Construction acceptance
Acceptance of the construction project and handover to the constructor
Building acceptance of a one-family house or commercial premises
A build is only as good as the quality of its implementation works. Therefore it is indispensable that the build acceptance be carried out by an experienced expert. Incorrect or insufficient works will lead to expense sooner or later. As with any construction of real estate, the individual work stages build upon each other, making ever more expensive mistakes to be corrected in the future. Therefore, it is worthwhile to have the individual building stages checked by an experienced construction consultant and remove any evident building defects immediately.
Upon build acceptance, firm deadlines are checked, payment transactions are overseen, and implementations reviewed. Additionally, conditions are implemented and construction acceptances carried out according to the main construction stages. Furthermore, applicable construction defects are documented and the repair of building damage is instigated.
During this, attention is always paid to SIA Standard 118. For this regulates the general conditions of construction work and is therefore also a component of most construction contracts.
Construction acceptance is brought to bear upon the final completion of the works. Construction acceptance takes place together with the contractor and the construction management within 30 days. Ideally, the result of the acceptance check is recorded and undersigned by both parties. The following results may emerge from the check:
- acceptance of defect-free work (which is, indeed, seldom the case)
- acceptance with minor defects, which are to be corrected within a set time period
- deferment of the building work on grounds of major defects, which render the use of the property impossible in normal circumstances.
If the property is taken without joint construction acceptance, it is deemed to be accepted after 30 days.
The warranty and limitation periods for the construction works or individual work phases start to run from the day of acceptance. If nothing else has been expressly agreed, the warranty period (complaint period) consists of 2 years. Should further defects arise after construction acceptance, these may be claimed for during the warranty period. Latent errors have an expiry of 5 years. Rights relating to defects that the contractor has consciously ignored, on the other hand, only expire after 10 years.
