Post-intervention file (DIU) when selling in Belgium

What is the DIU for?

FPS Employment describes it as a file that “contains the information relevant to safety and health” during later works, a bit like an instruction manual for the building. It helps the electrician, plumber or roofer who will work there in ten years’ time: where the cables and pipes run, which materials were installed, which plans exist.

Notaire.be gives examples of content: invoices, the architect’s plans, plans of the electrical installation. Another article from the notaries cites a description of the works carried out (plan, materials) and a sketch of the wiring and pipework for a new kitchen. The notaries also advise photographing technical elements that will later be hidden, such as wiring.

Who draws up the DIU?

The notaries sum it up as follows:

• a safety coordinator draws it up when several professional contractors work on the site;
• the client (maître de l’ouvrage, the owner) draws it up when they carry out the works themselves or with a single contractor.

For a renovation with a single contractor, it is therefore up to you, the owner, to keep the file, or to make sure the contractor gives you the relevant items.

An obligation since 2001

The notaries point out that, since 2001, almost all works carried out in a building must give rise to a DIU. The owner must keep a description of each piece of work carried out since then. The file must be completed after each maintenance, repair or renovation job: the notary writes that it is “essential and compulsory to keep it up to date”. The legal framework is the royal decree of 25 January 2001, article 48 of which provides that the previous owner passes the file on to the new owner at the time of sale.

On sale: handover and statement in the deed

When you sell:

1. you must hand the DIU over to the buyer when the notarial deed (acte authentique) is signed;
2. the notary states this handover in the deed (“this handover is notified in the deed of sale”, according to FPS Employment);
3. the compromis may also include a statement on the works carried out since 2001: have your notary review the wording.

If you have no file, do not invent one. Gather what you have (invoices, plans, photos) and tell the notary. They will find the appropriate wording, for example a statement on the works carried out and the documents available.

Off-plan sale or new property

When the deed is signed before the works are finished, the file does not yet exist. The notaries deal with this through an undertaking clause: the file is handed over as soon as the works are provisionally accepted, or failing that, accepted. The royal decree of 22 March 2006 gave this practice a regulatory basis. See also buying off plan.

Co-ownership

In co-ownership, FPS Employment states that the file must be split between common parts and private parts. Entrusting it to the syndic is an option, not an obligation. These rules apply to files handed over after 30 April 2006. See co-ownership and syndic.

What to do in practice before selling

• List the works carried out since 2001 (or since your purchase): roof, electricity, heating, kitchen, bathroom, extension.
• Find the invoices, plans and photos, and file them in a single folder.
• Ask the contractor for the technical documentation of recent works.
• If the electrical installation has been inspected, add the report: see the electrical inspection.
• Mention the DIU to your notary at the very first meeting.

For the overall picture, see the steps to sell your house.

Which professional to consult

The notary tells you what must be handed over and how to state it in the deed. A safety coordinator or an architect can help put together a file for major works. For a co-ownership, the syndic knows whether a file exists for the common parts.