What documentation should you receive after a renovation?

In short

After a major renovation, you should receive at least:

Exactly what you should receive depends on what has been done. There is no single document package that fits every renovation project.

Documentation is more than an invoice

An invoice usually shows who you have paid and how much the work cost. It does not necessarily tell you how the bathroom was built, where the pipes run or whether the electrical installation has been inspected.

Good final documentation should answer five questions:

The documentation can become important if:

Missing documentation does not automatically mean the work was done badly. It still creates uncertainty, because it becomes harder to check what was actually done.

What is required by law, and what is only recommended?

Not every type of renovation triggers the same documentation requirements.

The fact that something is "recommended" does not mean it is unimportant. Agreed documentation requirements can become part of the tradesperson's contractual obligations even if there is no general legal requirement for every type of work.

The best solution is therefore to describe the documentation in the contract before the work starts.

Documentation from the electrician

The documentation from the electrician is among the most important things you should receive.

All work on the electrical installation must be carried out and documented in accordance with the applicable rules. Work on someone else's electrical installation must normally be carried out by a business registered for the right type of work in the Electrical Enterprise Register (Elvirksomhetsregisteret).

Declaration of conformity (samsvarserklæring)

A declaration of conformity is the electrician's confirmation that the work has been carried out in accordance with the safety requirements.

The declaration should identify:

According to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap, DSB), work on the electrical installation must be documented with a declaration of conformity. For minor work, the declaration may come together with the invoice, but it must not disappear into a general description such as "electrical work carried out".

The owner must keep the declaration of conformity for the entire lifetime of the installation.

The electrician's documentation should also include

DSB's standard for residential documentation, known as "5 sikre" (the five safe documents), normally covers:

When work is done in the fuse box, the circuit list must be updated so that it matches the actual installation.

For heating cables, you should also receive:

The photo of the heating cables should be taken before the floor is covered. That way you will know later where it is safe to drill or fix something.

Important: an ordinary invoice from the electrician does not replace the declaration of conformity.

Documentation after a bathroom renovation

In a bathroom, the most important parts of the work are hidden behind tiles, boards and fittings. That is why the documentation must be planned before the walls are closed.

A complete wet room package should show how the bathroom was built - not just how it looks when it is finished.

What the bathroom documentation should include

• The address and which bathroom the documentation covers
• Start and completion dates
• A list of the businesses involved
• A description of the work
• The build-up of floors and walls
• Products and materials used
• Type of membrane system
• Type of drain and drain collar
• Detailing around pipe penetrations
• Detailing at the threshold and door
• Fall towards the drain
• Pipe runs and manifold cabinet
• Electrical installations
• Ventilation solution
• Use and maintenance instructions
• Guarantees and product data sheets

Photos you should get from the bathroom

Ask for photos of:

The photos should be labelled with the date, the room and a short explanation. A random close-up with no information about where it was taken has limited value.

Is a wet room certificate required by law?

Terms such as "wet room certificate" (våtromssertifikat), "wet room attestation" (våtromsattest) and "approved bathroom" are often used in marketing. They can give the impression that there is a single public document that approves every renovated bathroom. It is not that simple.

The Wet Room Standard (Byggebransjens våtromsnorm), often abbreviated to BVN, is an industry standard. If the contract states that the bathroom is to be built according to BVN, the tradesperson must follow the agreed requirements - including the documentation requirements.

A general course certificate or wet room certificate showing that a tradesperson has been trained does not on its own document how your particular bathroom was built.

You need documentation that is tied to:

Do you need to apply for permission to renovate the bathroom?

Ordinary replacement of surfaces and fittings does not normally require an application.

A complete bathroom refurbishment within the same dwelling unit or fire compartment is usually also exempt from the application requirement, but the relevant technical requirements may still apply.

The work may require a building application if, for example, it:

Check with the municipality or the responsible applicant (ansvarlig søker) if you are unsure.

Documentation from the plumber

For ordinary indoor plumbing work, there is no single national declaration of conformity that works in exactly the same way as the documentation from the electrician.

That does not mean the plumbing work should go undocumented.

What you should get from the plumber

• The name and organisation number of the business
• The date and address of the work
• A description of what was carried out
• A list of products and components
• Product data sheets
• Use and maintenance instructions
• Photos of concealed pipe runs
• The location of stop valves
• The location of the manifold cabinet
• An overview of the pipe-in-pipe system
• Documentation of leak protection
• Information about inspections or tests carried out
• Guarantees for installed products

For larger jobs, it may be relevant to get documentation of pressure testing, tightness testing or other checks. What is necessary depends on the installation, the product system and the agreement.

If pipes are routed through walls or floors, you should get photos before the structure is closed. The photos can prevent someone from later drilling straight into a water pipe.

Documentation after a kitchen renovation

A new kitchen often involves several trades: kitchen fitter, carpenter, electrician, plumber and ventilation company.

You should receive:

Check that the model numbers in the documentation match the products that were actually installed.

Documentation from the carpenter and contractor

For carpentry work, the documentation depends on the size of the project.

For minor work, a good description of the work, an invoice and a product list may be sufficient. For larger interventions, you should get more.

For structural work, you should ask for

• Updated drawings
• A description of the structure
• Material dimensions
• Product documentation
• Calculations from a structural engineer where relevant
• Photos before the structure is closed
• Documentation of fire and sound sealing
• Information about insulation
• Deviations from the original solution
• Inspection reports
• The names of the designer and the contractor

If a load-bearing wall has been removed, the documentation should show how the load has been handled. An invoice line reading "steel beam installed" is not an adequate description of the structure.

Documentation after painting and surface work

Painting rarely requires an extensive technical document package, but some information is very useful later.

Ask for:

It is a good idea to write the colour code in a separate document. "The white paint from the painter" is hard to track down five years later.

Documentation for floors

A floor can develop problems if the substrate is too damp, is not level or the product is installed incorrectly.

For a new floor, you should receive:

For parquet and wooden floors, measurements of moisture and indoor climate before installation can be useful if cracks or cupping appear later.

Documentation for ventilation and heating

Technical systems must be possible to operate and maintain after the tradesperson has left.

For ventilation, you should receive:

For hydronic heating or a heat pump, the documentation should show, among other things:

Windows, roof and facade

When replacing windows or doing work on the roof and facade, you should ask for:

For work on the facade or roof, you should also check whether the work required municipal approval or was restricted by the zoning plan, protected status or the rules of the housing co-ownership (sameie).

Documentation for renovations that require a building application

If the renovation required a building application, the document package is more extensive.

You should have access to:

Work that requires a building application must normally be concluded with a certificate of completion. No later than when applying for the certificate of completion, the responsible applicant must confirm that the necessary documentation for the operational phase has been handed over to the owner.

Be aware that a "declaration of conformity" (samsvarserklæring) in a building case and the declaration of conformity from the electrician are not the same document.

What is operation and maintenance documentation (FDV)?

FDV stands for forvaltning, drift og vedlikehold - management, operation and maintenance.

Put simply, the FDV documentation is meant to help you use, check and maintain the home and its technical installations correctly.

For a home, the FDV documentation can cover, among other things:

The documentation must match what was actually built. A standard user manual for a product that was never installed has no value.

For work that requires a building application, the documentation must be handed over to the owner. The owner is then responsible for keeping it and keeping it up to date when later changes are made.

Contracts, changes and invoices

The technical documentation must be seen together with the financial and contractual documentation.

Keep:

Ask for an itemised invoice if you cannot see how the price was calculated. The invoice should make it possible to distinguish between labour, materials and approved extras.

A guarantee and a complaint are not the same thing

A guarantee is an additional right offered by the supplier or the manufacturer. The guarantee may have its own terms and vary in duration.

The right to complain follows from the law and applies regardless of whether the tradesperson uses the word "guarantee".

For work on real property, the absolute complaint deadline is normally five years. You must still complain within a reasonable time after you discovered, or should have discovered, the defect.

So keep:

The documentation makes it easier to show what was delivered, and who is responsible if something goes wrong.

When should you receive the documentation?

Do not wait until the tradespeople have finished the project and left.

The documentation should be part of the contract and the progress schedule from the start.

A good process could be:

Before the work starts

Agree which documentation is to be delivered, who is responsible and what format it should have.

During the work

Ask for photos of everything that will be concealed. Also document changes to materials, locations and solutions.

Before the final payment

Check that the document package is complete. Note anything missing in the handover protocol and agree a specific delivery deadline.

After handover

Store the documentation in a safe place and check that the files can be opened.

For larger projects, the documentation can be tied to agreed milestones. That makes it clear that the work has not been fully handed over until the relevant papers have been delivered.

What do you do if the documentation is missing?

Start by sending a written request to the business.

Describe exactly what you are missing. Do not just write "send the documentation".

You can, for example, ask for:

Set a reasonable deadline for a reply.

If the documentation is required by law, expressly agreed or necessary to use and maintain the work, failure to deliver it may, depending on the circumstances, be a defect in the service.

Whether you can withhold payment, and how much, must be assessed case by case. Any amount withheld should be proportionate to the claim and to the cost or risk that the missing documentation represents.

Suggested message to the tradesperson

Subject: Missing final documentation for work at [address]

Hello,

I refer to the work that was completed at [address] on [date].

Before the job can be closed, I am missing the following documentation:

I ask that the documentation be sent in a readable digital format by [date].

If any of the documentation is not relevant to the work, I ask for a short written explanation of this. If the documents are to be delivered by a subcontractor, I ask that you follow this up as the contracting party.

Kind regards [Name] [Phone number]

How to organise the documentation

You do not need a physical binder with hundreds of unsorted sheets. A tidy digital folder structure often works better.

An example:

Give the files understandable names:

The documents can be stored in a home documentation service, in a secure cloud solution or both. Make sure the documentation can be transferred to a new owner when the home is sold.

How Fikso can make the documentation safer

When jobs are agreed through Fikso, the documentation requirements should be described clearly before the work starts.

The customer and the service provider can agree:

In the event of a dispute, written agreements, photos, messages and professional documentation are far more reliable than the parties' memories.

Secured payment can also help ensure that the documentation is treated as part of the delivery. The disputed amount can, within Fikso's current terms, be held back in the payment solution while the parties submit documentation and the case is assessed.

The documentation does not only protect the customer. It also protects reputable tradespeople by showing what was actually agreed, delivered and checked.

Complete checklist after a renovation

For all jobs

• Signed contract
• Final job description
• All change agreements
• Itemised invoices
• Payment confirmations
• List of the businesses involved
• Completion date
• Photos before, during and after the work
• Product list
• Guarantees
• Use and maintenance instructions
• Handover protocol

Electrical work

• Declaration of conformity
• Final inspection report
• Updated circuit list
• Risk assessment
• Equipment documentation
• Measurement results for heating cables
• Photos or a drawing of concealed installations

Bathroom and plumbing

• Description of the floor and wall build-up
• Documentation of the membrane system
• Photos of the membrane and drain
• Photos of pipe runs
• Product information for the drain and sanitary fixtures
• Overview of the pipe-in-pipe system
• Location of stop valves
• Documentation of leak protection
• Relevant inspection or test reports
• Maintenance instructions

Work that requires a building application

• Municipal permit
• Approved drawings
• Any exemptions
• List of the responsible enterprises
• Implementation plan
• Declarations of control
• Updated drawings
• Operation and maintenance documentation (FDV)
• Certificate of completion or temporary occupancy permit

Frequently asked questions

The paperwork is part of the renovation

The renovation is not quite finished just because the tradespeople have packed up.

The documentation is part of the delivery. It gives you an overview of the home, makes later maintenance easier and can be decisive in the event of a complaint, damage or a sale.

The most important thing is to agree on the documentation before the work starts and to collect it along the way. Once the structure has been closed, it is too late to photograph the membrane, the pipes or the heating cables.

A reputable tradesperson should be able to explain what documentation you will receive, who delivers it and when it will be available.

Method and sources

This article is based on public regulations and professional recommendations available in August 2026. Which requirements apply depends on the project, the contract and whether the work requires a building application.

Sources:

This article provides general information and is not individual legal or building-technical advice.