Construction law in the Netherlands.

You receive the keys to your newly built home. Can you move in straight away? First check which construction procedure applies to your home. Certain newly built homes covered by the Dutch Construction Quality Assurance Act (Wet kwaliteitsborging voor het bouwen, Wkb) require a completion notification.

This must include the quality assurance provider’s declaration and the required information about the building. A key handover or signed acceptance report does not replace that notification. So ask who will submit the dossier, which documents are still missing and when everything has been supplied to the municipality.

If the notification is incomplete, you cannot simply count from the initial submission date. The official guidance provides for a period of two weeks after a complete completion notification before use may begin.

Other rules also continue to apply. Are you taking delivery of the home as a shell? Discuss in advance which finishing work of your own still needs to be inspected. Missing ventilation data, for example, may prevent the declaration from being issued.

Coordinate your move with the dossier schedule. Keep the submitted documents, acknowledgement of receipt and any questions from the municipality. If a dispute arises about occupation or additional costs, have your specific dossier assessed.

This explanation concerns Dutch law, checked on 25 October 2026. As at that date, this public-law quality assurance procedure does not yet apply to ordinary alterations to existing buildings.

Read the full article and sources. General information does not replace advice about your own situation.