the developer, painting, sanitaryware, kitchen and furniture remain. Photograph every room and every connection before anyone starts.
A layout shows sockets, switches, lighting, air conditioning, water and drainage points. Add a materials list with brand or grade. Send both to at least two firms so the quotes can be compared. Check the firm in the NAPR business register.
The contract lists the work, with the layout and materials list attached; stages, each with a payment, a photo report and a sign-off; a completion date; the warranty; and a rule that extras count only in writing. Have it translated into a language you read.
First add or reroute the runs for power, water, drainage and air conditioning. Then skim walls and ceilings, waterproof the bathroom, lay tiles and floors, and paint. Sanitaryware, kitchen, doors and lights go in last. Have the pipes and cables photographed and measured before they disappear behind plaster.
Walk the flat with the handover checklist, now applied to the fit-out: hollow tiles, the fall in the shower, sealant joints, every socket, water pressure, doors. Record defects and deadlines in writing and hold back the final payment until they are fixed, if the contract allows it.
File the works contract, invoices, the sign-off report and the photos of pipes and cables. You will need them to pursue defects, to support an insurance claim and, later, when you sell.
What matters
From abroad you can check tiles on a photo, but not a loose agreement. So what counts is a precise contract, payment against progress and the building's own rules.
Many new buildings set working hours, limits on noisy work, rules for using the lift, protection for corridors and the lift car, and how rubble is removed. Tradespeople often have to be registered with the management in advance. Ask for the rules in writing and attach them to the works contract.
Load-bearing walls, the facade, shafts and the roof are common property under the Law on Homeowners' Associations. Outdoor air-conditioning units, balcony glazing and new openings therefore often need the consent of the management or the owners. Settle this before you order anything.
An independent site manager, surveyor or your property manager checks each stage before payment. They should not be paid by the fit-out firm. Limit any power of attorney to sign-offs and communication, and release payments yourself.
Pay in stages that match progress and never most of the price up front. Materials may justify a deposit, against an invoice. Transfer only to the account of the company named in the contract, never cash to staff.
Agree dated photos from the same angles and a video call through the whole flat at the end of each stage. For pipes, waterproofing and underfloor heating, photos with a tape measure are later the only record of where things run.
Electricity and water accounts should be in your name before work starts, so you can see what the site consumes. On the coast the air is humid: screed and plaster need time to dry, or floors and paint come loose. Ask the firm how it plans drying and ventilation.
Frequently asked questions
Scope, the contract, fit-out by the developer and furnishing for tenants.
Often the surfaces and everything you see: tiles, flooring, paint, sanitaryware, kitchen, internal doors and light fittings. What your developer actually delivers is set out in the specification annex to the purchase contract, which overrides any general definition.
Yes. You need a written contract, an independent representative on site who checks each stage, and regular photo reports. Release payments only once a stage is documented. A final inspection on site, by you or a surveyor, is still sensible.
Yes. The Civil Code of Georgia governs works contracts, covering performance, acceptance and liability for defects. What is owed in your case comes only from your contract, though. Without a layout, a materials list and payment stages, a defect is hard to prove.
Many developers sell fit-out packages. That saves coordination but does not replace checking. Ask for the work and materials to be described as precisely as you would from an outside firm, and compare with a second quote. Also check whether the fit-out is in the purchase price or billed separately.
Decide before the fit-out whether you will let to holidaymakers or long term. Holiday lets need durable furniture, plenty of linen and fast internet; long-term tenants look more at the kitchen and storage. Photograph the inventory, because it belongs in the tenancy agreement.
Last reviewed on 2 November 2026. Sources: Civil Code of Georgia (matsne.gov.ge): works contracts, acceptance and liability for defects, Law of Georgia on Homeowners' Associations No. 5277 of 11 July 2007, Arts. 3 and 5 (common property) (matsne.gov.ge), National Agency of Public Registry (napr.gov.ge): business register. This guide is not legal or tax advice.
Read next
What the finish levels include, how to take over the flat and what applies to holiday letting.
Every project page states the finish level at handover, so you know before buying what still comes after the keys.