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Taking-Over Certificate meaning

What does Taking-Over Certificate mean?
In fidic construction contracts, a Taking-Over Certificate records that the employer has taken over the Works (or a defined Section) and the date this occurred. Under the FIDIC Red Book and Yellow Book it is issued by the engineer; under the FIDIC Silver Book (EPC/Turnkey) it is issued by the Employer (or its representative). It confirms that the Works are complete to the contractual standard, usually after passing Tests on Completion, save for minor outstanding items. This is a contractual mechanism defined in the FIDIC forms, not in legislation or case law, and is used consistently across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland where FIDIC is adopted. Key effects commonly include: starting the Defects Notification Period; ending delay liquidated damages; transferring care of the Works to the Employer; triggering payment milestones and any agreed release of retention or performance security; and enabling sectional completion where applicable. Some editions provide for deemed taking-over if the Employer uses the Works or the certifier fails to act within the stated period. Functionally, it is broadly analogous to a JCT certificate of practical completion or an NEC completion certificate, though the precise triggers and consequences depend on the FIDIC edition and the parties’ amendments.
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View the related Checklists about Taking-Over Certificate

CHECKLISTS
Buying or leasing from an administrative receiver: title, appointment and HM Land Registry requirements (England and Wales)

When taking a lease or a transfer from an administrative receiver, the title deeds should include the original debenture, or a certified copy, under which the receiver was appointed a certificate from the chargee (or their conveyancer) confirming the power of appointment under the debenture has arisen the original deed appointing the receiver, or a certified copy a certified copy of the receiver’s notice accepting the appointment (the original is retained by the chargee) HM Land Registry will need all of the above to register the lease or transfer. Although the debenture is usually noted against the property title, HM Land Registry will also verify that it: has been registered at Companies House has been duly executed contains provisions permitting the receiver’s appointment and the proposed disposition Checking the appointment An administrative receiver cannot be appointed under a debenture or charge dated after 15 September 2003, unless the security falls within one...

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CHECKLISTS
England and Wales real estate finance: pre- and post-completion property security checklists for funder's and borrower's solicitors

Pre-completion Checklist for funder's solicitor Checklist for borrower's solicitor Title information Where the borrower’s solicitor is issuing a certificate or report on title, verify they have supplied a signed engrossment of it, with all plans and annexures, to be held to their order until completion day. Confirm the borrower’s solicitor has incepted any required defective title or chancel repair insurance and that the premium is paid before completion. The certificate/report on title must also set out the title insurance policy particulars. Obtain confirmation from the valuer that the valuation stands unchanged in light of the certificate/report. Deliver to the funder a signed, dated summary report covering the title position. Provide the funder with any construction, planning and/or environmental reports prepared as part of the transaction. Make sure all HM Land Registry forms are approved and, where the application will be sent off by the funder’s solicitor, that signed forms have been received. Ensure all third party notices are approved...

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CHECKLISTS
Buyer's Checklist for Acquiring Registered Freehold or Leasehold Commercial Property, Vacant Possession or Investment: Due Diligence to Post-Completion (England and Wales)

This Checklist is intended for situations where you act for the buyer acquiring a registered freehold or leasehold commercial property, whether with vacant possession or already let under one or more leases. It is not comprehensive and cannot anticipate every scenario in every deal. You should always assess if any further points require attention. It is assumed that: the property is not subject to any residential tenancies; and the seller is solvent This Checklist covers these principal areas: Preliminary matters Is the buyer using finance to acquire the property? Before exchange of contracts Are you ready to exchange? Exchange of contracts Post exchange steps Between exchange and completion Are you ready to complete? Completion Post completion Preliminary matters See also Practice Note: Transferring commercial property—a practical guide — Preliminary matters. Are the buyer’s instructions and intended use for the property clear? Strong due diligence and effective...

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NEWS
UK Dispute Resolution: Form N215 Update, Court Expansion, Estoppel on Defective Security, Commercial Court Loss Quantification, Costs Orders Including BHP, Scottish Horizon, and Consultations for 29 January 2026

In this issue: Key DR developments Claims and remedies Cost and funding Case management Scottish Dispute Resolution New content Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments Court information HMCTS updates Form N215 certificate of service HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has issued a revised English Form N215 Certificate of Service for civil proceedings, which also brings in a new statement of truth. While the layout has been updated, the details required remain unchanged, with extra notes added to assist with completing the form. For further detail, see: HMCTS updates Form N215 certificate of service—LNB News 27/01/2026 36. Additional permanent courtrooms to boost capacity The government will make four former Nightingale Courts in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester permanent, creating 11 additional courtrooms across England and Wales to increase capacity for criminal, family and civil work and help cut delays. For further detail, see:...

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NEWS
UK Public Law update: Supreme Court on Equality Act ‘sex’ and clinician anonymity; judicial review timing; procurement, FOI and ICO guidance; immigration and SEND funding; state aid and customs updates

In this issue Equality and human rights Constitutional and administrative law Judicial review Public procurement Subsidy control and State aid Post-Brexit transition guidance Information law Other Public Law news Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information No Weekly Highlights on 24 April 2025 Equality and human rights Supreme Court rules that the EqA 2010 terms ‘man’, ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ denote biological sex (For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers). In For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, the UK Supreme Court unanimously concluded that these terms identify biological sex rather than ‘certificated sex’. The court determined that those holding a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) are not included within the EqA 2010 definition of their acquired gender. The ruling confirms that trans people remain safeguarded by the Act’s gender reassignment provisions and may pursue sex discrimination claims where...

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NEWS
England and Wales property disputes weekly: BSA 2022 cladding/service charges, trust writing formalities, insolvency possession, nuisance, client money penalties, social housing hazards, Welsh rent standard (2 October 2025)

In this issue: Enforcing security and property insolvency Service charges Disputes and remedies Repairing obligations and dilapidations Residential tenancies Rent and rates Contractual issues Additional Property Disputes updates LexTalk®Property Disputes: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Latest Q&As Enforcing security and property insolvency Applications for possession and sale of the family home in bankruptcy (Armstrong v Temblett) The matter involved an application by Mr Armstrong, acting as trustee in bankruptcy (the trustee), seeking an order for possession and sale of Mrs Vanessa Temblett’s London property, jointly owned with her husband (the London property). The court determined that, under section 335A of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986), the trustee was entitled to possession and sale, as no exceptional circumstances were identified to rebut the statutory presumption that creditors’ interests prevail over other factors. The judgment highlights the need for practitioners...

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View the related Practice Notes about Taking-Over Certificate

PRACTICE NOTES
England: Leaseholder deed of certificate under the Building Safety Act 2022—requests, deadlines, form, execution, evidence, service and qualifying lease presumption

This ‘how to’ guide considers how to serve a leaseholder deed of certificate (LDC) under the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022) The service charge protections in Schedule 8 apply solely to ‘qualifying leases’ under BSA 2022, section 119(2) (subject to one exception). An LDC verifies whether the lease meets section 119(2)(d). This ‘how to’ guide outlines the LDC’s format and service, the supporting evidence required, and any relevant deadlines. Under section 119(2) of the BSA 2022, a lease is ‘qualifying’ only if conditions (a) to (d) are all satisfied. Conditions (a) to (c) are relatively clear: broadly, it must be a long lease (over 21 years) of a dwelling, the tenant must be liable for a service charge, and the lease must have been granted before 14 February 2022 — see Practice Note: Building Safety Act 2022—landlord and tenant issues — Remediation of historic defects—definitions. Condition (d) of section 119(2) is met if, as at 14 February 2022, the: dwelling was the relevant tenant’s (i.e....

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PRACTICE NOTES
Perfection and priority of land security: Companies House, HM Land Registry and Land Charges—creation, registration and protection (England and Wales)

Scope of this note Once security has been properly constituted, it is effective as between the security provider and the secured party. It is not, however, automatically binding on third parties such as a liquidator or an administrator of the security provider. In many situations, additional steps must be taken to perfect the security. Perfection is the process by which security is made enforceable against certain third parties (though not necessarily all). The term is sometimes used more widely to cover measures that improve or safeguard a creditor’s position, eg by securing a legal interest or ensuring the priority of its security. For information on the third parties that may not be bound by security that has been perfected, see The difference between perfection and priority below...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK tax reliefs for sukuk al ijara sale and leaseback of land under FA 2009 Schedule 61: SDLT, CGT and capital allowances—structure, conditions and anti-avoidance

Sukuk (singular form: ‘sakk’) Sukuk are Shari’a-compliant financing instruments, commonly described as Islamic certificates or bonds. For further detail, see Practice Notes: The structure and elements of a Sukuk transaction and Sukuk—investment bond arrangements and their UK direct tax treatment—What are sukuk? Where the statutory requirements are satisfied, sukuk can access the UK tax regime that applies to alternative finance investment bond (AFIB) arrangements. For guidance on those provisions, see Practice Note: Sukuk—investment bond arrangements and their UK direct tax treatment. A distinct variant is sukuk al ijara. In such structures, the bond-issuer (the legislative term for the sukuk issuer) typically holds land on trust for the certificate holders (the sukuk investors). The issuer secures a land interest through a sale and leaseback—the ijara element. For more detail, see Practice Notes: The structure and elements of a Sukuk transaction and Islamic finance standard documentation in the context of real estate finance transactions. The UK has issued sukuk al ijaras over land, most recently in March 2021. Since a sukuk...

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PRECEDENTS
SAYE Share Option Exercise Form and Savings Account Authorisation (partial exercise, share registration and certificate instructions)

[ INSERT NAME OF COMPANY ] SAYE share option scheme (the Scheme) Notice of exercise of option To: the [ Secretary OR Administrator ] Of: [ insert address ] I confirm I hold an SAYE option over ordinary shares of [ insert nominal value of shares ] in [ insert name of company whose shares are under option ] (the ‘Company’), awarded to me under the Scheme, with the following particulars: Date of grant: Number of shares: Exercise price: Savings period start date: Unique SAYE account number: I seek to exercise this option in respect of either: All the shares The following number of shares Tick here: or Insert number here: and I: hereby authorise [ insert name of bank/building society/authorised savings ...

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View the related Q&As about Taking-Over Certificate

Q&As
1996 extension over sewer: Thames Water build-over consent?

Given the timescales, the matters at hand give rise to questions requiring careful evaluation of factual circumstances and professional judgement. The grant of planning permission and the issue of a building regulations completion certificate confirm that the requisite approvals were secured in 1996, after due consultation with the relevant authorities, at which point the siting of the sewer would have been taken into account...

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Q&As
Solely, mainly or last employed: agricultural occupancy LDC?

Section 171B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Under this provision, a failure to comply with a planning condition becomes immune from enforcement once ten years have elapsed from the date the breach first arose. Thereafter, the continuing lawfulness of that breach can be demonstrated by applying for a Certificate of Lawfulness. Whether an agricultural occupancy condition has been contravened depends on the particular facts and the exact wording of the condition. Although we have not located case law squarely on whether ownership of a farming enterprise constitutes being employed in agriculture, related authorities show the courts have taken a broad, liberal view of agricultural occupancy conditions when concluding that no breach has occurred...

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