Acceptance Checklist – Prepare the building acceptance & record defects | PDF, fillable & Excel

Building acceptance (Abnahme) coming up? 48 checkpoints with a traffic light, a defect list, an acceptance record, help with reserving known defects, plus deadlines and retention – with sources. For building projects in Germany.

Acceptance is not a formality. Under German law, acceptance makes the payment due, starts the warranty period, and defects you know about should be expressly reserved. If you arrive unprepared, it is easy to miss something. This checklist guides you room by room and trade by trade through the walk-through, records every defect with location, photo and deadline, and gives you a record to take along.

How the traffic light works

• 🟢 ok: as agreed, nothing unusual

• 🟡 defect: deviation or fault – into the defect list, reserved in the record

• 🔴 major: could be a serious defect or affect safety – ask professionals before declaring acceptance

What makes this checklist different

• ✅ Written for non-experts: the procedure step by step – collect documents, pre-inspection, appointment, record, follow-up.

• ✅ 48 checkpoints in 6 areas: facade & roof, windows & doors, interiors, bathroom/plumbing/heating, electrics & safety, basement/attic/other – with a note when professionals are needed.

• ✅ For new builds, renovations and single trades: set anything that does not apply to "n/a".

• ✅ Defect list with 30 rows: location, description, photo no., traffic light, deadline, status – in Excel with an automatic retention calculator.

• ✅ Acceptance record with wording aid: declare acceptance, declare it with reservations or refuse it – plus the reservation sentence to copy.

• ✅ Knowledge with sources: what acceptance means (sections of the German Civil Code BGB, VOB/B), deadlines, retention – only with a source, otherwise "ask professionals".

• ✅ Work the way you like: printed with a pen, as a fillable PDF on tablet or PC, or in Excel / Google Sheets.

What's included (17 A4 pages)

• 📋 Cover with property details and table of contents

• 📘 Guide: the procedure from pre-inspection to follow-up check

• ⚖️ What acceptance means: effects, deadlines, reservation – with section references

• 🗂️ Documents & certificates: 17 items to request and tick off

• ✔️ Checklist A–F: 48 checkpoints with traffic light, note and photo no.

• 📝 Defect list (2 pages, 30 rows)

• ✍️ Acceptance record with reservations and signatures

• 🔑 Handover: meters, keys, instruction

• 📅 After acceptance: deadlines and retention reminder

• 🧭 Summary with decision and next steps

• 📚 Notes, sources and glossary

Delivery (instant download, ZIP)

• Acceptance_Checklist_Print.pdf: for printing

• Acceptance_Checklist_Fillable.pdf: with form fields and tick boxes for tablet or PC

• Acceptance_Checklist.xlsx: property & deadlines, documents, checklist with traffic-light selection, defect list with status and retention calculator, summary with chart (Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets)

• Acceptance_Checklist_DEMO_Example.pdf and .xlsx: completed example with entirely fictitious data

• Quick_Start_Guide.pdf

Requirements: an A4 printer or a PDF app with form support, e.g. the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. For the spreadsheet: Excel, LibreOffice or a free Google account.

Please note: This is a digital product; nothing is shipped. General information only; it does not replace an expert survey (Gutachten) and is not legal advice. The checklist helps you prepare the acceptance and record defects in an orderly way. It says nothing about whether an item is a defect under your contract or which rights follow from it – professionals clarify that (e.g. a lawyer specialising in construction law, an independent builder-owner advisory service or the Verbraucherzentrale). The legal sections refer to German law; they are translated by meaning and the German version is authoritative. The checkpoints are guidance and not complete. Technical tolerances and limit values are deliberately not included. Do not open up or repair anything yourself – only look and document. Licence for personal use only: printing for your own project is allowed, passing on and reselling are not. Some preview images show fictitious example data. © 2026 Vorlagen Studio – alle Rechte vorbehalten.

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Hinweis zur Umsatzsteuer: Gemäß § 19 UStG wird keine Umsatzsteuer berechnet (Kleinunternehmerregelung).

(VAT note: In accordance with § 19 UStG (German VAT Act), no VAT is charged – small business regulation.)