Construction Law in Hannover. From the site to acceptance.

The relationship between employer and designer carries considerable potential for conflict: over the scope of services owed, over fees, and over design or supervision errors. We create clarity before the first spade goes into the ground.

• Architect, lead designer and engineering contracts with a clear delineation of the services owed
• Fee disputes under the HOAI and the pursuit of claims for additional services
• Defending and pursuing claims for design or construction supervision errors
• Acting beyond authority on site and the unauthorised placing of orders
• Questions of professional indemnity cover, together with our practice area Insurance Law

A construction project succeeds where conflicts are resolved before they block progress. We support the project management in day-to-day operations and keep the site able to function.

• Negotiation of contracts with main contractors and subcontractors and the enforcement of claims under them
• Variation management on both sides, meaning resisting unjustified cost increases and pursuing justified ones
• Recording delays, notices of disruption and disturbed sequences as the basis for liquidated damages, additional costs or damages
• Acceptance, reservations and the shift in the burden of proof
• Where a project partner faces insolvency we secure materials and progress together with Insolvency Law

For a project, public planning law is above all a scheduling risk. Every month of delay costs interest, and a neighbour objection can push back the start of works even though the permit has been granted. We make that risk visible early and secure it contractually.

• Assessment of whether a permit is achievable before acquisition, and reflecting the outcome in the purchase agreement through withdrawal rights or a price adjustment
• Securing individual questions through a preliminary or partial permit before the main application
• Consequences of building before the permit becomes final, aligned with the requirements of the financing bank
• Allocation of permit risk in the building contract and the architect contract, in particular for construction time and disruption
• The planning law assessment itself, from land-use planning to neighbour protection, is handled by our practice area Administrative Law

Where a dispute over defects, payment or a termination cannot be avoided, the way the facts are worked up from day one decides the outcome. Construction cases are long and technical, so we start with the evidence.

• Independent evidence proceedings to secure evidence of defects in a form that holds up in court
• Actions before the regional and higher regional courts to recover payment or enforce liability for defects
• Arbitration and mediation as a faster and confidential alternative
• Limitation of claims for defects and the means of suspending it
• Working with experts, from their selection to challenging the report