Building acceptance is a crucial step for private building owners - it signals that the building has been completed. However, experience shows that hardly any new builds are accepted without defects. For this reason, the Association of Private Building Owners (VPB) recommends that independent experts be consulted during the acceptance process in order to identify possible defects.
Formal acceptance of the building is advisable and should be documented in an acceptance report. All defects found are listed in the acceptance report. This also includes defects that have already been identified during previous inspections. It is important to know that not only damage, but also deviations from the contractual agreements can be included in the protocol. Building owners should expressly reserve their rights with regard to the defects recorded in the report in order to make it easier to take action against them at a later date.
Furthermore, builders should have it recorded in the minutes that rectifications have been requested and reasonable deadlines have been set. To exert pressure, builders can initially withhold part of the payment for the rectification of defects. In the case of significant defects that impair the use of the building, building owners can refuse acceptance. In order to strengthen their negotiating position, builders should take sufficient time for proper building acceptance and never pay the final invoice in advance.
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