ᐅ Are building plans reliable? When is the right time to terminate your rental lease?

Neubau2022 schrieb:

A quick question: Does moving in automatically count as the handover?

The general contractor told us that since we had already moved into the house, they were no longer willing to accommodate us regarding the issue of "exceeding the guaranteed construction period." However, all we had done was set up the mailbox and mail forwarding to the new address.
It is possible to partially accept certain trades or sections and document this with a handover protocol signed by both parties.
The important thing is to record any outstanding issues in a protocol. We accepted everything except the points that still needed to be addressed. Together with the site manager and DEKRA, we went through the house.

During the transition period, we stayed with my in-laws. We also found a tenant for our old place, which allowed us some freedom from deadlines and such. But we could not move directly into the new house—not with all the household goods, at least.
You basically need a continuous workspace with a computer, printer, scanner, and all the files. I would rather pay rent for 1–2 more months or rent a small nearby apartment for the office and sleeping. As for the kids, maybe they could stay with grandparents during that time. The remaining work on the house usually takes a lot of time anyway, and unfortunately, there isn’t much time left for the kids then.

From a certain point onward, you can practically estimate yourself how much longer the construction work will take… I would say that after the screed is laid, the 3-month notice period should easily be sufficient in most cases. And even if some rooms are not completely finished, you can probably already live in the new house and don’t have to stay in a hotel.

Zubi123 schrieb:

At some point, you can basically estimate how much longer the construction will take...
I would say that after the screed, the 3-month notice period should be sufficient in most cases. And even if some rooms are not fully finished yet, you can probably already live in the new house and don’t have to stay in a hotel.

Not nowadays. That was possible when everything was available. Moving in without, for example, the meter cabinet would be difficult.

In our case, the screed will be poured on Monday. The meter cabinet delivery time is currently 10–12 weeks and was ordered weeks ago.

Zubi123 schrieb:

At a certain point, you can almost estimate yourself how much longer the construction work will take…
I would say that after the screed is laid, the 3-month notice period should be more than enough in most cases. And even if some rooms are not completely finished yet, you can probably already live in the new house and don’t have to stay in a hotel.

For us, it was 5 months after the screed.
We lost 1 month because the utility connections weren’t ready.
But even without that, it was still 4 months.
The drying time alone takes ages.
Then you still have electrical work, plumbing, kitchen, tiling, painting, and flooring.
All of those need to be completed within that time.
For example, in our case, the kitchen was only measured after the screed had dried, and then the delivery time was added.

Zubi123 schrieb:

At a certain point, you can pretty much estimate yourself how much longer the construction will take…
I would say that after the screed is done, the 3 months’ notice period should be more than enough in most cases. And even if some rooms aren’t completely finished yet, you can already live in the new house and don’t need to stay in a hotel.

For us, the screed was done around June. We then finished painting and flooring in November. We moved in December. The final inspection was in September. So about half a year after the screed… thanks to Corona and lockdown 🙁
Instead of waiting for “screed complete,” I would suggest terminating your old apartment lease based on the following classic criteria:
* Kitchen installation date fixed
* Electrical work completed / usable / remaining work manageable
* Plumbing completed / usable / remaining work manageable
* Heating operational
* External doors and windows finished

You can terminate the lease then. Keep in mind that electricians, plumbers, etc. sometimes still have keys for the construction lock cylinders.

PS: For us, the tiler was the last tradesperson. Maybe use this trade as a reference?

Hausbautraum20 schrieb:

For us, it was 5 months after the screed.
One month was lost because the utility connections weren’t in place.
But even without that, it still took 4 months.
The drying time really is very long.
And then you still have electrical, plumbing, kitchen, tiling, painting, and flooring.
They all have to have time to do their work during that period.
For example, our kitchen was only measured after the screed had completely dried, and then the delivery time was added.

For us, all trades have already been contracted and scheduled. I’m more worried that they will start too early and the screed won’t be fully dry yet.