Paperwork

Many of us don’t like paperwork. But we get enthusiastic about it, why? Because you can learn so much by reading it well. I once visited a friend of mine who had a leakage, and the documentation of their house helped to see what was the problem behind it. Also, we could draw up a plan to see who was accountable for the leakage and where to ask further questions. Really helpful. If we didn’t have a look into the documentation about the house, we would not have found it.

When you buy an existing house

When you buy an existing house, you are dependent on the current owners. But some documentation is obligatory.

– Verkoopbrochure: sales brochure. Where a lot of details are already mentioned.

– Koopovereenkomst: this is the agreement between buyer and seller. You will sign this at a notary.

Energy label, this is obligatory. In this label, you can read how energy consuming the house will be. More about the energy label? Click here.

– Technical inspection. This is optional, and mostly you have to pay extra for this. But it can be really worth it. In this file you will find what hidden defects there are in the house you buy. Also, how much repairs you will phase in the next coming years.

Kadaster registration

– Documentation from the current owners. Like construction drawings, the original contract or description from the house (bestek). Sometimes also the manuals of the technical installations in the house.

When you buy a brand-new house in a project

Lucky you! Normally it is not easy to buy a project built house because a lot of people will subscribe, and the available houses will be allotted by the subscribers. In this process, you will find other documentation about your house than when you buy an existing house.

Our advice is to read this information very carefully, so you know what extra costs you can expect! If you do need help and a critical eye, we are happy to help you. Here is an explanation of which documentation about your house you can expect:

Before you buy the brand-new project house:

– Verkoopbrochure: this is the sales brochure. You can see how things will look like in the future. But changes can still be made.

– Verkooptekeningen: these are the drawings that belong to the sales brochure. Be careful, sometimes they are slightly different. You will find a drawing with the situation, the front and the back of the house, and a floor plan.

– Technische omschrijving: technical description. In this document you will read how the house will be delivered, what is included and what not.

– Prijslijst: price list.

– Errata: sometimes the description or the drawings are not correct. In this document you will find the corrections.

– Optional list: in this list there are some options to make the house bigger, change the floor plan, add another staircase etc. Normally, when you buy a brand-new house, it’s just an empty shell. You can decide what you want extra, and most of that is in this list. Be aware that this list is also where most construction companies will earn their money.

When you buy the house, you will receive the following documents

Finally, congratulations. You made the decision and are willing to buy the house. Of course, there will be some new documents involved.

– Koopovereenkomst: first you need to buy the plot of land, before the construction company can start building the house. In this document is written how large the plot of land is and where it is.

– Aannemingsovereenkomst: this is the contract with the construction company who will build the house.

– General terms and conditions.

– All the documents which belongs to the mortgage and insurances.

During the building period

– You will receive invoices from the construction company.

– Letters about the status of the construction.

– Akte van levering: this is the document which you need to sign at a notary. You will find all the juridical ins and outs in this document.

– Other documents like quotations.

After the delivery:

– All the information and manuals about the installations in your new house. 

– A certificate from Bouwgarant or any other organization which guarantees the guarantee period of the house.

-Kadaster registration. “Kadaster” is a governmental organization who takes care of the registration of all the plots of land in the Netherlands. This can take some time, because the Kadaster will first come over to measure your plot of land, before they register this. 

– Optional there will be a maintenance plan

When you want to build your own new house

In this case, you will find more documents about your new house, sometimes different from the documents above. The process can be very complicated.

– First, you buy the plot of land. You will receive a “koopovereenkomst”.

– Most likely, you need an architect. The architect will give you a quotation for his work. When you accept this, you will receive probably a contract. And the invoices which belongs to it.

– The architect will make drawings, impressions and a “bestek” or technical description. They can help you also with finding other companies who can help with the construction of your new house.

– After that, you need a building permit from the municipality. They will check the drawings and technical description.

– The contract with the construction company, which is called “aanneemovereenkomst”.

– Most likely you receive also documents about a guarantee foundation which guarantees the quality of the building, and in case that a company will be declared bankrupt, you don’t lose your money.

During the construction period and after, there is no difference with a project built house.

Conclusion

Documentation about your (new) house, can be so overwhelming. But by reading it carefully, you know what costs and maintenance you can expect later on. Maybe not the nicest thing to do, but we think very important.

Our goal is to prevent you from mistakes. If you are not sure, please contact us.

Take off to a successful house renovation by downloading the Renovation Guide for free.

- Start off successfully by turning your Dutch house into a dream home.

- Stop overthinking the renovation steps and make the best possible renovation start.

- Save your valuable time by using this renovation guide so that you can enjoy your renovated house soon. 

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