Guides
Practical construction quality guides
How to run the OPR, write the reception PV, and manage and close out réserves. Guides written for project supervisors, not for search engines.
- OPR construction inspection: the complete guide The OPR (opérations préalables à la réception) is the formal pre-reception inspection of a building, carried out before the works are officially accepted. The architect managing execution and the developer walk the site together, check every lot against the contract and the plans, and record each defect, non-conformity, and observation as a reserve. The OPR produces a signed report listing those reserves and sets the deadline to clear them. It is the last quality gate before the PV de réception is signed and the 10-year decennial liability period begins. A clean OPR protects the architect's sign-off.
- How to write a reception PV: a step-by-step guide for architects A reception PV (procès-verbal de réception) is the official document that records the completion of a construction project and transfers the work from the contractor to the client (maître d'ouvrage). To write one, you state the project and parties, declare reception with or without réserves, list every outstanding defect with its trade and deadline, and collect the signatures of the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre. The date of signing starts the 10-year decennial liability clock. This guide covers what the document must contain, the mandatory mentions, how réserves are recorded, and what each signature commits.
- Managing construction reserves after handover Construction reserves (réserves) are the defects recorded against the contractor at handover. After the PV de réception is signed, those reserves enter the one-year garantie de parfait achèvement (defect-liability period). During this year the contractor must fix every listed defect at no cost. Each fix is verified on site and closed with a procès-verbal de levée des réserves. Reserves not lifted before the deadline can be enforced through formal notice and, if needed, retained payment or a third-party repair charged to the contractor. This guide explains how reserves are tracked, what the legal deadlines are, and how to escalate when a contractor stops responding.
- OPR and reception checklist for architects An OPR and reception checklist is a structured, trade-by-trade list of what an architect inspects before signing the PV de réception. The OPR (opérations préalables à la réception) is the formal inspection that precedes handover. A complete checklist covers the building envelope, structure, finishes, and every technical lot. Each inspected item ends in one of three states: conform, defect (réserve), or not verifiable. This guide gives a working checklist by trade, the réserves architects log most often, and how to structure the list so the PV de réception writes itself from the data you captured on site.
- Closing out snag lists: how it works Closing out a snag list (in France, the levée des réserves) is the process of verifying that each defect logged at handover has been corrected, documenting the proof, and signing off the item so it no longer holds open the contractor's liability or final payment. The architect re-inspects every snag, compares the result against the original observation, records dated photo evidence, and updates the status. When all snags are closed, the parties sign a closeout record (PV de levée des réserves). Until then, the reception remains conditional and retention money stays held.
Frequently asked questions
OPR (opérations préalables à la réception) is the pre-handover inspection run by the design team before the works are accepted. It records non-conformities and missing finishes, logs them by trade and by zone, and produces the snag list attached to the reception record.
A reserve is an observation raised at reception and recorded in the handover document; it must be cleared during the one-year garantie de parfait achèvement. A defect found after reception falls, depending on severity, under the parfait achèvement, biennial, or décennale liability period.
The reception record is issued by the client, in practice prepared by the design team from the findings made during OPR. It is signed by the client and the contractor, with or without reserves, and it is this act that starts the statutory warranty periods.
Snags are cleared during the year following reception, under the garantie de parfait achèvement. The handover record can set a shorter deadline per item. Each closeout should be documented, since that evidence is what allows the item to be closed.