10 years of responsibility for quality: the Ministry proposes stronger guarantees for property owners

The Government has supported the Ministry's initiative to introduce a guarantee of at least 10 years for the quality of new properties, starting when they are commissioned. To introduce these changes, amendments are proposed to the Civil Code of Ukraine and the laws of Ukraine “On Regulation of Urban Development Activities” and “On Consumer Rights Protection”.

💬“A person who buys a new property should be protected beyond the moment of purchase. We propose introducing a guarantee of at least 10 years for the quality of the property. If during this period the owner discovers defects that affect the property's fitness for use, they will be able to require the construction client to remedy them. If the owner remedies the defects independently, the client must reimburse the costs,” said Deputy Minister Nataliia Kozlovska.

The construction client or its legal successor will be responsible for the quality of the property throughout the guarantee period.

The new rules will apply to completed properties that have been commissioned, except those built under a construction passport and certain minor-consequence CC1 facilities where work was carried out in-house.

How it will work after the changes are adopted:

✔️If an owner discovers defects during the 10-year guarantee period, they notify the construction client.

✔️Defects that affect the ability to use the property normally are confirmed in a certified specialist's report following an inspection.

✔️Within 30 days, the construction client must propose how and within what time the defects will be remedied or provide a reasoned refusal.

✔️The owner agrees to or rejects the proposed method within 7 days.

✔️Once agreed, the client remedies the defects within the specified time.

✔️The owner may also remedy them independently or engage other specialists. In that case, the construction client must fully reimburse the repair costs.