A contractor who disappears after the second deposit, a crack that appeared three months after the tiles were laid, a delivery delay that pushes back the move-in by six weeks: these situations are encountered on a significant portion of renovation or construction sites. The difference between a project that goes off the rails and a well-managed project rarely comes down to luck. It relies on the contractual guarantees activated in advance and the rigor of site monitoring.
Site Traceability: What Insurers Require Before Compensating
Since 2023-2024, several construction insurers (MAAF, SMABTP, MMA, AXA) have tightened their damage work and ten-year civil liability guarantees to require traceability of site monitoring. Regular reports, dated photos, proof of the presence of a project manager or an OPC: without these elements, deductibles may be increased in case of lack of documented monitoring.
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In practical terms, we are talking about creating a usable file in case of a claim. A simple exchange of SMS with the contractor is no longer sufficient. Insurers require formalized proof: date, location, identified participant, observed anomaly, or validated compliance.
For those who want to structure this approach from the estimate, you can learn all about Batiav, an approach that centralizes guarantees, estimates, and monitoring in one place.
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The reflex to adopt: each site visit should result in a written report, even if brief, with timestamped photos. This is not just paperwork; it is the condition for the insurance to work when we need it.
Work Guarantees: The Three Protections to Check Before Signing
We often talk about the ten-year guarantee as an absolute safety net. In reality, it only covers defects that compromise the solidity of the work or render it unfit for its intended purpose. Poorly laid tiles that come off after two years fall under a different guarantee.
Perfect Completion Guarantee, Two-Year and Ten-Year Guarantees
Three levels of protection overlap after the acceptance of the work:
- Perfect Completion Guarantee: it lasts for one year after acceptance. The company must repair all reported defects, regardless of their severity. It is the broadest window, but also the shortest.
- Two-Year Guarantee (or Good Functioning Guarantee): it covers for two years the elements that can be detached from the work, such as roller shutters, plumbing fixtures, or a water heater.
- Ten-Year Guarantee: it protects for ten years against defects and poor workmanship affecting the structure or making the building uninhabitable. It assumes that the company has taken out a ten-year civil liability insurance, which must be verified before signing the estimate.
The classic trap: not formalizing the acceptance of the work with a report. Without this signed document, the starting point for the guarantees remains unclear, and the insurer may contest the coverage.
Check the Ten-Year Insurance Certificate
Requesting the certificate is not enough. We verify that the validity date covers the period of the work, that the declared activity corresponds to the planned work (a plasterer insured for plastering does not cover plumbing), and that the policy number is indeed active. A call to the insurer mentioned on the certificate can clarify any doubts.
Site Monitoring: A Concrete Method to Maintain Control
Site monitoring is not just about occasionally checking on the progress of the work. It is a structured system that protects both the project owner and the participating companies.
Site Report: Minimum Content
A useful report contains at least the date of the visit, the list of participants present, the progress observed by lot, deviations from the schedule, and the decisions made. Each reservation must be formulated in writing with a correction deadline.
Feedback varies on this point, but most project managers recommend a weekly visit for a standard renovation site, and visits at key stages (foundations, weather-tightness, air-tightness, finishing work) for new construction.
Acceptance of Work: Formalize It Correctly
Acceptance is the legal act that triggers all guarantees. It takes place in the presence of the project owner and the company, with a report listing any potential reservations.
Accepting the work without reservation when defects are visible closes the door to the perfect completion guarantee on those specific points.
Asbestos Detection Before Work: An Omission That Can Block the Entire Site
The decree of July 16, 2019, fully integrated into practices since 2022-2023, makes asbestos detection before work mandatory in most renovation, demolition, or drilling operations. The responsibility lies with the project owner.
A failure to detect can lead to the suspension of the site by labor inspection, questioning of insurance guarantees, and potential criminal liability for the project owner. For an individual renovating an old apartment, this means that work cannot commence without this diagnosis.
- Before any drilling of walls, slabs, or false ceilings in a building constructed before 1997, asbestos detection is required.
- The report must be transmitted to the participating companies before the start of the site.
- In case of asbestos presence, a removal or containment plan must be established by a certified company, with notification to labor inspection.
Ignoring this step does not save time. On the contrary, a site suspended due to a lack of asbestos detection costs much more than the diagnosis itself.
The best protection for work remains a simple combination: verified guarantees before signing, documented monitoring at each stage, and formalized acceptance with a report. None of these actions is complex. Each just needs to be done at the right time, not after the problem.