ᐅ On-site inspection of warranty roller shutters: How to document it properly?

Hello,

A year ago, I had a turnkey house built. Now there are problems with two roller shutters. The company that built the house was on-site together with the window manufacturer’s customer service, and a fault on the part of my house builder was identified. I have now asked the house builder to prepare a report from the inspection. They consider this unnecessary and are not creating one. However, since I want to protect myself, it is important to me to have such a report. As I am not very familiar with the technical aspects, I will need to do a lot of research. Now my questions:

1. What should such a report look like, or what must it include?
2. Is the report usually signed by all parties involved?
3. Isn’t it the responsibility of the builder to prepare the report?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Regards
Ralf Neumann

Hello Ralf,

ralne schrieb:

1. What should such a protocol look like, or what exactly has to be included?

It can be informal – it should include everything that was observed during the inspection.

ralne schrieb:

2. Is the protocol normally signed by all parties involved?

Yes.

ralne schrieb:

3. Isn’t the construction company responsible for preparing the protocol?

A protocol should always be prepared; it is in the interest of all parties involved. However, it is only mandatory to prepare one if it has been contractually agreed in writing within the work contract. As far as I know, there are no legal regulations that fundamentally require this.

You might consider the following options:

• Contact the window installer and ask them to prepare and sign a statement regarding the inspection.
• If the window installer agrees to point 1, send this document to your supplier marked “for information and to remain with the house.” Additionally, set a deadline by which the defect should be corrected.
• Prepare a protocol from memory and send it to both the window installer and your supplier, noting that you consider this memorandum as a statement of the current “status quo” and ask both parties to countersign and return it within a specified deadline. Add that if you do not receive the countersigned memorandum, you will assume that both parties accept its content as accurate and that the defect will be corrected within deadline “x.”

In Germany, only licensed attorneys (RA) are allowed to provide legal advice, so the fourth option would be to consult a lawyer if neither the window installer nor your supplier responds to your letters.

Kind regards