What is a defect report in construction?

A defect report creates a shared, verifiable list of work that does not meet the contract or is still incomplete. It may be used during construction, at acceptance or during a later inspection.

What should be recorded?

• a clear description and exact location;
• photos or other evidence;
• the affected requirement or agreed quality;
• the responsible party and correction deadline;
• status, completion note and result of the follow-up inspection.

Descriptions should be factual and specific. A vague entry such as “wall defective” is less useful than the location, observed deviation and expected result.

During handover, the defect report should be linked to the acceptance report. Closing an item should require evidence and, where appropriate, confirmation by the responsible inspector.