Defect management new build: how do you handle warranty claims in a structured way after handover?

Why post-handover defects need a process

Once the keys change hands, the relationship between the contractor and the buyer shifts. Before, it was about building; now it is about accountability. If defect reports arrive by phone, email and text message, information gets lost, deadlines slip and the buyer has no sense that anyone is listening.

A structured process has five steps: reporting, categorisation, assignment, status tracking and reporting back to management. Each step has an owner, a deadline and a record. The question “who promised that” becomes a verifiable history.

Statutory and contractual deadlines for notifying defects differ between Slovenia and Germany. On German projects, contracts often refer to the BGB or VOB/B. Confirm the deadlines for each project with a lawyer and build them into the process as rules, not as a footnote in the contract.

Reporting: what a report must contain to be useful

A good report saves one site visit and two phone calls. The buyer should submit it in one place, using a form that guides them through the essential questions. Free text is welcome, but it should never be the only field.

Linking the report to a specific unit and room is particularly important. A report saying “crack in the wall” with no location or photograph leads to an unnecessary visit. A report with the unit, room, photograph and date of discovery allows a first assessment from the desk.

• unit (apartment, floor, communal area) and the room within it
• description of the defect and when it was first noticed
• at least one photograph or a short video
• contact details and preferred times for an inspection
• automatic acknowledgement of receipt with a reference number

Warranty defects in apartments: how to categorise them

Categorisation decides who will resolve the defect and how quickly. Separate the type of defect (for example windows and doors, installations, surface finishes) from its urgency. Each defect therefore carries two labels: the area and the priority.

For warranty defects in apartments, a third distinction is useful: is the issue covered by the warranty or statutory liability, is it the result of normal use, or is it a request for an improvement? This judgement must be recorded with a reason. The buyer then sees why a report was accepted or declined, and fewer objections follow.

• urgent: danger, damage to the building or failure of basic services (water, heating, electricity)
• high priority: a functional defect that significantly disrupts use
• standard: cosmetic and minor functional defects
• communal areas: defects affecting several units at once
• outside warranty: with a written explanation and a recommendation

Assignment to contractors and deadlines

Once a defect is categorised, it must be assigned to a responsible party: the contractor who did the work, a subcontractor or an in-house maintenance team. Assignment should follow rules. Electrical defects, for instance, always go to the same contractor, and the system sends them the description, photographs and location.

Every assignment needs two deadlines: one for responding (an inspection or confirmation) and one for completing the fix. If the contractor misses a deadline, the case is escalated automatically to the project manager. Without escalation, defects pile up with whoever is least responsive.

Statuses and reports: what to measure

Statuses should be few and understandable to both the buyer and the team. Too many detailed statuses cannot be maintained, and too few say nothing. Every change of status should carry a timestamp and the name of whoever made it.

Reports are not decoration; they exist to support decisions. Management needs to see where things stall: with which contractor, in which building, with which types of defect. Recurring patterns are a prompt to improve the next project, not just to fix an individual defect.

• received: the report is logged and acknowledged
• under review: the defect is categorised and a decision on eligibility is pending
• assigned: a contractor is named and a deadline is set
• appointment agreed: the inspection or repair has a date
• resolved: awaiting buyer confirmation
• closed: the buyer has confirmed or the agreed period has expired

Warranty claims portal: what it should do

A warranty claims portal for construction brings reporting, categorisation, assignment and statuses into one place, so the team and the buyer work from the same data. For the contractor it means less manual re-keying; for the buyer, a clear view of their cases. On projects where Epix group links the claims portal to a buyer portal and handover documentation, each claim is tied to the unit and the handover record, so there is no guessing about the condition at handover.

When choosing or specifying a solution, check whether it supports several languages (at least Slovenian and German for projects in both countries), role-based access rights and data export. A connection to your existing CRM or maintenance system prevents duplicate entries. Email notifications should be automatic and traceable.

• reporting with photographs and unit selection
• rules for automatic assignment and escalation
• buyer access to status and history
• contractor access with no view of other people’s cases

Common mistakes in defect handling

The biggest mistake is a process that exists only in the heads of individuals. When the project manager changes role or goes on leave, cases stall. Another frequent mistake is closing a case when the contractor says the work is done, rather than when the buyer confirms it.

Communication is another weak spot. A buyer who waits weeks for a reply often starts a formal procedure, even though the defect could have been fixed quickly. A short, regular status update is a cheap and effective way to calm the situation.

• reports arrive through several channels and are never merged into one record
• category and priority are not separated
• eligibility is declined without a written reason
• there is no escalation when a deadline is missed
• reports are produced manually and too late

Next step

Start by setting out your own process on paper: define the categories, statuses, deadlines and responsible people. Test it on your most recent project and review where cases got stuck. Only then choose a tool to support that process.

If you are considering digitalisation, begin with reporting and statuses, as they deliver the quickest benefit. Reports and automation can follow once you have reliable data.