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<\/figure>\nWhat is the SIA 118 standard?<\/h2>\n
SIA 118 is titled \u201cGeneral conditions for construction work\u201d. Published by the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects, it describes in detail how a building project runs, from the award of the contract to the end of the guarantee period. The edition in force dates from 2013, supplemented by a corrigendum valid since 1 January 2026.<\/p>\n
A private standard that only applies if the contract refers to it<\/h3>\n
SIA 118 is not a law. It is a set of contractual clauses that binds the parties only if they have incorporated it into their contract. Without that reference, the Code of Obligations alone governs the relationship, with different deadlines and mechanisms. Whoever relies on the standard must prove that it was actually agreed.<\/p>\n
The detail matters since 2026. The corrigendum that adapts the standard to the new law, SIA 118-C1, also applies only if it is expressly agreed. A contract that simply mentions \u201cSIA 118\u201d therefore leaves a grey area on the most sensitive point, the deadline for reporting a hidden defect.<\/p>\n
Who is liable for what in a general contractor agreement<\/h3>\n
With a general contractor, the project owner signs a single contract for the whole building. The SIA publishes a model contract for this case, SIA 1024, available in a 2026 edition. The general contractor then hires subcontractors, but it remains solely liable to the client for all the work, including the work it did not carry out itself.<\/p>\n
That is the difference with a project split between separate firms, where the project owner has to work out which trade is responsible for each defect. The roles of the general contractor, the AMO and the architect<\/a> are shared out differently depending on the set-up chosen. Choosing an all-trades contractor in Geneva<\/a> means having a single point of contact on the day something goes wrong.<\/p>\n Everything starts with acceptance. That is the date from which the guarantee period and the limitation period begin to run, and it is where the fate of defects that are already visible is decided.<\/p>\n When the work is finished, the contractor sends a notice of completion. The joint inspection of the building takes place within the following month, with both parties present. Its outcome is recorded in a report signed by each of them.<\/p>\n If the building shows no defects, or only minor ones, it is accepted at the end of the inspection. If the defects are significant, acceptance is postponed until they have been remedied. And if the inspection does not take place within the month, for example because nobody asked for it, the building is deemed accepted. Many project owners discover this tacit acceptance too late.<\/p>\n A defect known at the time of the inspection and missing from the report is presumed to have been accepted. The presumption can be rebutted, but it will have to be proved. The practical rule is simple. Anything that is wrong on the day of the inspection must appear in the report, even a detail, even something the contractor promises to fix the following week.<\/p>\n On a large project, we advise attending the joint inspection with project management assistance<\/a>. A trained eye spots in one visit what an owner will only see during the first winter.<\/p>\n SIA 118 is more favourable to the project owner than the Code of Obligations on one precise point, the moment when a complaint can be made. In return, it gives the contractor priority to carry out repairs. The project owner must first allow a reasonable period for the defect to be remedied before demanding anything else.<\/p>\n For two years after acceptance, the project owner can report a defect at any time. The owner is not bound by the 60-day deadline that the law now sets. A leak spotted in March can be reported in June, as long as the two years have not run out.<\/p>\n This is the standard’s main advantage for the client, and a good reason to check that it really appears in the contract.<\/p>\n A defect that comes to light after the two years is a hidden defect. The original text required it to be reported \u201cimmediately\u201d. The 2026 corrigendum replaces that word with a clear deadline, sixty days from discovery.<\/p>\n Beyond that, the right to claim for a defect is time-barred five years after acceptance. This period rises to ten years for a defect that the contractor intentionally concealed. Under Swiss law, liability for defects in a building therefore runs for five years in principle, not ten as is often assumed by analogy with the French ten-year guarantee.<\/p>\n On 20 December 2024, Parliament adopted a revision of the law on construction defects, which came into force on 1 January 2026. It applies to contracts concluded since that date and changes three things for the project owner.<\/p>\n SIA 118 remains compatible with this new law, because its two years of free notification go further than the sixty days set by the law. The SIA 118-C1 corrigendum aligns the only point that was a problem, hidden defects.<\/p>\n The deadlines protect the right to make a claim. The securities protect the ability to obtain a repair if the contractor does not perform, or if it disappears in the meantime.<\/p>\n During the works, SIA 118 provides for a retention on the instalments paid to the contractor. After acceptance, the guarantee for defects usually takes the form of a joint and several surety from a bank or an insurer, covering the two-year guarantee period. If a defect is not remedied, the project owner can turn to the guarantor.<\/p>\n The amount and duration of this security are negotiable. They must be set out in black and white in the contract, together with the name of the institution acting as guarantor. The warranties of a general contractor in Geneva<\/a> are settled at the quotation stage. At acceptance, it is too late to negotiate them.<\/p>\n The Swiss Civil Code gives craftsmen and contractors who have worked on a property the right to register a statutory lien on it. This right also belongs to subcontractors, even though they have no contract with the project owner. The registration must take place no later than four months after their work has been completed.<\/p>\n The feared scenario is well known. The project owner has paid the general contractor down to the last franc, the general contractor has not paid a subcontractor, and the subcontractor has a lien registered on the building. The owner may then have to pay twice for the same work. Since 2026, the owner can avoid final registration by providing sufficient security, including ten years of default interest. The best safeguard remains a contract that ties payments to proof that subcontractors have been paid.<\/p>\n A well-drafted contract comes down to a few clauses that any project owner can check personally. Before signing, check the following points:<\/p>\n No building project is free of defects. A contract that ticks these boxes decides who fixes them, within what time and at whose cost. This is also the moment to set the schedule, in line with the project planning and administrative procedures<\/a>, so that the acceptance date does not fall at random.<\/p>\nAcceptance of the works under SIA 118<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nThe joint inspection and the acceptance report<\/h3>\n
The reservations to have recorded at acceptance<\/h3>\n
The SIA 118 deadlines for reporting a construction defect<\/h2>\n
The two-year guarantee period<\/h3>\n
Hidden defects and the limitation period<\/h3>\n
What the revision of the Code of Obligations changes for construction defects<\/h2>\n
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The financial guarantees in a general contractor agreement<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nRetention or bank guarantee<\/h3>\n
The subcontractors’ statutory lien, an often overlooked risk<\/h3>\n
The points to check before signing a general contractor agreement<\/h2>\n
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