Comparator · decide in 5 minutes
Provisional reception vs. final
Two mandatory stages, separated by at least a year. They do not have the same function, the same legal scope, or the same checklist. Side-by-side comparison.
Quick comparison
Scroll for the detail.
Stage 1
Provisional reception
Validates the end of works + reservations
Stage 2 · 1 year+ later
Final reception
Records lifting of reservations · ten-year liability
Critère 01
Timing
At the end of the works, as soon as the property is habitable and the contractor presents it.
At least one year after the provisional (Breyne Law statutory deadline, public order).
Critère 02
Legal effects
Transfer of site custody · starting point of the two-year warranty · start of the lifting period.
Total lifting of reservations · officially triggers the ten-year liability · releases the retention guarantee.
Critère 03
Reservations
Exhaustive list of visible defects, numbered, photographed, dated in the minutes.
Verification that all reservations have been lifted. Identification of any defects that have emerged through use.
Critère 04
Average on-site duration
3 to 4 h for a single-family house.
1 to 2 h (targeted check of lifted reservations + usage review).
Critère 05
Retention guarantee
5 % retention recommended until lifting.
Balance of the 5 % paid upon signing the final minutes.
Critère 06
Warranties covered
Perfect completion (1 year) · two-year equipment (2 years).
Ten-year structural (10 years) · two-year still covers equipment.
Critère 07
Refusal possible?
Yes, if substantial defects render the property uninhabitable.
Yes, if reservations are not lifted or new defects have emerged.
Critère 08
Expert presence recommended
✓ Very strongly
✓ Strongly
Critère 09
Average expert fee
480 — 880 € incl. VAT depending on surface.
290 — 480 € incl. VAT (shorter visit).
Cas d'usage
Which one concerns your situation today?
Provisional
The contractor is calling me for delivery next week
Urgent preparation + visit with expert.
Final
My house is one year old, they mentioned a final reception
Targeted visit to record the lifting + ten-year liability.
Provisional ahead
I just signed for a VEFA apartment, delivery in 6 months
Preparation right now: file audit + contract re-read.
Final + defect
Cracks appeared 11 months after the provisional
Use the final to record them in the minutes.
illustration · receptions timeline
Verdict
These two stages are not optional — they are mandatory and complementary.
The provisional is the critical stage: it sets the list of reservations and triggers the two-year warranty. Skipping the expert here means risking signing off on defects that will come back against you.
The final is less risky but more structuring: it records the ten-year liability and releases the retention. At this visit, the expert mainly checks that the commitments made at the provisional have been kept.
Our recommendation: an expert at both stages is the most cost-effective investment of your construction project.
Prefer email? contact@reception-provisoire.be