Work on a construction project is necessarily the result of agreements formalized in a contract.
Work on a construction project is necessarily the result of agreements formalized in a contract: between a property developer and its VEFA purchasers, between a builder and the owner embarking on the construction of a single-family home… All these contractual commitments specify, among other things, deadlines for delivery of the work.
The project owner, who is bound by the delivery deadline he must meet with his customer, will pass on this deadline constraint to the general contractor responsible for carrying out the work. It is therefore essential to clearly define the deadlines set out in the construction contract before signing.
Deadlines agreed in the general contractor’s contract
Clearly, not all construction projects are on the same scale, and this inevitably has an impact on the time it takes to complete them. Technical and legal constraints, the specificity of certain building regulations, and the number of trades involved all have a significant impact on completion times. That’s why it’s in the general contractor’sEven if a contract of enterprise, also known as a “work contract” as defined by the French Civil Code, is based on the principle of consensualism between the parties, which does not necessarily require a written document, it is nevertheless highly advisable to specify the terms of the agreement.
In fact, case law has consistently shown that, in the absence of a specific performance deadline, judges are sovereign in assessing the notion of “reasonable time”, which can be prejudicial to the company given the difficulty of doing so.Time limit for commencement of workAlthough the acceptance of work is more generally the focus of attention, the date of commencement of work is just as fundamental, as it is the triggering event for successive actions that are just as important, such as a call for funds. This date is most often determined by a maximum time limit for the start of work, applied after an event outside the company’s control (issue of a building permit, acquisition of the site, obtaining financing for the operation, etc.). The lead time usually applied varies from 1 to 4 months.