Construction glossary: 100 essential terms

This glossary gathers the essential terms every buyer of a new-build property in Belgium must understand. Reception, guarantees, Breyne Law, expertise: the vocabulary that structures your file.

1. Reception terms

• Provisional reception (Réception provisoire): act of material end of works (see definition)
• Final reception (Réception définitive): one year later, releases the balance of the security deposit
• Reservations (Réserves): defects recorded in the report to be corrected

2. Guarantee terms

• Ten-year liability (Décennale): 10 years, structural work, soundness/watertightness
• Two-year warranty (Biennale): 2 years, detachable equipment
• Perfect completion (Parfait achèvement): 1 year, all visible defects

3. Breyne Law terms

• Security deposit (Cautionnement): 5% of the excl. VAT price blocked at the notary
• Article 12: requires the handover of the security deposit before signing
• VEFA: Sale in the State of Future Completion (off-plan sale)

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