What liability does the contractor have for defects after final inspection?
In a consumer house contract the trader is liable for defects existing at handover, and the consumer may complain within ten years. For a hidden defect the period runs from when it was or should have been noticed.
What the source says
- The Consumer Services Act: the trader is liable for defects existing when the work was completed.
- The act: a complaint shall be made within reasonable time, and at the latest ten years for work on real property.
- The special rules on house contracts supplement the general provisions.
Source rows
- KonsumenttjänstlagenSFS 1985:716 · The Consumer Agency, with the National Board for Consumer Disputes reviewing claims · Retrieved 2026-08-20
For the owner, landlord or seller
Document the inspection report, it decides what is regarded as handed over without remark.
For the tenant, buyer or client
Complain in writing as soon as the defect is noticed, reasonable time runs from discovery.
Next step
Read the complaint deadline together with the inspection report in the matter.
The page states what the source says under the stated conditions. It is not advice in an individual matter.
Next step
Three ways to put the register to work in your own practice.
Start with your task
Litigation
Find support in a judgment
Search guiding decisions, see what became final and follow changes in the law.
In-house, deals
Map the rules in a transaction
Move from theme to act and on to the article that carries the duty.
Compliance
Assess the risk in a process
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