Last edited 15 Feb 2016

Schedule of defects

A schedule of defects is issued by the contract administrator at the end of defects liability period. It identifies defects (aspects of the works that are not in accordance with the contract) that have become apparent during the defects liability period.

The contract administrator and the contractor then agree a reasonable period within which the contractor will rectify the defects identified on the schedule. Once the contract administrator is satisfied that the defects have been rectified, they issue a certificate of making good defects which has the effect of allowing the final certificate to be issued, releasing any remaining retention.

It is important to note that the defects liability period is not a chance to correct problems apparent at practical completion, it is a period during which the contractor may be recalled to rectify defects which appear. If there are defects apparent before practical completion, then these should be rectified before a certificate of practical completion is issued. See the article on practical completion for more information.

NB Under NEC contracts, at, or just after the defects date the supervisor issues a defects certificate, which either certifies that there are no patent defects, or lists any uncorrected defects. This is analogous to the schedule of defects. See defects certificate for more information.

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