Developer warranty for third-party services

Hello house-building community

I would be happy to hear your opinions and expertise on the topic of developer warranty for third-party installation of flooring.

The new build property I purchased is completely built by the developer (or their subcontractor). The property would be equipped with a standard floor, which I would like to change. Unfortunately, the subcontractor does not offer alternatives to the standard floor, so I would have to turn to third-party providers and accept the property without flooring.

Regarding the issue:
- The handover with inspection for defects therefore takes place without having flooring installed, and the developer's warranty only applies to the work they performed (excluding flooring).
- The flooring is then installed afterwards by a third party, which hopefully does not lead to problems, as floors are generally installed shortly before the end (usually only the doors are installed afterwards).
- However, I fear that in the event of warranty cases, the developer and flooring installer might blame each other (e.g., in case of damage to the underfloor heating?), and I would ultimately be left bearing the damage.

I would be very grateful for your opinions and whether you consider my concerns justified or exaggerated.

Thank you in advance!

So a floor layer who damages the underfloor heating, which is embedded in the screed, has not come across me yet. The problems that could arise, I most likely see in the fact that the screed may not yet be dry enough; the floor layer should check that, otherwise I think the builder is not responsible if there is something wrong with the floor.

As my predecessor said ... I wouldn't worry about that.

Make sure (to be on the safe side) that
- the builder has to heat the screed to "ready to cover"
- the builder owes you the protocol of the ready-to-cover heating
- the floor installer informs you about the construction of the finished floor
- the builder takes this height into account in his plans (top edge of the finished floor)

Thank you very much for your opinions - that already reassures me.

@Bieber0815: How exactly can the developer take the construction or the height of the floor into account in their planning? My understanding so far was that the screed is simply laid as usual, and then certain height differences are compensated by leveling when laying the floor. Am I missing something here and are there more practical or economical approaches?

As further background information, I want to mention at this point that it is a condominium, and instead of the developer’s standard parquet, I want to choose vinyl flooring. This certainly involves a certain height difference between the tiles laid by the developer in the bathrooms and the thin adhesive vinyl floor in the other living areas.
Does anyone have experience whether an expensive full leveling would be advisable (one level everywhere) or if a small "ramp" of a few millimeters height difference toward the tiles is sufficient to create a smooth transition?

Hello,

- The acceptance with inspection for defects takes place without having a floor installed and the builder’s warranty exclusively applies to his performed work (excl. floor).

That is the normal procedure.

- The floor is then installed later by a third-party provider, which hopefully does not cause problems, since floors are generally laid shortly before the end (usually only the doors are installed after that)

Why should it? The floor installer has to ensure that the screed is ready to be covered; that is his job.

- However, I fear that in cases of warranty claims, the builder and floor installer will blame each other (e.g. in case of damage to underfloor heating?) and I will ultimately be left with the damages.

What should happen? Any conceivable floor covering is laid _over_ the screed; nobody comes near the underfloor heating. But you _must_ already know – and that before the screed is installed – which floor covering you want to have laid later so that possibly different room heights can be considered.

Edit: of course, the chosen later floor covering also affects the interior doors. Therefore, it is important to know before the screed is installed what will be laid later.

When your provider hands over the condominium to you, an acceptance takes place. During this, any remaining work or defects are documented, as well as a binding time frame in which these remaining works/defects must be rectified; all documented in an acceptance protocol.

If you want to remove the floor coverings from your provider’s scope of delivery, this is nothing world-shaking difficult; rather "normal" practice for many new construction projects. If your provider is chosen seriously, he will inform you in writing about the required drying times of the screed for tiles or other coverings and then he has fulfilled his part.

You must – already when searching for floor coverings – point out that it is a new building and that an inspection of the screed for readiness for covering is part of the contractor’s scope of delivery; part of the commissioning. Proceeding in this way, in the worst case, there will be no differences between provider + floor installer because the warranty obligations are clearly defined.

Rhenish regards

I would like to note here that it can make sense to determine who is responsible for the heating-up protocol. [Estrichleger], [Bodenleger], and [Heizungsbauer] do not always seem to agree on this.