Clarify standards and budgets

30.03.2020

Today, many technical regulations and standards come into play in real estate and construction. As opposed to a popular misconception, except for mandatory legal requirements, many standards are applicable only when they are contractually agreed.

Precision with standards

Therefore you should insist that for the construction all SIA (Schweizerischen Ingenieur- und Architektenvereins, Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects) standards must be adhered to. Here, too, precision takes precedence over being non-binding. Wording such as «commonly accepted standards» is too vague. For example, it's important that standard SIA-118 govern all questions concerning the lifetime of guarantees and defects.

Noise-protection requirements

Because requirements dealing with noise protection regularly lead to conflicts, particular clarity is advised. The purchaser must, for example, ask whether minimal or enhanced requirements with regard to noise protection are being promised.

Whoever can't sleep well after moving in due to extreme noise coming from their neighbours can «thank» this not least to an overly limited contractual basis.

Scope of construction budget​​​​​​​

Because today most purchasers place great value in the free selection of their interior construction, they also need clear rules of the game in this area. If, for example, someone desires a different kitchen than the standard version, they won't be able to negotiate extra or reduced costs without a clear budgetary basis.

The key question is always this: How much extra must someone pay if they wish to specify themselves the kitchen or bathroom fixtures and select alternate products?

You have good cards only if you have extensively listed all budget items in the written documents. However, the given budgets must be realistic. For example, if the seller anticipates installing a kitchen for CHF 15,000 to CHF 20,000, there's little chance that it will meet expectations in the luxury market.

Purchase contract