Moving into a newly built home: check the Wkb completion notification first

1. Establish whether this notification procedure applies to your home

Start with the applicable construction procedure. According to IPLO’s current guidance, the public-law quality assurance system applies to certain new structures in consequence class 1. An ordinary newly built ground-level house may fall within this category. An apartment, a home intended for care provision or a listed building requires a different assessment. Construction activities that are exempt from the technical building permit requirement also fall outside this notification procedure. As at the date of checking, alterations to existing buildings are not yet covered by this public-law system. See IPLO’s guidance on consequence class 1.

Ask the project coordinator for the basis on which the procedure was chosen. Keep the original application details and the construction notification together. Transitional rules may apply to projects with an older permit application. If in doubt, ask the municipality or an expert to assess the specific situation. Moreover, a general statement that a project falls under the Wkb does not tell you who will collect any missing documents or when they will be available.

2. Track acceptance of the work, key handover and first use separately

Acceptance of the work concerns your contractual relationship with the contractor and the work carried out. The completion notification forms part of the public-law oversight of the structure. A signed acceptance report or receipt of the keys therefore does not, by itself, prove that the required completion notification is complete. For each scheduled date, ask which part of the process it refers to.

Create a simple overview covering the final technical inspection, any acceptance of the work, issue of the declaration, submission of the dossier and intended occupation. Assign a responsible person and a supporting document to each step. According to the Dutch central government’s official guidance, you may not move in during the two weeks following the completion notification. Discuss the implications for temporary accommodation before permanently leaving your current home.

3. Arrange the quality assurance provider’s declaration in good time

The independent quality assurance provider uses an approved assessment instrument to determine whether the structure complies with the applicable technical building requirements. The declaration is an essential part of the completion notification. If you only ask whether the contractor has finished, you may miss an outstanding issue in this assessment. The roles within the system are described by the Dutch Admission Organisation for Construction Quality Assurance (Toelatingsorganisatie Kwaliteitsborging Bouw).

Well before the expected completion date, ask which inspections, measurements and supporting documents are still outstanding. For each item, have it recorded who will supply the information, when it will be assessed and what might cause it to be rejected. Also check whether the quality assurance provider knows about any changes you have made to the home. Keep correspondence about changes in a single project dossier, so that a different drawing or choice of installation does not emerge only at the final assessment. A promised issue date provides less certainty than a specific overview of the conditions that still need to be met.

4. Check the dossier against what has actually been built

The completion notification involves more than a form and a declaration. Article 2.21 of the Dutch Buildings Decree for the Living Environment (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, Bbl) requires, among other things, information about the completed building’s use functions and spaces, as well as structural safety, ventilation, energy efficiency, environmental performance and fire safety. The documents needed depend on the structure concerned. IPLO’s guidance on the completion notification describes the components.

Ask for a table of contents for the submitted dossier. Compare the drawings and calculations used with changes agreed during construction. If, for example, an installation has been replaced, you will want to know whether the supporting documentation still matches what was actually installed. As a resident, you do not have to assess structural calculations yourself. You can, however, identify conflicting version numbers, missing attachments and unclear responsibilities. Have the appropriate expert investigate any technical concerns and request a written response.

5. Base your moving schedule on a complete submission

Under this notification procedure, the completion notification must be submitted at least two weeks before actual use begins. If the dossier is incomplete, you cannot assume that the initial submission date started the waiting period. IPLO explains that use may begin only two weeks after the municipality has received all the required information. Other applicable rules must also be complied with.

Therefore, ask for both the submission confirmation and the attachments submitted. Also check whether the municipality has requested additional information. An acknowledgement of receipt primarily confirms that something has been received; it does not replace a completeness check. Allow some practical scope for corrections and keep the removal company informed of any uncertainties. If there is a dispute about the dossier, ask for written confirmation of which component is missing and what information is needed to resolve that issue. This creates a verifiable timeline instead of a collection of verbal expectations.

6. Agree on the final inspection when taking delivery of a shell home and completing it yourself

A home handed over as a shell may still lack work necessary to meet the technical building requirements. Examples include ventilation components or other facilities included in your own finishing contract. The quality assurance provider must be able to assess the relevant work before issuing the declaration. IPLO discusses this situation in its guidance on shell and semi-shell handovers.

Before handover, record who will give the quality assurance provider access and who will collect supporting documents from your own installer. Also agree on whom to contact once the original contractor has left. Have a clear distinction drawn between outstanding work that prevents the declaration from being issued and work that concerns cosmetic finishing only. An outstanding painting job has different implications from a missing necessary facility. Base this distinction on the assessment of the specific structure, rather than on a general list of finishing tasks.

7. Fictional example: the declaration is missing shortly before the move

Fictional example: Noor and David are having a ground-level house built to which the notification procedure applies. The contractor wants to hand over the keys on Friday. Their removal van is due the following Monday. When they enquire, it turns out that the quality assurance provider still needs ventilation measurement data. The project coordinator has submitted a form but has not attached a declaration. Noor and David request an overview of the missing documents that same day and postpone moving in.

They arrange for the installer to supply the necessary information and request a copy of the eventual complete submission. They also keep invoices for additional storage and temporary accommodation. Whether they can recover these costs requires a separate assessment of their contract, the agreements made, the cause of the delay and the loss suffered. The absence of the declaration does not, without further assessment, make the contractor liable for every additional expense.

8. Take targeted action when documents are missing or exceptional circumstances arise

If progress is blocked, first ask whether the problem is administrative, technical or both. A missing attachment calls for a different solution from a construction defect or deviation. Seek legal advice in good time if a prohibition on use is announced, substantial financial consequences are involved or positions conflict. Discuss with the municipality which rules and any enforcement considerations apply to your situation. A decision to refrain from enforcement for the time being does not, by itself, amount to a complete completion notification.

There are policy proposals for a tailored approach to certain limited deviations. The government letter to Parliament of 22 May 2026 mentions an expected commencement date in 2027. Do not treat such an announcement as an existing exemption. Whenever an exception is invoked, ask for the statutory basis currently in force and the written assessment of your own dossier. Keep that assessment alongside the technical documents.

• Have it established which construction procedure and transitional rules apply to your project.
• Ask who is responsible for the declaration, dossier and submission.
• Check outstanding technical issues before the scheduled key handover.
• Keep the complete set of submitted documents and the acknowledgement of receipt.
• Check requests for additional information and the date on which all required information was supplied.
• Coordinate occupation and moving arrangements with the applicable waiting period and other rules.
• Have any claimed exception substantiated in writing.
• Keep evidence of necessary additional costs for a separate liability assessment.