Condition report
A condition report (tilstandsrapport) is a thorough description of the technical condition of a home and its maintenance needs. The report is written by a certified building surveyor and lists deviations from building regulations and from the condition you would normally expect given wear and age. Since 01/01/2022, a seller of a previously owned home must as a general rule present such a report in order to limit liability for faults and defects under avhendingslova (the Norwegian act on the sale of real property). The report is required reading for both seller and buyer in almost all residential transactions in Norway.
The report follows Norwegian Standard NS 3940 for areas and NS 3600 for the condition analysis itself, supplemented by the regulations under avhendingslova, which set out the minimum the report must cover, broken down by building parts and systems. Findings are marked with condition grades:
- TG0: no deviations.
- TG1: minor deviations that do not require immediate action.
- TG2: significant deviations that should be followed up, and that can trigger a price reduction.
- TG3: large or serious deviations that should be put right immediately.
- TGiU: not examined without further intervention.
The assessment is mainly visual and covers bathrooms and wet rooms, the kitchen, the roof and attic, drainage, façades, windows and load-bearing structures. It can also include moisture measurement, drilling test holes in bathrooms and leak testing of floor drains. The building surveyor must be certified by DNV or Norsk takst, must act independently of the client, and under the industry standard cannot personally put right deviations that they have identified.
The 2022 reform of avhendingslova tightened the relationship between buyer and seller. "As is" clauses are no longer valid in consumer sales under avhendingslova § 3-9. Matters that clearly appear in the report cannot later be claimed as a defect by the buyer (the knowledge rule in § 3-10), while the seller correspondingly carries less risk under the duty to disclose information. This means that TG2 and TG3 remarks are commercially central: they both reduce the price of the home and remove the buyer's right to claim on exactly those points.
A condition report is not the same as an e-takst: the e-takst values the home and uses UFA as its main measure, while the condition report describes the physical state and documents the areas in line with NS 3940. Different rules apply to commercial property. Commercial sales are as a general rule outside the consumer protection rules in avhendingslova, and the condition report is often replaced by a more comprehensive technical due diligence report.
In Placepoint, area figures from the matrikkel and valuation information are shown where available, in the property panel. The condition report itself is obtained from the estate agent or the seller.
How this looks in Placepoint
In Placepoint you find this in Property panel:
From Placepoint's glossary: Condition report
More information: Lovdata: Avhendingslova, Lovdata: Regulations under avhendingslova, Standard Norge: NS 3600, Norsk takst: Tilstandsrapport, Store norske leksikon: tilstandsrapport
English: Condition report (per Norwegian Standard NS 3600).
Frequently asked questions
What is a condition report?
A condition report is a thorough technical description of the condition of a home. It is carried out by a building surveyor and describes deviations from regulations and from normal expectations of the state of the home.
When is a condition report required?
The condition report is required when selling a previously owned home under avhendingslova (amended from 2022). The seller is responsible for ordering it, and it is harder to limit liability without such a report.
Who carries out a condition report?
A condition report is carried out by a building surveyor with approved certification under the industry standard. The regulations under avhendingslova set out the minimum the report must cover, organised by building part and system.
What is the difference between a condition report and e-takst?
E-takst is a valuation made by an authorised estate agent. The condition report is a technical report on the condition of the building, carried out by a building surveyor. Both are used in a sale, but they measure different things.
What does the buyer get out of the condition report?
The condition report gives you detailed knowledge of the technical state of the home, its deviations and any repair needs. That gives you a basis for price negotiations and reduces the risk of disputes after the purchase.