Working aid
LPh 8 duties checklist: 16 basic services, four phases, one piece of evidence per duty
What the German fee ordinance HOAI requires in service phase 8 fits on half a page of Annex 10. What has to be provable when a dispute arises years later is written nowhere — this checklist closes that gap.
A working aid by Open Experience GmbH. Last updated: September 2026
What is the LPh 8 duties checklist?
The LPh 8 duties checklist maps the sixteen basic services of service phase 8 under the German HOAI (Annex 10.1, letters a to p) onto the four phases of a construction project — start of construction, ongoing execution, acceptance and the period after it. For every duty it names the concrete action, the evidence that must exist for it, and the rhythm in which the line falls due again. It is written for site supervisors, construction managers and client representatives who must not only perform their service but prove it in a dispute.
Legal framework: Germany (Civil Code BGB, construction contract rules VOB/B, fee schedule HOAI). Other countries have different rules, and contractual agreements take precedence over the standard periods named here.
Download the checklist
As a PDF to print and tick off, as a Word file to adapt to your own office. Content and structure are the same as on this page.
The checklist reflects German law (HOAI, VOB/B, BGB). In other jurisdictions it is a structuring aid, not a list of legal duties.
How to work with the checklist
- Set it up once per projectEnter project, service phase and responsible person in the header. It is deliberately blank — a sample entry would add nothing here.
- The evidence column is the coreIt is not the tick that counts but the document behind it. Where the evidence is missing, the duty has not been performed in a dispute — no matter how often you were on site.
- Keep the rhythm"per working day", "per inspection", "once": the last column tells you when a line falls due again. Ticked once rarely means done.
- Strike out instead of leaving blankNot every basic service arises in every project — letter b (structures with low planning requirements) and l (public-law acceptances) depend on the building. A struck-out line is a decision, an empty one an omission.
A tick without evidence is a claim. Evidence without a tick is still evidence.
Phase 1 — at the start of construction
One-off decisions that carry every later line. What is missing here cannot be made up later.
| Duty (HOAI Annex 10.1) | What to do | Evidence | Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| a — Supervise execution | Compile the basis for checking: permit with conditions, construction contracts, approved execution documents per trade, applicable regulations and recognised rules of technology | Drawing register with revision index and approval date; list of permit conditions | once, updated with every drawing revision |
| b — Structures with low planning requirements | Clarify which components of the structural analysis the site supervision itself checks for conformity | Note of the components concerned; structural analysis on file | once |
| c — Coordinate those involved | Set up the list of parties: client, specialist planners, contractors, authorities — with responsibility, deputy and contact details | List of parties with date; distribution list | once, maintained continuously |
| d — Draw up the schedule | Draw up the schedule as a bar chart with milestones and dependencies between trades | Schedule with date and revision index | once |
| e — Set up the site diary | Define the documentation routine: who records what, with which tool, by when; define the daily report type and distribution list | Minutes of the kick-off meeting recording the decision | once |
| o — Prepare limitation periods | Record per contract: contractual basis (VOB/B or BGB), agreed limitation period, securities | List of limitation periods per trade, without start date for now | once, completed at acceptance |
Phase 2 — ongoing execution
The phase in which the evidence is created — or missing for good. Trades that require intensive supervision have their own lines, because case law demands more there than spot checks.
| Duty (HOAI Annex 10.1) | What to do | Evidence | Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| a — Supervise execution | Inspections according to criticality: simple work by spot check, damage-prone work closely, up to being present | Inspection record per visit: date, location, finding, photo | per inspection |
| a — Waterproofing (basement, roof, wet rooms) | Check connections, penetrations and layer build-up before they are covered | Photos with date and location reference before closing | per section, before covering |
| a — Reinforcement | Release position, diameter, spacing and concrete cover before concreting | Release photo and release note per concreting section | per concreting section |
| a — Thermal insulation | Check build-up, joints, connections and vapour barrier | Photo documentation per component; delivery notes of the insulation materials | per component, before closing |
| a — Screed | Check build-up height, edge strips, movement joints and readiness for covering | Residual moisture measurement record; release before flooring works | per construction section |
| a — Building services pipework | Check routes, gradients and tightness before shafts and stud walls are closed | Tightness test records; route photos before closing | per run, before closing |
| b — Structures with low planning requirements | Compare execution of the components concerned with the structural analysis | Check note with photo per component | per component |
| c — Coordinate those involved | Hold site meetings, issue orders and instructions in writing, clarify interfaces between trades | Meeting minutes with distribution list; orders with date and addressee | per meeting, per order |
| d — Update the schedule | Run the target-actual comparison, incorporate disruptions and hindrances, notify delay | Updated schedule with revision index; notices of hindrance under § 6 VOB/B | weekly, at every disruption |
| e — Keep the site diary | Per working day: weather, firms present with headcount, work performed, deliveries, hindrances, orders, special occurrences | Daily report with timestamp — written promptly, not reconstructed | per working day |
| f — Joint measurement | Measure work jointly with the contractor before it is covered | Measurement sheet, signed by both parties, dated | per section of work, before covering |
| g — Check invoices | Check interim invoices technically and arithmetically, reconcile with measurements | Check note on the invoice with date and reason for every deduction | per invoice |
| h — Compare check result with contract sum | Set checked sums against contract sum and change orders | Contract overview per trade with change-order status | per invoice |
| i — Control costs | Check the account of work against contract prices, report deviations | Cost status with date and source | monthly |
| k — Identify defects | Identify defects, document them with photo and location, notify the responsible party with a deadline, supervise rectification (§ 4 (7) VOB/B) | Defect with photo, location, responsible party and deadline; proof of receipt of the notice; clearance report | continuously, per defect |
| m — Compile the documentation | File evidence continuously: test certificates, records, as-built drawings, photo documentation | Ordered project file with index | continuously |
Phase 3 — acceptance
The date on which burden of proof, risk and time limits change hands. Two lines are regularly forgotten: the reservations and the start of the limitation period.
| Duty (HOAI Annex 10.1) | What to do | Evidence | Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| k — Organise acceptance | Check readiness for acceptance, agree the date with all contracting parties, involve the specialists, give the client a recommendation on acceptance | Request for acceptance; invitation; written acceptance recommendation | per acceptance and partial acceptance |
| k — Identify defects at acceptance | Joint inspection; record every defect individually with location, photo and deadline; list outstanding work separately | Acceptance record with defect list, signed by both parties | per acceptance |
| k — Declare reservations | Expressly reserve known defects and the contractual penalty (§ 12 (4) VOB/B, § 640 BGB) | Reservation in the record, verbatim | per acceptance |
| l — Public-law acceptances | Apply for official acceptances and take part in them (building authority, fire protection, inspection experts) | Applications; acceptance certificates; note of attendance | per acceptance, depending on the building |
| j — Determine costs | Determine costs according to DIN 276 and compare them with the cost calculation | Cost determination with date | once after acceptance |
| o — List limitation periods | Enter acceptance date, start, end and contractual basis of the limitation period per trade | List of limitation periods, handed over to the client | per acceptance |
| m — Complete the documentation | Bring together as-built documents, test and acceptance certificates, maintenance instructions and photo documentation | Handover index with acknowledgement of receipt | once |
| n — Hand over the building | Carry out the handover with keys, briefings and documents | Handover record, signed by both parties | once |
Phase 4 — after acceptance
Four or five years in which the project team has long moved on. What is not on a list expires.
| Duty (HOAI Annex 10.1) | What to do | Evidence | Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| p — Supervise defect rectification | Track the deadlines of acceptance defects, check rectification, document the clearance, set a grace period when a deadline expires | Deadline overview per defect; clearance report with photo; grace-period letter with proof of receipt | until the last defect is cleared |
| o — Monitor limitation periods | Keep the end of the period per trade in view, inspect before expiry, notify new defects in writing (extends the limitation period under § 13 (5) VOB/B) | List of limitation periods with follow-up dates; defect notices with proof of receipt | every six months, at the latest six months before expiry |
| g, h, i — Final invoice | Check the final invoice, compare it with contract sum and change orders, release securities | Check note on the final invoice; release of the security | once |
| m — Close the file | Keep the project file complete and in order — at least until the end of the longest limitation period, longer because of possible secondary liability | Retention note with end date | once |
The five pieces of evidence demanded first in a dispute
Site diary
Continuous, timestamped, not written afterwards — the first thing experts ask for.
Photos before closing
Waterproofing, reinforcement, insulation — what is covered is proven only by the picture.
Defect notice with proof of receipt
A deadline without proof of receipt is no deadline.
Acceptance record with reservations
Without an express reservation, known defects and the contractual penalty are lost.
List of limitation periods
The proof that basic service o was performed — and the insurance against warranty periods quietly running out.
How this happens on the side
Inspection, defect, daily report and photo in one system, with timestamp and location — the file grows while you work.
The checklist as an inspection template in Construction Checklists
In Construction Checklists, the quality assurance application, this list becomes a project inspection plan: one checklist per component, and for every item a result, a photo and a responsible person. Failed items become a defect in Construction Defects with one click, and the record is generated as a PDF — the evidence from the third column files itself.
Frequently asked questions
Why 16 basic services — one often hears of eleven?
In Annex 10.1 the HOAI lists sixteen basic services for service phase 8, letters a to p. Eleven is a common summary in which, for instance, the invoice and cost duties are merged into one item. The checklist follows the legal text so that no duty falls through the cracks.
Does the checklist also apply to civil engineering works or outdoor facilities?
The phase logic and the evidence column carry over, the letters do not: they refer to the scope of services for buildings and interiors (Annex 10). Outdoor facilities, civil engineering works and traffic facilities have their own, similarly structured scopes of services in Annexes 11 to 13.
Does the checklist replace the site diary?
No. The site diary is itself one of the duties (letter e). The checklist says that and how often it must be kept — the evidence is the daily report.
Does the site supervisor have to be on site every day?
No. What is owed is supervision according to criticality: spot checks for routine craftsmanship, presence for damage-prone work. That is why waterproofing, reinforcement, insulation, screed and building services have their own lines in phase 2.
What happens if a basic service is not performed?
The client can reduce the fee. In the event of damage, the proof of proper supervision is also missing — with the risk of joint and several liability alongside the contractor.
May I adapt the file in my office and pass it on?
Yes, that is what the Word version is for. Please keep the source and the date when you pass it on — then the recipient knows what it is based on.
Sources and legal basis
The legal statements in this article are based on the primary sources listed below. The article is not a substitute for legal advice in an individual case.
- HOAI, Annex 10 — no. 10.1, service phase 8: the basic services a to p in the original wording (German)
- § 34 HOAI — scope of services for buildings and interiors (German)
- VOB/B (2016 edition), official text of the BMWSB — § 4 (execution), § 6 (hindrance), § 12 (acceptance), § 13 (defect claims) (German)
- § 640 BGB — acceptance and reservation of known defects (German)
Work through the checklist — with a system instead of a binder.
45 minutes on your project: how the list becomes an inspection plan whose evidence files itself.