Warranty on renovation and materials: if cracks appear

What counts as a defect and what doesn't

Not every crack is poor workmanship. In the app route, in the “Move-in” stage, there is an item “Monitor the home in the first weeks” with the hint: most hidden defects show up in the first heating season. The building dries out, materials shrink, humidity changes.

Telling shrinkage from a contractor's mistake by eye is hard. A crack may be caused by the building, the base, the material or a breach of technique. When the stakes are noticeable, the cause is determined by a specialist - a construction expert. So this article doesn't say who is to blame in your case: it says what to do so as not to lose your rights.

Step by step: if a defect appears

1. Record it. Photograph the spot close up and in a wide shot, with a tape measure or ruler in the frame. Note the date you noticed it. If a crack is growing, photograph it once a week from the same point.
2. Don't fix it yourself right away. If you cover the crack before it's inspected, proving it was there gets harder. The exception is what can't wait: a leak is shut off at once.
3. Find the documents: the contract, estimates, stage certificates and the final certificate, warranty terms, receipts, photos of hidden work, test reports.
4. Check the dates: whether the contract states a warranty period, and when the acceptance certificate was signed.
5. Write to the contractor. In writing: what, where, when it was found, photos, what you ask for - a fix, a price reduction or reimbursement of costs. Send it so that you have proof of receipt.
6. Arrange an inspection. Offer the contractor to look at the defect on site: that makes it easier to agree who fixes it and how.
7. If you can't agree - it's a matter for a lawyer. Bring everything you've collected above.

What the law says

Below is a summary of the articles, with no promise of an outcome. Read them in their current wording on the official legal information portal pravo.gov.ru: the articles have changed, and details depend on your contract. These are Russian rules; other countries have their own.

Civil Code of the Russian Federation, part two, chapter 37 “Work contract”

• Article 722 “Warranty of work quality”. If a warranty period is provided by law or the contract, the result of the work must meet the contract's quality terms throughout that period.
• Article 723 “Contractor's liability for improper quality of work”. If the work was done with deviations from the contract that worsened the result, the client may demand that the defects be fixed free of charge within a reasonable time, that the price be reduced proportionally, or that their own costs of fixing be reimbursed if the contract gives that right. The same article covers when the contract can be terminated.
• Article 724 “Periods for discovering improper quality of the result of work”. If no warranty period is set, claims can be made if defects are discovered within a reasonable time, but within two years from the day the result of the work was handed over, unless other periods are set by law, the contract or business custom. If the warranty is shorter than two years and the defect is found after it ends but within two years, the contractor is liable if the client proves the defect arose before the work was handed over or for reasons that arose before then.
• Article 725 “Limitation period for claims about improper quality of work”. Claims have a limitation period; how long it is and from when it runs is in this article.

The Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”

If you ordered the renovation for yourself from a company or a sole trader, Law of the Russian Federation No. 2300-1 of 07.02.1992 “On Protection of Consumer Rights” usually applies as well. Article 29 lists what a consumer can demand when the work has defects, and within what periods. For defects that couldn't be noticed at acceptance - within the warranty period, and if there is none, within a reasonable time within two years from the day the work was accepted. For buildings and other real estate the article names a longer period; whether it applies to your renovation is a question for the particular case.

Whether this law applies depends on who the contractor is and what the work was ordered for. The Civil Code applies in any case.

Warranty on materials and appliances

For materials and appliances it's not the crew that is responsible, but the seller and the manufacturer. The warranty period and terms are in the warranty card and the product's manual. A receipt and correct installation are often a condition of the warranty: for underfloor heating, for example, manufacturers ask for a photo of the layout and a recorded cable resistance before the screed is poured.

If a mixer, water heater or air conditioner fails, first work out the cause - the product or the installation. That decides who to go to: the seller or whoever installed it.

What to prepare in advance, during the renovation

• A warranty period in the contract. Without it the general rules of the law apply, and arguing is harder. What else to include is in The contract with a crew: what to include.
• Quality requirements in the contract. Since 1 February 2026 finishing quality in Russia is determined by the client's requirements (Amendment No. 3 to SP 71.13330.2017): without written figures it's hard to prove that wall flatness is a defect.
• Stage certificates with remarks and notes that they were fixed.
• Photos of hidden work - pipes, cables, waterproofing before closing up: proof of how what's no longer visible was done. What to photograph is in Photos of hidden work.
• Receipts, manuals and warranty cards for appliances.

Checklist: a defect after the renovation

• The defect is photographed with a date and a scale.
• The contract, certificates, warranty and receipts are found.
• It's clear whether the warranty period is still running.
• A written claim has been sent to the contractor with proof of receipt.
• The contractor is invited to inspect.
• If the dispute isn't resolved, documents are gathered for a lawyer.

How to run it in the Doma app

The renovation documents are in the “Documents” tab: folders “Contracts”, “Spec sheets”, “Photo records”. Photos of hidden work are tied to stage items, and each has a date. After the property is moved to lived in, all of this stays at hand, and the stages remain the renovation history: who accepted what and when. Which documents to keep and for how long is in Which documents to keep after a renovation.