Guide for architects managing reception

How to write a reception PV: a step-by-step guide for architects

Updated 4 June 2026

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.

What is a reception PV and what does it do?

A reception PV is the legal act by which the maître d'ouvrage accepts the completed work, with or without reserves. It is governed in France by article 1792-6 of the Code civil and is the single most consequential document an architect signs on a project.

The PV does three things at once. It records the date of reception, which is the legal trigger for the décennale (10-year), biennale (2-year), and parfait achèvement (1-year) guarantees. It lists the réserves, which are the defects the client refuses to accept as final. And it transfers custody and risk of the building from the contractor to the client.

Reception can be pronounced without réserves, with réserves, or refused. The architect's job is to make sure the PV reflects the true state of the site, because everything not listed as a réserve is deemed accepted.

What are the mandatory mentions a reception PV must contain?

A reception PV must identify the project, the parties, and the legal nature of the act. Missing a mandatory mention can weaken the document if a dispute reaches court.

Include, at minimum: the project name and address; the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre identities; the contractor(s) and lots concerned; the date of the reception visit; the decision (reception accepted, accepted with réserves, or refused); the full list of réserves with their location, trade (lot), and deadline for levée; any withheld payment (retenue de garantie) tied to réserves; and the signatures of the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre.

If reception is pronounced with réserves, each réserve must be precise enough that a third party can verify whether it has been corrected. "Painting unfinished" is not enough; "living room north wall, lot peinture, finish coat missing, to lift by 30 June" is.

How are réserves recorded in the reception PV?

Réserves are the defects, non-conformities, and unfinished items the client refuses to accept at reception. They are recorded directly in the PV or in an annexed list referenced by the PV.

Each réserve needs four things to be defensible: a precise location (building, floor, zone, room), the trade or lot responsible, a clear description of the defect, and a deadline for the levée des réserves. Photos attached to each réserve remove ambiguity about its state on the day of reception.

Réserves listed in the PV are the only ones the client can require the contractor to fix under the warranty of parfait achèvement. Anything observed but not written down is, in practice, accepted. This is why the réserve list, not the prose of the PV, carries the legal weight.

What do the signatures on a reception PV commit, and when does liability start?

The signatures of the maître d'ouvrage and the maîtrise d'œuvre make the reception PV legally binding. From the date of signing, the building is handed over and the warranty clock starts.

The date of reception starts three clocks: the garantie de parfait achèvement (1 year), the garantie biennale on equipment (2 years), and the responsabilité décennale (10 years) on damage that compromises the structure or makes the building unfit for use. The architect carries décennale liability on the works they directed for a full decade after this date.

Because the PV starts a 10-year liability period, the evidence behind it must survive that long. The réserve list, the photos, the levée records, and the inspection history are what defend the architect if a dispute arises years later.

How to write a reception PV step by step

  1. 01

    Run the OPR and capture every defect

    Before the reception visit, conduct the OPR (opérations préalables à la réception). Walk every zone and log each defect with its location, trade, photo, and deadline. The réserve list you build here becomes the body of the PV.

  2. 02

    State the project, parties, and date

    Open the PV with the project name and address, the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre identities, the contractors and lots concerned, and the exact date of the reception visit. This date is the legal trigger for every guarantee.

  3. 03

    Declare the reception decision

    Record one of three decisions: reception accepted without réserves, accepted with réserves, or refused. The decision is the legal core of the document and must be unambiguous.

  4. 04

    List every réserve with location, trade, and deadline

    For each outstanding defect, write its precise location, the responsible lot, a verifiable description, and the deadline for levée. Attach a photo to each réserve so its state on the day of reception is documented.

  5. 05

    Record withheld payment and conditions

    If a retenue de garantie or withheld payment is tied to the réserves, state the amount and the condition for release. Note any reservation on payment so the financial position is clear.

  6. 06

    Collect the signatures

    Have the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre sign and date the PV. Their signatures make reception effective and start the décennale clock. Give each party a copy.

  7. 07

    Archive the PV and its evidence chain

    Store the signed PV together with the réserve list, photos, and inspection history. This archive must remain accessible for the full 10-year décennale period to defend any later dispute.

Frequently asked questions about writing a reception PV

A reception PV (procès-verbal de réception) is the official document that records the completion of a construction project and the transfer of the work from the contractor to the client. It states whether reception is accepted, accepted with réserves, or refused, lists any outstanding defects, and is signed by the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre. Its date of signing starts the legal warranty periods, including the 10-year decennial liability.
A reception PV must identify the project and address, the parties (maître d'ouvrage, maîtrise d'œuvre, contractors and lots), the date of reception, and the decision (accepted, accepted with réserves, or refused). If réserves exist, each must state its location, trade, description, and deadline for levée. The document is only binding once signed by the maître d'ouvrage and maîtrise d'œuvre.
Reception without réserves means the client accepts the work as fully conforming on the date of signing. Reception with réserves means the client accepts the building but lists defects the contractor must still correct within a set deadline. In both cases the warranty clocks start on the reception date; the réserves only affect what the contractor still owes under the parfait achèvement guarantee.
Decennial liability (responsabilité décennale) starts on the date the reception PV is signed. From that date, the architect and contractors carry 10 years of liability for damage that compromises the structure or makes the building unfit for use, under article 1792 of the Code civil. The 1-year parfait achèvement and 2-year biennale guarantees start on the same date.
The reception PV must be signed by the maître d'ouvrage, who pronounces the reception, and is co-signed by the maîtrise d'œuvre who attends and advises. Contractors are usually present and may sign to acknowledge the réserves against their lot. Without the maître d'ouvrage's signature, reception is not legally effective.
The reception PV is generated from the réserves you already captured during the OPR, so the document is built from live site data rather than retyped the night before. Each réserve carries its location, trade, photo, and deadline, and the signed PV is archived with its full evidence chain. Builddar is the construction quality operating system, and it keeps that record accessible for the full 10-year decennial period. See the Reception PV feature page to learn more.

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