Start with the agreed order
Have the quote, order and confirmed changes beside you. Go through each room or item: what was agreed, what appears complete, what is missing and what still needs a professional assessment? Also record documents handed over and agreed outstanding tasks.
Describe an issue initially as an observation. ‘Scratch on the left side of the wardrobe’ is clearer than ‘poor assembly’. A photograph alone establishes neither the cause nor whether something is legally a defect. Technical assessment may require an appropriate specialist.
Photo checklist: connect the overview, location and detail
Photograph only areas you can reach safely. Do not open electrical connections, remove covers or apply test loads to components. Raise visible hazards promptly with the responsible specialist; do not continue potentially unsafe use to obtain a photograph.
Keep original images. Make separate copies if you want to add annotations or crop a detail. File names and notes help organise the record but do not replace professional assessment or guarantee evidential value.
- Take an overview of each affected room or component.
- Add a view that identifies the location, such as the wardrobe’s left side beside the door.
- Take a sharp detail photo in adequate light; include a scale where useful without altering the area.
- Assign sequential references: P01 overview, P02 location, P03 detail.
- Note the date, room and viewing direction; keep earlier comparison images separately.
- Keep unnecessary people, private documents and other people’s belongings out of the frame.
Keep one log entry for each unresolved issue
Copy these fields into your notes and give each issue its own number. Fill in the square brackets. The photo references are an example, not a documented customer project.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Order and contractor | [Order number, date, full name of the contractual partner] |
| Item and location | [J01, room, component, precise position] |
| Agreed and observed | [Order item] / [specific observation without an assumed cause] |
| First observed | [Date, time, people present] |
| Photos and documents | [P01 overview, P02 location, P03 detail, relevant order page] |
| Notification and response | [When sent, recipient; response or still awaiting one] |
| Next step | [Assessment, agreed action, responsible person, date] |
| Status and follow-up check | [Open / appointment agreed / looked at again; date and result] |
Notify the business you commissioned directly
Send the relevant entries and photo references together to your contractual partner. Keep the message, attachments and reply. Record your observation separately from the contractor’s explanation. A suggested appointment becomes an agreed date only once the people involved confirm it.
For defective work, section 635 BGB provides for supplementary performance: in principle, the contractor chooses between remedying the defect and producing a new result. Start by discussing the necessary action with the responsible business.
Section 637 BGB generally makes remedying a defect yourself at the contractor’s expense dependent on an appropriate remedy period expiring unsuccessfully; exceptions require separate assessment. Do not rush to hire another business expecting automatic reimbursement.
Distinguish documentation from legal acceptance
For a German contract for work, acceptance (Abnahme) means approving the result as substantially complying with the contract. It affects matters such as the burden of proof for defects. Photos alone do not establish whether acceptance occurred. Read declarations carefully before signing.
Under section 640 BGB, minor defects do not justify refusing acceptance. A customer accepting work despite a known defect must reserve the rights under section 634 numbers 1–3 concerning that defect at acceptance (section 640(3)).
Section 640(2) can apply after completion without a signed record: the contractor sets a reasonable acceptance deadline, which expires without refusal naming at least one defect. Consumers must receive the required warning about the consequences in text form with the request. Earlier photos do not replace the necessary response.
A document’s heading alone does not determine its effect. Do not use this log as a blanket declaration that work is accepted without defects. Obtain advice on the specific case if acceptance, disputed defects or deadlines are unclear.
Prepare a short message asking for clarification
Use these lines as a basis for discussion. Asking for a reply is not setting a deadline to remedy a defect. A formal defect notice or acceptance issue requires wording and a deadline appropriate to the specific case.
- Subject: Order [number / date] – observations for clarification.
- During my review on [date], I noticed: [J01 with location and observation; list other points separately].
- I attach [photo files] and [relevant order item] for reference.
- Please explain your assessment of these points and the inspection or action you propose.
- Access to [area] for a joint visit is possible by arrangement. Please confirm the agreed appointment and next steps in writing.
Add follow-up information without replacing earlier notes
Keep the original entry. Add the date, action taken, new images and the outcome of another review. ‘Contractor reports completion’ and ‘looked at together on …’ are different statuses.
Where one job follows another, record the condition handed over to the next business and any remaining issues. An organisational handover replaces neither required technical approval nor clarification of legal acceptance.
Keep the invoice, changes, instructions and agreed supporting documents with the same order. This makes a particular item easier to find later without searching the whole message history.
HandMen’s role
HandMen provides online marketing and enquiry referrals. Before sharing your details, we name the specific independent partner and obtain your separate consent. The quote, contract, work, invoice and payment are arranged directly with the commissioned business.
Address questions about results, complaints and acceptance declarations to your contractual partner. HandMen does not perform work, assess defects or accept work on your behalf. Professional support or documentation services must be commissioned separately and directly from a suitable provider. HandMen’s statutory responsibility for its own referral activity remains unaffected.
