The inspection period (tkufat bedek): what it covers and how long it lasts

The inspection period (tkufat bedek) is the period during which, under the Sale (Apartments) Law, the contractor bears full responsibility for what you received: the apartment and the building. It starts the moment the apartment is handed over to the resident. During this period the contractor must repair every construction defect and claim you report.

Here is how long the contractor stays liable, by type of component:

• Interior flooring and cladding: two years. • Water piping, wastewater, sewage, drainage: four years. • Waterproofing: four years. • Metalwork, carpentry, aluminum and plastic products: two years. • Machinery and boilers: three years.

• Yard development, parking, sidewalks and paths, fences, water, sewage and drainage systems, electricity, communications: three years. • Thermal insulation: three years. • Cracks wider than 1.5 mm: five years. • External cladding: seven years. • Any other non-conformity that is not fundamental: one year.

Check before the inspection period starts. Before handing over the apartment, the contractor invites you to walk through it and check that everything is in order. Remember: you are signing a document.

He wants proof that you checked it, meaning that anything you failed to notice counts as fine. That document is his evidence that he delivered the apartment in good condition and that you have no further claims, and even if you do raise one later, it lightens his burden of proof and can let him off the hook for the repair.

During the inspection period itself, if the contractor decides something is not his responsibility and refuses to fix it at his own expense, he is the one who has to prove that. The law is on your side, and the burden of proof is his.

The simplest way contractors avoid that responsibility is by holding a document you signed stating that you checked the apartment and were satisfied, or at least that you did not flag certain faults, meaning they looked fine to you on the day you got the keys.

Bring a professional to that walkthrough rather than relying on your own impressions. A home inspection engineer specializes in finding construction defects and knows what to look for below the surface.

Such an engineer will spot non-standard installation or construction and defective products, much of which you would not catch yourself: some problems are not visible while everything is still new and only show up later.

A detailed defects report legally obligates the contractor to repair them at his own expense. It saves you significant money, prevents future damage, and can save you from legal proceedings. The longer the contractor's crew is still on site, the more motivation and ability they have to make real repairs.