Home handover certificate in Peru: what to check before signing "conforme"

What the handover certificate is

When a developer hands over your new apartment or house, it asks you to sign an acta de entrega (handover certificate). It is not a formality. Ley 29571, Peru’s consumer protection code, gives it a legal role. Article 79 says:

“Al momento de la entrega del inmueble, el consumidor tiene el derecho de expresar por escrito su aprobación respecto a las características, condiciones y estado en general del bien que se le entrega. De igual modo, el consumidor puede expresar su desaprobación siempre que esta entrega no corresponda a características y condiciones previstas en el contrato […]”

(At handover, you have the right to state in writing that you approve the features, condition and general state of the property. You may also state your disapproval where what you receive does not match the features and conditions in the contract.)

For a home bought off-plan, the same article says you can reject “desperfectos, deficiencias u otras condiciones que desmejoren el valor del inmueble que se le entrega, o que impidan o limiten su uso” (defects, shortcomings or other conditions that lower its value or prevent or limit its use). If that happens, you can demand “la reparación, la reducción del precio o la resolución o rescisión del contrato” (repair, a price reduction, or termination of the contract).

In short: the certificate is where the law expects you to say, in writing, whether what you got matches what you bought.

Does signing “conforme” waive your right to complain?

Not for what you could not see. Three texts point that way:

• Article 1.3 of Ley 29571: “Es nula la renuncia a los derechos reconocidos por la presente norma, siendo nulo todo pacto en contrario.” (Any waiver of the rights in this law is void, and so is any agreement to the contrary.)
• Article 50, literal g), makes unfair and void any clause “que establezcan la renuncia del consumidor a formular denuncia por infracción a las normas del presente Código” (that makes the consumer waive the right to file a complaint for breaches of the Code).
• Indecopi’s guide to real-estate products: “los errores o defectos pueden ser advertidos al momento de la recepción del inmueble por parte del consumidor, o de manera posterior” (errors or defects may be noticed when the consumer receives the property, or later). It adds that “las obligaciones del proveedor inmobiliario no terminan con la entrega” (the developer’s duties do not end at handover).

The Civil Code says the same from another angle. Article 1503: “El transferente está obligado al saneamiento por los vicios ocultos existentes al momento de la transferencia.” (The seller must answer for hidden defects that existed at the time of transfer.) A hidden defect is, by definition, one you did not see at handover. Your signature does not make it visible.

None of these norms mentions the handover certificate in those words. That a “conforme” signature does not erase your right to claim hidden defects is our reading of them.

What you do lose: evidence about visible defects

Signing “conforme” without looking has a cost. Civil Code article 1504 says:

“No se consideran vicios ocultos los que el adquirente pueda conocer actuando con la diligencia exigible de acuerdo con su aptitud personal y con las circunstancias.”

(Defects the buyer could have spotted with the care expected given their personal ability and the circumstances are not hidden defects.)

A door that does not close, a scratched floor or a dead socket all show up in a normal inspection. If you approved the condition of the home in writing and noted nothing, the company will say you took it that way. Indecopi warns about this in its guide:

“Resulta indispensable que el consumidor deje constancia de las disconformidades verificadas al momento de la entrega del inmueble, a efectos de contar con algún medio probatorio para sustentar un eventual reclamo o denuncia administrativa contra el proveedor.”

(It is essential that the consumer records any problems found at handover, so as to have evidence for a later complaint against the developer.)

What to check before you sign

• Against the contract: floor area, layout, finishes, fittings, and what the advertising showed. Article 79 measures what you receive against the contract.
• Services: hot and cold water, pressure, drains, toilets, sockets, switches, the fuse board, gas, intercom, doorbell.
• Joinery: doors, locks, windows, sliding doors, wardrobes, kitchen units.
• Surfaces: cracks, damp, stains, paint, grout, loose or uneven floors.
• Common areas: Indecopi’s guide expressly includes “las que correspondan a las áreas comunes” (those of the common areas). Check corridors, lift, parking, storage unit and façade.

Go in daylight, take dated photos and video and, if you can, bring someone who knows construction.

What to write in the observations

Write before you sign, on the certificate itself. If the form has no space, use the margins or an annex signed by both sides. If the certificate is in Spanish, write in Spanish.

• One defect per line, with room and location: “cocina: grifo gotea” (kitchen: tap drips), “sala: fisura en muro junto a la ventana” (living room: crack in the wall by the window).
• What you could not test: “no se probó la terma por falta de gas” (water heater not tested, no gas).
• What is missing: keys, remotes, manuals, promised appliances.
• A reservation line: “Mi firma no implica conformidad con lo que no pudo verificarse ni renuncia a reclamar vicios ocultos o defectos que aparezcan después.” (My signature does not mean I accept what could not be checked, nor that I waive claims for hidden defects or defects that appear later.)

That last line does not create a new right. The law already gives it to you. It only puts on record that you did not mean to give it up.

Ask for a copy signed by both sides.

If a defect appears later

There are two different periods. Do not mix them up.

Consumer warranty for structural aspects. Article 80, literal a), of Ley 29571, as amended by Ley 30534, sets warranty periods: for components or materials, “de acuerdo con lo establecido por el proveedor de los mismos” (as set by their supplier); for structural aspects, “como mínimo diez (10) años desde emitido el certificado de finalización de obra y recepción de obra por parte de la municipalidad” (at least ten years from the municipality’s certificate of completion and acceptance of the works).

Civil action for hidden defects. Civil Code article 1514 is short: actions to terminate the sale or cut the price “caducan […] a los seis, de inmuebles. Los plazos se computan desde el momento de la recepción del bien” (expire after six months for real property, counted from receipt of the property). In practice, the date on your handover certificate is the evidence of receipt. We cover this in detail in hidden defects in a property sale.

Against the company that sold to you, article 19 of Ley 29571 is the basis: “El proveedor responde por la idoneidad y calidad de los productos y servicios ofrecidos” (the supplier answers for the fitness and quality of what it offers).

What about the builder?

Civil Code article 1784 is often cited for construction defects:

“Si en el curso de los cinco años desde su aceptación la obra se destruye, total o parcialmente, o bien presenta evidente peligro de ruina o graves defectos por vicio de la construcción, el contratista es responsable ante el comitente o sus herederos, siempre que se le avise por escrito de fecha cierta dentro de los seis meses siguientes al descubrimiento. Todo pacto distinto es nulo.”

(If within five years of acceptance the works collapse, wholly or partly, or show evident danger of ruin or serious construction defects, the contractor is liable to the commissioning party or their heirs, provided it is notified in writing, with a verifiable date, within six months of discovery. Any agreement to the contrary is void.)

Note who it protects: the comitente, the party that commissioned the works from the contractor. If you bought from a developer, the developer was usually the comitente, not you. We did not review whether a buyer can rely on this article directly. Your consumer claim goes against the company that sold to you.

How to complain

The channels (complaints book, Reclama Virtual, the Defensoría del Cliente Inmobiliario, a complaint to Indecopi, and consumer arbitration) and their deadlines are in our guide buying a home in Peru: what to check before you sign. If your contract has clauses that limit your claims, see adhesion contracts and unfair terms.

What this page does not cover

We did not review Indecopi decisions or court rulings on the effect of signing “conforme” on a handover certificate. We do not cover buying from a private individual who does not sell property as a business (the general guide explains that difference), late delivery, a smaller floor area in detail, or subdividing and registering the property.