Construction
Residential building and handover
From the building file to the keys, with buyers who are not professionals.
Residential building adds an actor other construction does not have: the buyer, who is a private individual, does not read technical documentation, and will dispute the finishes two years later. That changes what has to be proved and how it has to be written.
The three modules on a development
| Phase | Module | For what |
|---|---|---|
| Subcontractors and supplies | Trackline | Company, personnel and materials documentation |
| Handover to the buyer | Consigne | Handover certificate and key receipt, signed by the buyer |
| Condition at handover | SmartCheck | Certified photos of each home, on the day it is handed over |
Important
Certified photos from handover day are what decide an aftersales claim. Without them, telling a construction defect from later damage caused by the buyer is one person's word against the other's.
Frameworks cited
Building regulation and the building file, new-build warranties, and consumer protection rules in dealings with the buyer. What must be handed over and within what periods depends on your case and your region; ask your adviser. What matters here is that all of it is handed over once and you must be able to prove it was.
Watch out
The handover certificate signed by the buyer is also the document that fixes when warranties start running. Having it signed with a certified time avoids the argument about the date, which is the first one to appear.
Worth knowing
Handing over the building file digitally, with a signed receipt, also solves the perennial problem: the buyer who says three years later that they never received it.
›Can the buyer sign from a phone?
Yes, and it is usually easiest on handover day.
›What if there are two owners?
Both as signers, in parallel.
›Does it help with aftersales?
It is what lets you scope what was a defect and what was not, with dates.
A real case
The situation
A developer receives aftersales claims for damage that was not a construction defect.
What you do
- Certifies photos of each home on handover day
- Signs the handover certificate with the buyer
What you get
Claims are settled against the dated photos, with no surveys.
The situation
Handover arrives and documentation from several trades is missing.
What you do
- Requests documentation as each trade finishes
What you get
It is chased while the trade is still engaged.
The situation
A hundred buyers ask about their home.
What you do
- Organises the file per unit
What you get
You answer in the terms the question is asked.
The situation
An owner says they never received their documentation.
What you do
- Records what was handed to each and when
What you get
Handover is demonstrable.
The situation
The same issue appears in several homes.
What you do
- Views issues together by development
What you get
The pattern shows before the fourth visit.
The situation
A complaint arrives two years later.
What you do
- Keeps the file beyond handover
What you get
The warranty period is faced with the record from then.
This article answers
- housing handover documentation
- digital building file
- property handover certificate
- new-build aftersales