How to hire a builder in Moldova without losing your deposit: free contract, estimate and acceptance certificate templates

How to choose a reliable builder: 8 checks before you pay anything

Do all of these checks before the first payment: once you have paid a deposit, you have far less leverage. If you are organising the work from abroad, this matters even more.

1. 1

   Recent work you can verify

   Ask for photos of recent jobs the tradesperson did personally and, if possible, the phone numbers of 2–3 past clients who are willing to tell you how it went, as MeșterulMeu also recommends. Reviews carry more weight when they come with names, dates and photos.

2. 2

   Who will actually do the work

   The portfolio may show the tradesperson’s own work while the job itself is done by their helpers. Ask who will be on site and state in the contract who carries out the work; legally, the contractor remains responsible for it anyway, even when others do it (Civil Code, art. 1334).

3. 3

   A detailed estimate before any payment

   Ask for each job on its own line, with its unit of measure, quantity and unit price. An estimate that is not broken down line by line is a reason for caution (remont.md, 5 June 2026). The section on the estimate below explains how to read one.

4. 4

   Three quotes for the same list of jobs

   Send everyone the same description, with the areas in square metres and photos, and ask for estimates with the same line items. A quote 30–40% below the others that leaves out key jobs is one of the scams MeșterulMeu describes (6 July 2026). Compare the unit prices with our renovation price guide for Chișinău.

5. 5

   Legal status and proof of payment

   Ask whether they are registered (as a company, an ÎI, under a patentă or as an antreprenor independent) and what document they will give you for your payment. An ÎI (întreprindere individuală) is a sole proprietorship, a patentă is an entrepreneur’s patent for certain trades, and antreprenor independent is the freelancer regime. Under Law No. 105/2003 on consumer protection, only a person authorised to carry on business activity counts as a provider (art. 1). Such a provider must give you a cash register receipt (bon de casă) or another paper or electronic document confirming the service (art. 10(f)), and complaints against them can go to ISSPNPC, the consumer protection inspectorate. With an unregistered tradesperson, you have only the contract and the Civil Code. The legal forms open to tradespeople are explained in our guide for tradespeople.

6. 6

   ANRE-authorised electricians: check the list

   ANRE, the National Agency for Energy Regulation, publishes a list of authorised electricians (opens in a new tab) who may work on electrical installations, showing the grade and validity of each authorisation; on 10 March 2026 it contained 151 names for the whole country. The list includes only electricians whose authorisation and electrical safety qualification were valid on that date. Some authorisations have expired since: by 15 October 2026, 25 of the 151 had already lapsed (our own count), so check the validity column too. An authorised electrician confirms in a declaration that the installation they carried out complies with the grid connection approval, the design and the technical standards. If a tradesperson says they are authorised, look up their name on the list. We found no clear rule on which jobs in an apartment require an authorised electrician; if your job involves a grid connection or an increase in power capacity, ask the electricity network operator which documents it requires.

7. 7

   Who buys the materials

   Agree on this in advance and put it in the contract. If the contract says nothing, the Civil Code makes the contractor responsible for supplying the materials (art. 1342). The section on the deposit explains how to pay for them safely.

8. 8

   Deadlines and warranty in writing

   Write down the start date, the stages and the completion date; the Civil Code allows separate deadlines for each part of the work, and they can be changed only if both parties agree (art. 1360). State the warranty in months from final acceptance: a warranty promised only verbally is hard to enforce later.

How much deposit to pay a builder, and how to pay in stages

No law sets the size of the deposit. In fact, the Civil Code’s starting point is payment after acceptance: the client pays the agreed price once they have accepted the work, unless the law or the contract provides for payment in instalments or in some other way (art. 1372(1)). A deposit and stage payments therefore exist only if you put them in the contract.

In practice, MeșterulMeu (opens in a new tab) recommends a deposit of 10–30% and no more, paid only after the contract is signed and only by bank transfer, followed by a payment for each accepted stage, with the last 15–20% paid only at final acceptance (6 July 2026). Remont.md, another Moldovan marketplace, says the deposit should not exceed 30–40% (5 June 2026), and Casa de VIS, a renovation company, asks for 30% on signing as standard.

Separately from any holdback agreed in the contract, the law gives you a right of retention: when you pay, you may withhold enough of the price to cover the defects you recorded as reservations at acceptance, until they are fixed (art. 1372(2)). You lose this right if the contractor gives you sufficient guarantees that they will fulfil their obligations (art. 1372(3)). The 15–20% figure comes from your agreement, not from the law.

The deposit “for materials”

Materials are the usual pretext for a large deposit. You have three options, from safest to riskiest: you pay the shop directly, following the list in the estimate; the tradesperson buys the materials and you repay the cost against the receipts; or you give the tradesperson the money in advance and they bring you the receipts. In the last case, ask for the original receipts and photograph the packaging on site: charging for expensive materials and swapping in cheap ones is another scheme MeșterulMeu describes, and it recommends that, ideally, the deposit be tied to the actual delivery of materials to the site.

If the materials are yours, the contractor must use them with care, keep a record of their use, account to you for them and return whatever is left over (Civil Code, art. 1343). If the provider is a registered business, list in the contract or in a signed inventory the materials you hand over and their value: if they lose or damage them, they must, with your agreement, replace them within 10 days with similar materials of the same quality, or, if none are available, pay you twice their cost plus the expenses you incurred (Law No. 105/2003, art. 31).

How to pay so you have proof

Pay by bank transfer or MIA instant payment (Moldova’s instant payment system), with the payment reference “deposit under contract no. … of …”: the transfer is proof in itself. If you pay in cash, ask for a signed receipt (chitanță) showing the amount, the date and the purpose of the payment. An antreprenor independent who is paid in cash must give you a fiscal receipt, but needs no cash register for payments by transfer (freelancer guide from the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation, 3 February 2026).

Renovation contract template 2026 (contract de antrepriză)

Under the Civil Code of the Republic of Moldova, a contract in which one party undertakes to carry out a piece of work at their own risk, and you undertake to accept it and pay the agreed price, is called a works contract (contract de antrepriză) (art. 1352). The person doing the work is the “contractor” (antreprenor), even if they are a tradesperson without a company; you are the “client”. Do not confuse antreprenor with antreprenor independent, the freelancer regime.

Why put it in writing? Between private individuals, legal transactions worth more than 1,000 MDL (about €50) must be in writing, and with a legal entity, such as an SRL, whatever the amount (art. 321(1)). A verbal contract is not void just because it is not on paper, but if you end up in court, you cannot prove it with witnesses (art. 322). The written form can also be an exchange of letters or documents signed by the sender (art. 321(2)), but the simplest option is still a two-page contract with the estimate attached.

Below are the clauses of a simple contract. The template is for guidance only: it follows the Civil Code but is no substitute for a lawyer’s advice on your situation, and for large jobs it is wise to have a lawyer look at it before you sign. Copy the clauses, fill in the blanks marked “…” and attach the estimate. The template asks for as little personal data as possible: names, phone numbers and an address where each party can receive notices.

Contract clauses (template)

1. Parties. Client: name, phone number, address for notices. Contractor: name or company name, legal form (SRL, ÎI, patentă, antreprenor independent or private individual), IDNO (state identification number) if they have one, phone number, address for notices.
2. Scope of work. “The Contractor will carry out, at their own risk, the works listed in the Estimate (Annex No. 1) at the address …, and the Client will accept them and pay the agreed price. The work will be handed over free of defects, with the qualities described in the Estimate. Works not listed in the Estimate are not included in the price.” (art. 1352, 1354)
3. Price. “The price for the labour is … MDL, as set out in the Estimate.” Also state the type of price: estimated, in which case any increase must be justified (art. 1331), or fixed (a lump sum, preț forfetar), which can go neither up nor down (art. 1333).
4. Materials. “Materials will be bought by … as listed in Annex No. 2.” If you buy them: “The Contractor will use them with care, keep a record of their use, give the Client an account of them at the end and return whatever is left over” (art. 1343). If the contractor buys them: “at the price shown on the receipts, which will be handed over to the Client”.
5. Deadlines. “Work will start on … and finish on …; the stages and their deadlines are set out in Annex No. 3. Deadlines may be changed only by agreement of both parties” (art. 1360). Optional: “For each day of delay beyond the deadlines in Annex No. 3, the Contractor will pay a penalty of …% of the price of the work.” If the provider is a registered business, the law already sets a penalty of 2% of the price of the work for each day of delay in starting or finishing it, and the contract may set a higher one (Law No. 105/2003, art. 42(3)–(4)), so do not set the rate below 2% a day.
6. Payment. “A deposit of …% on signing; stage payments after acceptance of each stage, as set out in Annex No. 3; the final …% after final acceptance. Payments will be made by bank transfer to account no. …; cash payments will be confirmed by a signed receipt.”
7. Changes. “Any additional work or change will be carried out only under an addendum (act adițional) signed by both parties, priced by the same method as the Estimate” (art. 316(5), art. 1344(3)). “If the Estimate needs to be exceeded substantially, the Contractor will inform the Client immediately, in writing, before continuing” (art. 1355).
8. Working hours. “Noisy work will be done only from Monday to Saturday, between 08:00 and 20:00, and never on Sundays or non-working public holidays. If the Client is fined for work the Contractor did outside these hours, the Contractor will reimburse the fine.”
9. Acceptance. “Each stage and the finished work will be accepted in the presence of both parties, by a signed certificate. Any defects found will be recorded in the certificate with a deadline for fixing them and will be fixed at the Contractor’s expense” (art. 1363–1364). “The Client may withhold from payment the amount needed to fix the defects until they are fixed” (art. 1372).
10. Warranty. “The Contractor guarantees the work for … months from final acceptance. Defects will be reported in writing, and the Contractor will start fixing them within … days, at their own expense” (art. 1366). “If a defect is not fixed within the deadline set by the Client, the Client may fix it themselves and claim the necessary costs” (art. 1368).
11. Termination. “The Client may terminate the contract (rezoluțiune) at any time, paying for the work done and, if they have no good reason, compensating for the damage caused” (art. 1348). “If the Contractor is late or abandons the work, the Client will give them a further deadline in writing; if the work is not resumed, the Client may terminate the contract, and the Contractor will refund, within … days, the part of the deposit not covered by work done” (art. 917, 921, 926).
12. Disputes. “The parties will first try to reach an agreement; failing that, the dispute will be settled by the competent court of the Republic of Moldova.”
13. Annexes, signed by both parties: No. 1, the Estimate; No. 2, the list of materials and who buys them; No. 3, the stages, deadlines and payments; No. 4, photos of the condition of the rooms before work starts.

If you are a tradesperson and want to work legally, with the paperwork clients ask for, read our guide for tradespeople.

How to read a builder’s estimate (deviz), and when the price can go up

The deviz (смета in Russian) lists each job with its price. A good one shows, on every line, the job, the unit of measure, the quantity and the unit price, with labour kept separate from materials. On a deviz in Romanian, look for the columns Lucrarea (job), U.M. (unit of measure), Cantitate (quantity) and Preț unitar (unit price). This lets you compare three quotes line by line and check at acceptance that everything you paid for was done.

With a contingency of at least 10–15%, as recommended by O’Key Imobil, a Moldovan estate agency (28 June 2026), the labour budget for these jobs rises to about 9,600–10,000 MDL (≈ €480–500), excluding materials. Prices for each type of job, with their sources, are in our renovation price guide for Chișinău.

Can the contractor charge more than the estimate?

It depends on the type of price and on how the contractor tells you about the overrun. With an estimated price, the contractor must justify any increase, and you pay the difference only to the extent that it results from work or costs they could not foresee when the contract was signed (Civil Code, art. 1331). With a fixed (lump-sum) price, they cannot ask for more for the agreed work, and you cannot ask for a reduction if the work turned out easier than expected (art. 1333). New work or changes that you ask for are paid for separately, priced by the same method as the original price (art. 1344(3)).

If the estimate needs to be exceeded substantially, the contractor must tell you immediately. If they do not, you can terminate the contract and claim damages, or refuse to pay anything above the agreed estimate. If the overrun could not have been foreseen at signing, the contractor is entitled only to the additional costs, and it is up to you whether to accept the overrun or terminate the contract (art. 1355).

In older blocks, expect surprises: O’Key Imobil writes that in older apartments final costs can exceed the initial estimate by as much as 30–40%. So keep a contingency and approve every extra job with an addendum before it starts.

Renovation noise rules: permitted hours in apartment blocks

If you have been looking for Moldova’s “law on disturbing the peace” (legea privind tulburarea liniștii publice), two pieces of legislation actually govern renovation work. Article 357(2) of the Contravention Code penalises reconstruction or other noisy work carried out in premises inside residential apartment blocks from Monday to Saturday between 20:00 and 08:00, and on Sundays and the non-working public holidays set by the Labour Code (Codul muncii). Law No. 75/2015 on housing bans reconstruction work on premises during the same hours (art. 55(2)(a)). Both were amended by Law No. 124/2024, in force since its publication on 31 May 2024.

The fine is 12–30 conventional units (600–1,500 MDL, ≈ €30–75) for individuals and 60–90 conventional units (3,000–4,500 MDL, ≈ €150–225) for legal entities (Contravention Code, art. 357(2); one conventional unit is 50 MDL, art. 34).

Separately, between 22:00 and 07:00 the Contravention Code penalises any disturbance of the peace in homes or public places, such as loud singing or audio and video equipment played at high volume: the fine for individuals is 450–900 MDL (≈ €22–45; art. 357(1)).

While reconstruction work is under way, Law No. 75/2015 also prohibits using the passenger lift to move building materials and unpackaged waste (art. 55(2)(b)). For authorised reconstruction work, whoever commissions or carries it out must notify the owners’ association (asociația de proprietari) or the building manager and agree with the administrator how the construction debris will be removed (art. 55(3)). Write the permitted hours into the contract (clause 8 of the template) and ask the building administrator about the association’s own rules.

How to inspect and accept the work, step by step

Acceptance (recepție) is your declaration that you accept the work, with or without reservations (Civil Code, art. 1363). What you sign matters: any defects and deviations found are recorded in the acceptance certificate, together with how, on what terms and by when they will be fixed, and they are fixed at the contractor’s expense (art. 1364).

1. 1

   Accept the work in stages

   Ask for each stage to be inspected and accepted before it is covered up: pipes and cables before the plaster and tiles go on. Photograph them with a tape measure in the shot. When the work is accepted in stages, the period for discovering defects runs from acceptance of the work as a whole (art. 1374(2)).

2. 2

   Bring the estimate and a tape measure

   Check line by line that everything listed was done, in the quantities in the estimate. Measure any areas you are paying for by the square metre.

3. 3

   Test that everything works

   Turn on every tap and check the joints under the washbasin and behind the toilet; the plumber (santehnic) should already have pressure-tested them (remont.md, 17 June 2026). Try every socket and switch, and ask to be shown which circuit breaker in the fuse box supplies each room. Open and close any doors and windows that were fitted.

4. 4

   Check the finishes in low-angle light

   Hold a long straightedge or a spirit level against the walls and floor and look along the surface, shining a torch from the side. Tap the tiles lightly with the handle of a screwdriver: a hollow sound usually means gaps in the adhesive beneath the tile. Look at the joints, the corners and where the walls meet the ceiling.

5. 5

   Record every problem in the certificate

   For each problem, note what it is, where it is, the photo number and the deadline for fixing it. Sign “with reservations” and hold back the amount needed for the repair until it is done (art. 1372(2)).

6. 6

   Report hidden defects immediately

   Even if you signed without reservations, you keep your rights regarding hidden defects (art. 1364(3)), but you must report them to the contractor immediately after discovering them (art. 1365). Do it in writing.

7. 7

   If they do not fix it, fix it at their expense

   The contractor chooses whether to fix the defect or redo the work, and pays for transport, labour and materials (art. 1366). If the deadline you set passes without result, you can fix the defect yourself and claim the necessary costs, or even an advance to cover them (art. 1368), unless the contractor refuses to fix it because the cost would be disproportionate (art. 1366(3)).

A provider registered as a business must draw up a completion certificate (act de finalizare a lucrărilor) when the work is finished, which you sign with or without reservations (Law No. 105/2003, art. 29(5)). Check that their certificate covers the points below; if your tradesperson has no company, use the list as a template.

Renovation warranty: what the contract and the law give you

There are two separate things here: the warranty the tradesperson writes into the contract, and the periods for defects that the law gives you, which apply even if the contract says nothing about a warranty. Do not sign clauses that restrict these rights: in a contract with a tradesperson who works professionally, such a clause is deemed unfair (abuzivă) and void if it was not negotiated with you (Civil Code, art. 1076 and art. 1077(1) point 2), and a tradesperson who fraudulently concealed a defect can never rely on it (art. 1371).

In the warranty clause, state how long the warranty lasts, the date it runs from (the final acceptance certificate), how you report a defect (in writing), within how many days the tradesperson must come, and that repairs are at their expense, materials included (art. 1366). If the provider is a registered business, the law gives them at most 14 calendar days from your complaint to fix the problem, reduce the price or refund your money, unless the contract sets a different deadline (Law No. 105/2003, art. 21(1)). For each day of delay beyond that deadline, they owe you a penalty of 1% of the price of the service (art. 42(1)), up to the price of the work concerned (art. 42(2)).

Builder took your deposit and disappeared? What to do

Act quickly and in writing. The steps below go from the simplest to the most serious.

1. 1

   Gather the evidence

   Keep the contract and estimate, transfer confirmations or receipts, messages (screenshots showing the date and phone number) and photos of the state of the work, taken before another tradesperson starts. Without a written contract, an agreement that the law requires to be in writing cannot be proved with witnesses (art. 322), so every message counts.

2. 2

   Send a written notice

   Give them a reasonable further deadline to resume the work (for example, 7 days) and state what happens if they do not come back: the contract is terminated (rezoluțiune) when the deadline expires, and they must refund your deposit minus the value of the work done (Civil Code, art. 902, 917, 921(3), 926). Send the notice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt and, at the same time, by text or messaging app. If the tradesperson is a registered business, Law No. 105/2003 gives you another route: set a new deadline and ask for a price reduction, or cancel the contract and claim damages (art. 29(2)); for each day of delay, they owe you 2% of the price of the work (art. 42(3)).

3. 3

   Complain to ISSPNPC if they are a registered business

   If they work as a registered business (for example an SRL or an ÎI), send your complaint to them first; if they refuse or do not reply, turn to ISSPNPC, the State Inspectorate for the Supervision of Non-Food Products and Consumer Protection (Law No. 105/2003, art. 25). You can submit a petition (opens in a new tab) by email with an electronic signature, by post through Poșta Moldovei (the national postal service) or in person at the inspectorate’s one-stop desk (ghișeul unic) in Chișinău; the form is on the same page. Attach a copy of the complaint you sent to the tradesperson and their reply, or proof that you sent it (art. 25(7)).

4. 4

   Take the case to court

   You can bring a civil claim to recover the deposit and seek damages, whether or not the tradesperson is registered. The general limitation period is 3 years (art. 391), but the longer you wait, the harder it is to track them down. The contract, the transfers and the notice you sent are the main evidence.

5. 5

   Report it to the police if you were deceived from the start

   If there are signs that they lied from the outset (a false name, a phone switched off right after payment, the same story with other clients), it may be fraud (escrocherie), which the Criminal Code defines as taking another person’s property by abuse of trust or by creating or maintaining a false belief (art. 190(1)). If the amount is small, no more than 20% of the average monthly wage forecast for that year, it is a contravention (a minor offence), not a crime (Contravention Code, art. 18(1) and art. 105); either way, you file a complaint with the police. If the tradesperson did part of the work and you then fell out over price or quality, it is more likely a civil dispute.

Notice template

1. Sender and recipient: your name, the tradesperson’s name and their address for notices.
2. The contract: its number and date, the address of the work, the deposit paid (amount, date, method of payment).
3. The breach: the date from which they stopped working or stopped replying.
4. The further deadline: “I give you … days from receipt of this notice to resume the work.”
5. The consequence: “If the work is not resumed within this period, I declare the contract terminated (rezoluțiune), with effect from the end of the period and without any further declaration (art. 921(3) of the Civil Code). Please refund the deposit of … MDL, minus the value of the work done, to account no. … within … days.”
6. The date and your signature. Keep a copy and proof that you sent it.