Warranty on construction work in Belgium: which warranty applies, what goes in the quote and how do you handle a claim?

Which warranty applies to work carried out?

For an installer, the warranty on work carried out comes from four sources: the legal warranty of up to two years on goods you sell to a consumer, the warranty you promise yourself, the manufacturer’s warranty and, for building works, the contractor’s liability. According to the FPS Economy (FOD Economie / SPF Economie), there is no compulsory warranty on a repair itself. Whatever you promise, you put in the quote.

Be careful with what you read online. Many pages about warranty on construction work come from France or the Netherlands. The garantie décennale and the garantie de parfait achèvement are rules of French law, not of Belgian law.

Where warranty goes wrong

• Nobody knows when the warranty started. The installation date is on an invoice, the acceptance date is nowhere.
• “Two years’ warranty”, and nothing more. On the appliance, on your work or on the parts? The customer reads everything into it.
• The manufacturer’s warranty asks for something nobody did. A registration of the appliance, or maintenance according to the manual.
• The technician decides on site. They say “that’s under warranty” before anyone has checked the conditions, and then an invoice follows anyway.

The warranties side by side

Sources: ConsumerConnect, an initiative of the FPS Economy, consulted on 31 October 2026 (undated pages, in French): legal warranty, repair or replacement, repairs and spare parts, seller or manufacturer and commercial warranty.

Legal warranty on work carried out: what does ConsumerConnect say?

• The seller gives a warranty of up to two years after delivery. For second-hand goods the period may be shorter, but at least one year, and the seller must state this clearly.
• The consumer reports a defect as soon as possible, and in any case within two months of discovering it. You may agree a longer period.
• The consumer does not have to prove that the defect already existed at delivery. The seller must show that it did not exist yet at that time.
• The consumer can first choose between free repair or replacement, within a reasonable time. Labour hours and shipping may not be charged in that case.
• Spare parts fitted during the warranty get the remaining warranty period of the product.
• The legal warranty does not apply to immovable property, such as a house.

So if you sell and install an appliance, the warranty claim comes to you: the consumer goes to the seller, not to the manufacturer. Ask your legal adviser how these rules apply to an appliance in a building, and what you agree with a business customer.

Warranty on a contractor’s work: what about the ten years?

For certain building works, people in Belgium speak of a ten-year liability of contractors and architects. On 31 October 2026 we found no accessible official page about it, so ask your legal adviser whether it applies to your work. For homes covered by the Breyne Act (wet Breyne / loi Breyne), final acceptance may only take place one year after provisional acceptance, as we describe in the acceptance report.

Warranty in the quote: what do you put in writing?

Customers ask about it. Brussels Environment (Leefmilieu Brussel / Bruxelles Environnement) advises private individuals to ask the installer of a heat pump which warranties they offer, and mentions for the equipment at least 5 years on the heat pump and at least 2 years on the spare parts (page of 23 May 2025, in French). This is advice to private individuals. A clear warranty clause answers their question:

1. What the warranty covers: the appliance, your installation work, the parts you replace.
2. When it starts: the date of acceptance or commissioning, as stated on the acceptance report.
3. How long it lasts, for each element.
4. What is not covered: for example wear parts, damage caused by misuse or by work done by someone else.
5. What the customer does: report a defect quickly, have the maintenance done that the manufacturer requires, give access.
6. The manufacturer’s warranty: who claims it, what you charge outside your own warranty, and where the customer reports a defect.

An example to adapt:

Warranty. The appliances supplied are covered by the legal warranty and the manufacturer’s warranty, under the conditions we hand over at acceptance. On our installation work we give a warranty of [period] from the date on the acceptance report. Not covered: [wear parts], damage caused by misuse or by work done by third parties. Report any defect as soon as possible via [phone or email], with the serial number of the appliance and a photo.

This is not a model text: have your clause, and above all the exclusions, checked by your legal adviser. The other items a quote must contain are in writing a quote.

Handling a warranty claim: a procedure

1. Register. Customer, installation with serial number, what is happening and since when, a photo of the error code. Note the date of the claim.
2. Check before anyone leaves. The acceptance date, the end of the warranty, what your quote promises, the manufacturer’s conditions and the previous interventions.
3. Establish the facts on site. The technician looks for the cause, takes photos and writes down what they found. The office decides on the warranty.
4. Decide. Legal warranty, your own warranty, manufacturer’s warranty or not covered. Agree in advance who decides.
5. Inform the customer in writing. What is covered, what is not, and the price of what is not covered. You only carry out that part after their agreement.
6. Close. The report filed with the installation, the claim to the manufacturer followed up, the cause noted.

Examples to adapt, not legal advice:

If the customer disagrees with the decision, treat it as a complaint: see handling customer complaints.

Tracking warranty periods per installation

• At acceptance, note for each installation the date of the acceptance report, the end of each warranty and the conditions, such as a registration or a maintenance visit.
• Keep the warranty certificate and the acceptance report with the installation, not in a folder at the office.
• Every month, look at which warranties expire soon: a good moment for a last check or a maintenance proposal.

Why this data belongs with the appliance is explained in the service history per installation. What is compulsory for a heat pump is in heat pump maintenance.

An example: a boiler with an error code after fourteen months

At a fictitious heating company, a private customer calls: their condensing boiler regularly cuts out. The planner opens the installation. The company sold and installed the boiler fourteen months ago, the acceptance report is signed and the warranty is still running. She schedules an intervention with “warranty” in the title.

The technician finds a faulty fan, replaces it and notes the cause in their report, with photos. The owner decides that the legal warranty applies: the repair costs the customer nothing, part and travel included. The company claims the fan back from the wholesaler.

How it works in Digitalnatie Service Suite

The end of the warranty belongs with the installation, in the customer file.

• The warranty end date: when you register an installation, you enter the brand and model, the serial number, the installation date and the warranty end date.
• Status and filters: the warranty is valid, expiring (within 30 days), expired or has no date. The register has a warranty column and a warranty filter, and your saved views keep that filter for you.
• Signals: the installation file flags a warranty that is about to expire, and the customer file shows a key figure for expiring warranties.
• The report: from the installation file, reporting a breakdown opens a new intervention with the customer, the site and the installation already filled in. A customer with access to the portal reports a problem themselves.
• Checking: the installation file has tabs for the interventions, breakdowns, materials, documents and the log. The warranty certificate and the acceptance report go in the documents.
• On site: in the technician app, the installation sheet shows the warranty end date, and the list marks installations whose warranty has expired. In the intervention report, the technician notes the problem found and the solution, with photos before and after.
• Coming back: from the intervention, you create a follow-up, a new intervention linked to the first one.
• Invoicing: creating an invoice from the intervention gives a draft invoice with the billable hours and parts. It is not posted or sent: accounting decides what the customer pays.
• The customer: in their portal, they see the warranty of their installations, with filters for active, expiring and expired warranties, and the documents you have made visible.

Good to know:

• There is one warranty end date per installation. If you have several periods, such as one for the appliance and one for your work, note the others yourself, for example in the warranty certificate kept in the documents.
• There is no separate warranty module or register of warranty claims, and an intervention has no warranty status. You note the decision in the intervention’s log.
• The guide describes no connection with manufacturers: you request the part yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the legal warranty in Belgium?

For a product bought by a consumer, the seller gives a warranty of up to two years after delivery, according to ConsumerConnect of the FPS Economy. For second-hand goods it may be shorter, but at least one year. The consumer reports a defect within two months of discovering it.

Is there a warranty on a repair?

According to ConsumerConnect, there is no compulsory warranty on repairs. The product’s warranty period is, however, suspended during the repair. Whatever you promise yourself on a repair, you put in the quote.

Does the installer or the manufacturer have to give the warranty?

For the legal warranty, the consumer goes to the seller from whom they bought the product, not to the manufacturer. So if you sell the appliance, the customer comes to you. A manufacturer’s warranty is voluntary and follows the manufacturer’s conditions.

Is there a ten-year warranty on construction work in Belgium?

For certain building works, people speak of a ten-year liability of contractors and architects. Ask your legal adviser whether it applies to your work. The garantie décennale that many websites describe is a rule of French law.

How do you track warranty periods in Service Suite?

For each installation, you enter the warranty end date. The warranty gets a status, the register filters on it, the installation file warns when it is about to expire and the customer file shows a key figure for expiring warranties. There is one warranty date per installation.