Tettpå – when you’re going to build or renovate
Here you’ll get help to choose responsible tradespeople and contractors and follow the rules when you’re going to build or renovate a home or holiday home.
When you're building something, you're generally required to submit an application, but some projects are excepted from this requirement. This means that it's up to you to find out what your responsibilities are. It can be difficult to understand the requirements and rules concerning specific building work like new buildings, renovations, reconstruction, extensions and so on. You can ask your municipality whether you're required to submit an application. You can also ask for a preliminary conference.
You’ll find information about what you can build without applying for permission on the Norwegian Building Authority’s website (Norwegian only).
Read more about how to apply and about the building application process on the Norwegian Building Authority’s website (Norwegian only).
The Central Coordinating Register of Legal Entities, the Register of Business Enterprises and the Value Added Tax Register (VAT Register)
To run a business in Norway, you must be registered with the Central Coordinating Register of Legal Entities and/or the Register of Business Enterprises and you must have been issued an organisation number. This is so you can pay taxes and duties, but also so supervisory authorities are able to perform audits and issue licenses. The enterprise must also be registered to be able to pay salary to its employees.
Firms must register in the VAT Register when revenue exceeds NOK 50,000.
The Register of Bankruptcies
Persons that have been disqualified from running a business cannot start a new firm or take on new posts like general manager, chairman of the board, board member or deputy member in the disqualification period.
Tax certificate
You can ask the tradesperson for a tax certificate. The certificate gives you an overview of whether taxes and duties owed to the public sector have been paid, if the contractor's firm is registered in the required registers, the number of employees and other key information. The tradesperson can order the certificate via Altinn and send it to the employer in an e-mail.
Finance
For larger building projects, we recommend checking the contractor's financial situation on proff.no (Norwegian only) or on a similar website. Choosing a firm with good finances will minimise the risk for unfortunate situations happening during the building process.
Check the technical expertise of the contractors you’re considering for your building project. The more thoroughly you check the contractor's qualifications and approvals, the more certain you can be that the firm has the approved expertise in the different building fields. Here are some suggestions for what you can ask for:
Craft or journeyman’s certificate are documents proving a finished education with an apprentice period. Craft certificates differ from journeyman’s certificates because they’re earned by taking other vocational courses than traditional crafts courses. Read more about Norwegian vocational education and training on Vilbli’s websites.
Foreign education can be approved through Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills assesses the scope and level of vocational education and training in comparison to Norwegian vocational education and training.
Mesterregisteret (in Norwegian only) is Norway’s official website listing approved master craftspeople. On the website, you’ll find an overview of all firms with master craftspeople in your municipality.
See also an overview of all certified educations for craftspeople with master titles on Lovdata (in Norwegian only).
Firms must be registered in the electrical enterprise register at the Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) in order to be able to perform electrical installations.
The Norwegian communications authority, Norsk kommunikasjonsmyndighet (Nkom), issues special licenses to firms that have been approved to install fibre, computer networks and cable TV (in Norwegian only).
The one performing the electrical installations must have a craft certificate as an electrician, and the homeowner has an obligation to keep documentation of electrical work.
Velgelektriker.no (in Norwegian only) is a service that makes it easier for you as a consumer to make a conscious choice when you hiring electricians in certain municipalities in Trøndelag, Innlandet, Nordland and Agder.
The Wet Room Council is a multidisciplinary and independent membership organization that promotes better wet rooms through the Construction Industry Wet Room Standard (BVN), in collaboration with SINTEF Community. You can learn more about how and why to use the industry’s wet room standard and search for approved wet room companies on the Wet Room Council's website (in Norwegian only).
A wet room guide for tradespeople (in Norwegian only) has been developed by Byggmesterforbundet, an organisation for professional building firms, in cooperation with Norske Murmestres Landsforening, an organisation for master bricklayers. . The guide is based on the requirements for wet rooms in the applicable technical regulations. Here you can also look up persons who have attended courses and passed their exams.
“Central approval” is a voluntary quality scheme for enterprises in the building sector, administered by the Norwegian Building Authority. Enterprises with central approval have the qualifications, experience and systems that have been adapted to their activity in the building sector. These enterprises can prove that they have
- the right qualifications for the relevant field
- routines for quality assurance
- paid taxes and duties
Check if the tradesperson has central approval (the Norwegian Building Authority)
Choosing an approved in-service training establishment contributes to a viable building sector. In the Norwegian register for in-service training establishments, the Nasjonalt register for lærebedrifter (in Norwegian only), you can check if the contractor is an approved in-service training establishment.
Ask for references, or check online to see if the contractor has good references.
- Does the building firm have the necessary licenses, approvals and certificates?
- Does the building firm’s employees have craft certificates or other necessary expertise?
- Does the building firm have a system for quality assurance or a plan to ensure compliance with the building rules
- Is the building firm a member of a trade organisation?
- How long has the building firm been operational?
HSE card
The employer is responsible for everyone working on a building site having a valid HSE card (the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority). The card is a confirmation that the employees are legally registered and have a working permit. The purpose is to identify who the employee is and who they work for.
Both contractors and sole proprietorships (people who work for themselves) must have HSE cards. Contractors who only offer their service in the private sector also have an obligation to furnish their employees and themselves with HSE cards.
We recommend that you perform random checks to ensure that the tradespeople on your building site have valid HSE cards.
Working at heights
Is part of the assignment working at heights, meaning more than two metres off the ground? If so, you should make sure that the tradespeople use lifts or scaffolding when they work. A ladder is generally only permitted for access, not for work platforms. Choose a contractor that will perform safe and responsible work on your property.
You can read more about working at heights on the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority’s website.
An employer’s responsibility
If you hire a private individual who is not employed anywhere (laid off/unemployed/receiving national insurance benefits) or who does not have a sole proprietorship, you may be considered this person's employer. As an employer, you are, among other things, responsible for HSE at the workplace, and if an accident should happen, you can become liable for any injuries. A safe choice is to engage a contractor with a legal obligation to have an occupational injury insurance. In this way, you avoid taking on the responsibilities of an employer.
You’re entitled to a valid invoice. This is a document that proves the work has been done, and it’s important that you make sure that it includes the right
- invoice number
- firm name
- organisation number followed by the letters "MVA" (value added tax)
- specification of what the payment is about
- number of hours spent on the work, if there is not an agreed set price
- total amount with value added tax (VAT) specified
- place of delivery and delivery date
Joint liability for taxes and duties
If you, the consumer, give an assignment to someone who’s working illegally, you could become responsible for the building firm’s taxes and duties (in Norwegian only). You can avoid joint liability by paying via a bank. Never pay cash. Also, make sure that the bank account number you’re paying to is the same bank account number registered for the firm.
If you pay via a bank, you’ll also be in a better position in the case of a complaint.
Specify the building assignment
It’s important to write a contract for the building assignment. The more specific you are about what the contractor has been hired to do, the easier it’ll be for you to manage any conflict that might arise. Therefore, you should describe what the work entails as best you can, and also describe the desired result.
If you specify the end result, the tradesperson cannot demand extra payment for unforeseen expenses. Examples of what might be included in a contract:
- What should be done and what the result should be
- Deadlines
- Price, included value added tax
- Requirement to have a valid HSE card
- An overview of subcontractors
Own employees or hired labour
At the signing of a contract, you should demand that the contractor keeps you updated on which subcontractors are hired. If the firm’s revenue is high compared to the number of employees, this could be a sign of a high percentage of hired labour or use of temporary-work agencies. All approved temporary-work agencies are registered in the public register of staffing enterprises (the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority) (in Norwegian only).
Liability insurance
Law-abiding contractors should have liability insurance for persons and assets if an accident should happen. If the firm does not have liability insurance, there’s a risk that the business does not have the finances to fix or replace damages or defects that might appear during the building project. As the client, you’re entitled to ask that the building firm prove that they have liability insurance prior to an agreement.
Contract templates
You can read more about buying services from tradespeople on the Norwegian Consumer Council’s website (in Norwegian only).
You can read more about contracts for services from tradespeople on the National Federation of House Owners’ website (in Norwegian only).
It’s always a good idea to keep any documentation for building work for later. You might want to renovate or build an extension, sell your property or end up in a dispute with the contractor. Take photos during the building process - you might need them later. Keeping information about value-adding work and an overview of the project is always useful.
Boligmappa
Boligmappa.no (in Norwegian only) collects information and documentation about all buildings and properties in Norway in one place and is connected to the Property Register. Boligmappa is the property’s digital service pamphlet and transfers from old to new owners. Both the contractor and the owner can put documentation for finished work directly into boligmappa.
The advantages of using law-abiding tradespeople:
- You get jobs done properly.
- You ensure that you have the right to complain about poorly executed work.
- You get documentation of finished work. The property’s value rises and it’ll be safer and easier to sell the property.
- You’ll get a secured loan easier, and you’re in a better position during negotiations of interest terms.
- You’re in a better position during any insurance settlements.
- You avoid joint liability for taxes and duties.
- You reduce the risk of delays and extra expenses during the building project.
- You can rest assured and ensure real value in the entire “building chain”; building applications, loan applications, valuations, selling properties, claims and insurance settlements.
Andre nyttige nettsteder
Handlehvitt.no from "Collaboration against underground economy"
Medbyggerne.no – a collaboration between the public sector, employers and employees and the building and construction sector in Vestfold and Telemark
Why Tettpå?
Most owners of residential and holiday properties want to use law-abiding tradespeople. Finding law-abiding tradespeople can still be challenging. Tettpå wants to help you choose law-abiding labour.
It’s difficult to be completely sure that you do not use contractors that operate illegally, but by following the advice in this guide, you reduce the risk of entering into agreements with them. It’s also important to combat work-related crime and contribute to a healthy and good working environment in your community and in Norway. You decide how you want things to be.
Tettpå is a measure from several public agencies, employers and employees, the construction sector and consumer interest groups.
