Handover of a new build: how the handover inspection works

At the handover, the buyer gets the keys to the new home. First, all defects go on the proces-verbaal van oplevering (the official record of the handover). Buyer and contractor, or someone on their behalf, sign it.

In a handover inspection, you record the defects at the handover of a new home. The buyer can do this themselves, or bring their own expert.

A pre-inspection (voorschouw) beforehand is voluntary and has no legal status.

For an apartment, the common parts are handed over separately, to the VvE (owners' association). Woningborg and SWK (another warranty provider) call this the general handover (algemene oplevering). For this, the contractor and the VvE sign their own proces-verbaal.

Buyer and contractor draw up the proces-verbaal van oplevering together, during the handover. They both sign it, or someone signs on their behalf.

This is also in the definitions of Woningborg's warranty scheme. The handover is the moment the buyer receives the keys. That happens after a report of any defects has been drawn up. Both parties, or someone on their behalf, have signed it.

By a handover report (opleverrapport), we mean here the buyer's own report, or that of their expert. That report comes from one party.

So also put every defect from the handover report on the proces-verbaal. SWK says this is important. The buyer can do it themselves, or have their expert do it. This site has a free example for checking a proces-verbaal.

• Proces-verbaal: drawn up by buyer and contractor together, with both signatures
• Handover report: the buyer's own report, or that of their expert
• The proces-verbaal also states the period within which the contractor repairs each point

The Wet kwaliteitsborging voor het bouwen (Wkb, the Dutch Quality Assurance for Building Act) has applied since 1 January 2024 to new builds in consequence class 1 (gevolgklasse 1). Think of single-family homes and smaller commercial buildings.

An independent quality assurer (kwaliteitsborger) tests the building against the technical rules of the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl, the Dutch building regulations). They do this during construction and at handover. With the completion notice (gereedmelding), the municipality receives the file. The municipality then has 2 weeks. Until then, the building must not be used.

The Wkb also changed rules in the Burgerlijk Wetboek (BW, the Dutch Civil Code). That applies to all building work under a construction contract. Transitional law may apply. These are the rules:

• The contractor is liable for defects that were not discovered at handover (article 7:758 BW)
• The buyer gets a consumentendossier (article 7:757a BW)
• The buyer may put 5% of the contract price in deposit (article 7:768 BW)
• The contractor has a duty to warn (article 7:754 BW)
• The contractor has a duty to provide financial information (article 7:765a BW)

With the consumentendossier, the buyer can check whether what was agreed has been built. The contractor provides it when reporting that the work is ready for handover.

The obligation does not apply to agreements from before 1 January 2024. Parties can make other arrangements. For this, there are NPR 8092 (a Dutch practice guideline) and guidance from the central government from December 2023.

The municipality and the quality assurer are not involved in this file. The file contains at least:

• Drawings and calculations of what has been built, including the installations
• A description of the materials and installations
• The use functions of the building
• Information for use and maintenance

If a private buyer is having a new home built, they may put the last 5% of the contract price in deposit with the civil-law notary. That money stays with the notary until 3 months after the handover. General terms and conditions cannot exclude this right.

The contractor informs the buyer of this right in writing. They do so between the first and the second month after the handover. They send a copy to the notary.

The notary pays out after 3 months, but only if that copy exists. If the buyer has invoked the right of suspension, the notary does not pay out. Withholding for longer is only allowed in case of defects, and the amount must be in proportion to those defects.

The contractor may also provide alternative security, such as a bank guarantee. With SWK, the deposit also affects the guarantee (waarborg). If the buyer did not use the deposit and the contractor did not provide a bank guarantee, the repair costs, up to 5% of the contract price, are deducted from what the guarantee pays out.

If you could not inspect something properly, for example because of poor light or dirt, write that on the proces-verbaal. Otherwise, damage that you report later may be rejected.

A fixed list per room helps you not forget anything. This site has a free handover checklist, as an Excel or CSV file.

The contractor may make a reservation on points. Keep those reservations separate. This also belongs in it:

• All defects the buyer or the expert sees
• Damage, noted separately
• What could not be checked, and why
• For each point, a repair period and, if needed, the method of repair
• The signatures of buyer and contractor, or of someone on their behalf

NEN 2747 is the Dutch standard for the flatness and parallelism of floors. Its full Dutch title translates as: classification and measurement of the flatness and parallelism of floor surfaces.

The standard divides floors into classes, based on the largest height differences allowed. It also describes how to assess flatness and parallelism.

It applies to load-bearing substrates, system floors (systeemvloeren) and screeds. A floor covering added later, such as parquet, laminate or carpet, falls outside it.

On nen.nl, NEN 2747:2001 is listed as final (definitief). The NEN committee for screeds is working on a revision. According to the committee, the standard cannot currently be read unambiguously.

The Bbl does not refer to NEN 2747. So check the agreements with the contractor to see whether a flatness class is named. The height differences per class are in the standard itself.

Keursnel does not have a handover inspection yet, and it does not measure flatness either.

According to NEN, the party carrying out the work must deliver goed en deugdelijk werk (good and sound work). In a guide, NEN explains in plain language what that means.

The guide helps residents and builders make agreements about quality. That works in every phase: quote, contract, construction and handover.

The first version appeared in 2022. On 11 December 2025, a new version came out, with comments from experts and new information on quality assurance.

NEN makes the guide available free of charge as a PDF. NPR 8092, the Dutch practice guideline on the consumentendossier, refers to it.

With Woningborg, the contractor must repair all handover points within 3 months. Only when the buyer signs the proces-verbaal a second time are the points settled. If the repairs are not carried out, the buyer can give the contractor notice of default. After that, they can submit the points to the Raad van Arbitrage voor Bouwgeschillen (the Dutch arbitration board for construction disputes).

The warranty of Woningborg and of SWK starts 3 months after the handover. The basic term is 6 years. For serious (structural) defects, it is 10 years. Shorter terms apply to some parts.

In the first 3 months, the buyer may still report defects that fall under the right of suspension. Watch out for these points:

• Plan enough time: the contractor allows 1 to 1.5 hours
• Note the period for each point and follow up the repairs
• Ask for the consumentendossier for an agreement from 2024 onwards
• Keep an eye on the deadlines of the 5% deposit with the notary

The handover inspection is listed in Keursnel as coming soon. You cannot make a handover inspection or proces-verbaal in it yet. There is no date, and what it will include has not been decided.

Would you like to do handover inspections in Keursnel later? Let us know via the contact page, and tell us how you work now.

Right now, you can only do the building inspection in Keursnel. It already includes:

• Photos with numbered markers, arrows and frames
• A photo folder that groups photos by the time they were taken
• Team and roles, and working with colleagues in one inspection at the same time
• Built to work without internet: your work waits, encrypted, on your device
• A report in your firm's house style (paid plan)
• A report with a checksum, to share with the client via a link