What is the final account?
The final account is the account at the end of the build. It puts two things side by side: on one side, everything that was built and agreed; on the other, everything that was paid. The difference is the balance. It can be in the builder's favour, when they are still owed money. It can also be in your favour, if you paid more than what was done.
The agreed total is simple to work out. You start from the signed quote. You add the extras accepted in writing. You take off the work that was in the quote but finally dropped. Then you deduct everything you have already paid: the start-up advance and every payment request settled along the way.
When you build from abroad, this last account often arrives as a WhatsApp message with a single figure. The final account replaces that figure with a calculation everyone can check, line by line.
The documents to gather before you count
A final account is not done from memory. Before discussing any amount, gather these papers in one folder, on paper or on your phone.
- The signed quote, with its quantities and unit prices. It is the basis of the whole calculation. How to read a building quote.
- The extras accepted in writing: a message, an amendment or a signed additional quote, with its amount. Keeping extras under a clear framework.
- Every payment, with its proof: bank transfer receipt, money transfer receipt, signed receipt for cash handed over. Without forgetting the start-up advance.
- The payment requests (valuations), that is each request for payment from the builder, with what it declared as done. Understanding a payment request.
- The visit reports with photos, dated, showing what was really built at each stage. See a sample report.
If a document is missing, write it down: a payment without proof or an extra without anything in writing will probably be where a disagreement starts. Better to know before the discussion.
The handover and the snag list
Before the last payment comes the handover. It is the moment when you, or the person representing you, walk round the house with the builder to see what is finished. That day, you note everything that is not right yet: a door that rubs, a crack in the render, a socket that does not work, a shower where water stands.
This list is the snag list (in French, the liste des réserves). Each snag must be precise: where, what, and what is expected. One photo per snag helps a lot. The list is dated and signed by both sides, with a deadline to put the defects right.
The principle is simple: as long as the snags are not cleared, the build is not finished. The contract may provide that part of the balance waits until the snags are cleared. If nothing is written, talk about it with your builder before the handover, not after.
From abroad, this is the moment when it is hardest to be there. A relative can represent you, but they need to know what to look at and dare to write down every defect, even in front of the builder.
Retention: what it is, when it is released
Some contracts provide for a retention. Part of the payments is set aside. It is only paid to the builder after a set period, to cover defects that appear after the handover.
The amount follows the percentage set in the contract, and so does the release date. Read your contract or signed quote again to find these two pieces of information. If your contract does not mention it, ask your builder what was planned and keep the answer in writing.
In the final account, the retention has its own line. It is owed to the builder, but later. When the day comes, its release rests on a simple finding: the snags are cleared, and any defects that appeared since the handover have been put right.
Example: a final account, line by line
Example. A family is having a villa built. The figures below are made up to show the method: they are not reference prices.
| Line | Amount (FCFA) |
|---|---|
| Signed quote | 30,000,000 |
| + Extras accepted in writing (boundary wall raised, four more sockets) | + 1,200,000 |
| − Work removed (living room false ceiling dropped) | − 700,000 |
| = Agreed total | 30,500,000 |
| − Total already paid (start-up advance and three payment requests) | − 27,400,000 |
| = Balance of the final account | 3,100,000 |
In this example, the balance is 3,100,000 FCFA in the builder's favour. If the contract provides for a retention, part of this balance is held until the agreed date. The rest is due once the snags are cleared.
This calculation only holds if every line is proven: two written agreements for the extras, four receipts for the sums paid. If the builder also claims 500,000 FCFA for a canopy never accepted in writing, that line is discussed separately, outside the agreed total.
Common disagreements, and how to settle them with facts
An extra never accepted in writing
The builder says you agreed on the phone. You do not remember, or not at that price. First check two things: is the work really done, and was it not already included in the quote? Then look for a trace: a message, a voice note, a photo sent with a price. If there is nothing, the discussion is about the real value of the work, worked out with the quote's unit prices, not about the figure announced.
Quantities invoiced but not built
For instance, the quote planned 180 m² of tiles and the house has 150. Or the boundary wall was to be 60 metres long and it measures 52. This kind of gap does not show on a photo: it is measured on site. If your quote is based on measured quantities, the final account follows the quantities actually built. If it is a lump sum, whatever was dropped must be taken off clearly.
An advance never deducted
You paid a start-up advance. It was meant to be deducted over the payment requests, or at the end of the build. If no payment request deducted it, it vanishes from the account and ends up being paid twice. Put all your proofs of payment against the agreed total: the advance must appear there.
In each case, the method is the same: you put the quote, the written agreements, the receipts and the photos on the table. A disagreement based on documents is settled much faster. A disagreement based on each person's word can drag on for months.
The checklist before the last payment
Before you hand over the last amount, check that you can answer yes to each point.
- The signed quote, the written extras and the removed work are gathered and added up.
- Every payment, including the advance, has its proof and appears in the total paid.
- Every line of the account matches work seen on site, with photos.
- The handover has taken place, and the snag list is written, dated and signed.
- The snags are cleared, or the amount held until they are cleared is agreed in writing.
- The retention, if the contract provides for one, is on its own line with its release date.
- The keys, the equipment warranties and the documents set out in the contract have been handed to you.
- The final account is signed by you and by the builder.
This last point matters more than anything: a final account signed by both sides closes the build, and it is the reference if a new invoice turns up later.
If every payment was checked during the build, the final account goes quickly: the figures are already right. That is the whole point of paying for your build in instalments, with site monitoring that checks every payment request on site.
Frequently asked questions
Who prepares the final account?
Usually, the builder presents their account and you check it. You can also prepare your own with your own documents, then compare the two. A client-side quantity surveyor or a project manager can do it for you.
What if the balance is in my favour?
It happens when work that was paid for was finally removed, or when payment requests were settled ahead of the work on site. The final account shows it in black and white. You can then agree with the builder, in writing, on a refund or on work to be done for that amount.
Can I hold back part of the last payment until the snags are cleared?
It depends on what your contract says. The safest way is to agree in writing, on the day of the handover, the amount that waits until the snags are cleared and the deadline to put the defects right.
Do I need to be in Senegal for the handover?
No, if someone represents you on site. That person must know construction, note every defect with a photo and depend neither on the builder nor on the family. You receive the list and the photos, then you sign.
How much does preparing the final account with SEETLU cost?
The final account is part of the project manager and client-side quantity surveyor service, from 350,000 FCFA a month, minimum 3 months. For a final account on its own, on a build that is almost finished, the price is on quotation, after reading your documents.
Close your build on figures everyone signs
A SEETLU project manager prepares the final account with you. They gather the quote, the written extras and your proofs of payment, see the work on site and draw up the snag list. They give you the amount justified by the work seen on site, in an account that you and your builder can check line by line, then sign.
You pay your builder directly: your money never goes through SEETLU. We do not build and we do not hire the workers. Your builder builds; SEETLU represents you.
Project manager and client-side quantity surveyor: from 350,000 FCFA a month, minimum 3 months, final account included. For a final account on its own, at the end of the build: on quotation.
Read also: the project manager · the quantity surveyor · having a quote checked · all the guides
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