Legal status of certificates of compleated work under a contract for services: transaction or document confirming the fulfillment of contractual obligations

The Certificate of Completed Work under a contract for services holds significant importance in the legal context, serving as a document that confirms the fact of work performed or services rendered, as well as the fulfillment of the parties’ contractual obligations. This article examines the legal status of such certificates in the judicial practice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where they are analyzed as legal instruments confirming the actual performance of work (services). The regulatory framework governing certificates of completed work is closely linked to the fundamental principles of civil law, such as the fulfillment of contractual obligations and the protection of infringed rights. However, the legal nature of such certificates remains a matter of debate, as judicial practice in Kazakhstan demonstrates a variety of approaches to recognizing unilateral certificates of completed work as valid. On the one hand, a certificate may be regarded as confirmation of contractual performance; on the other, it may be treated as a transaction that entails legal consequences for the parties. Particular attention is given to issues related to proving the fact of work completion and the proper preparation of the corresponding documents. The article analyzes the impact of certificates of completed work on the legal relationships between the parties, their use as evidence in court proceedings, and their role in law enforcement practice. The legal status of certificates of completed work requires clearer legal regulation, driven by the need to eliminate legal uncertainty in order to prevent disputes over such documents.

1. Sulejmenov M.K., Basin Ju.G. (2013) Principy grazhdanskogo prava // Grazhdanskoe pravo: uchebnik dlja vuzov. Akademicheskij kurs. V. 1. URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=30002463&doc_id2=30002463#pos=20;109.27272033691406&pos2=198;-43.27272033691406. (In Russian).

2. Grazhdanskij kodeks Respubliki Kazahstan (Obshhaja chast’) ot 27 dekabrja 1994 goda No. 268-XIII. URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K940001000_(In Russian).

3. Grazhdanskij kodeks Respubliki Kazahstan (Osobennaja chast’) ot 1 ijulja 1999 g. No. 409. URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K990000409_ (In Russian).

4. Ahmedina A. Akty kak dokazatel’stvo. Iski o priznanii aktov vypolnennyh rabot, okazannyh uslug dejstvitel’nymi. URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=31346182&pos=6;-105#pos=6;-105. (In Russian).

5. Maritz M.J., Gerber S. (2017) Construction Works: Defects Liability Before and after the Issuing of the Final Completion Certificate // Tydskrif vir Hedendaagse Romeins-Hollandse Reg (THRHR), vol. 80, pp. 27–43. URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3022443. (In English).

6. Sklovskij K.I. (2019) Sdelka i ee dejstvie. Kommentarij glavy 9 GK RF. Princip dobrosovestnosti. 4-e izd., dop. M.: Statut. 278 p. (In Russian).

7. Tuzov D.O. (2007) Teorija nedejstvitel’nosti sdelok: opyt rossijskogo prava v kontekste evropejskoj pravovoj tradicii. M.: Statut. 602 p. (In Russian).

8. Omurchieva Je. Kakie sushhestvujut riski nepodpisanija aktov vypolnennyh rabot v sluchae, esli stroitel’nye raboty osushhestvljajutsja pojetapno, i kakimi normativnymi pravovymi dokumentami predusmotrena dannaja objazannost’? URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=33641230&pos=5;-89#pos=5;-89 (In Russian).

9. Zakon Respubliki Kazahstan ot 28 fevralja 2007 g. No. 234-III «O buhgalterskom uchete i finansovoj otchetnosti». URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z070000234_ (In Russian).

10. Prikaz ministra finansov Respubliki Kazahstan ot 31 marta 2015 g. No. 241 «Ob utverzhdenii Pravil vedenija buhgalterskogo ucheta». URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V1500010954. (In Russian).

11. Forma R-1. Akt vypolnennyh rabot (okazannyh uslug) (prilozhenie 50 k prikazu Ministra finansov Respubliki Kazahstan ot 20 dekabrja 2012 g. No. 562) URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V1200008265#z104. (In Russian).

12. Prikaz predsedatelja Agentstva Respubliki Kazahstan po delam stroitel’stva i zhilishhno-kommunal’nogo hozjajstva ot 2 maja 2012 g. No. 170. URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=31189190. (In Russian).

13. Dogovory podrjada // Basin Ju.G. (2003) Izbrannye trudy po grazhdanskomu pravu. Almaty: AJu – VShP «Әdilet», NII chastnogo prava KazGJuU. P. 332. (In Russian).

14. Sholimova A.E. (2018) Osobennosti razreshenija sporov, voznikajushhih pri ispolnenii dogovorov stroitel’nogo podrjada. P. 7. URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=36481558&pos=6;-105#pos=6;-105 (In Russian).

15. Zajahanov G.M. (2009) Sdacha-priemka rabot po dogovoru stroitel’nogo podrjada // Probely v rossijskom zakonodatel’stve // Juridicheskij zhurnal. No. 2. P. 96–99. (In Russian).

16. Turemuratova A.Z. (2021) Dogovor stroitel’nogo podrjada // Sinergija nauk. No. 58. P. 400–416. (In Russian).

17. Didenko A.G., Nesterova E.V. (2019) Pravovaja priroda aktov priemki po dogovoram podrjada i okazanija uslug. P. 5. URL: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=32212255&pos=6;-111#pos=6;-111 (In Russian).

18. Reshenie Specializirovannogo mezhrajonnogo jekonomicheskogo suda g. Almaty ot 14 nojabrja 2017 g. No. 7527-17-00-2/6209. URL: https://sb.prgapp.kz/lawsuits/5987666. (In Russian).

19. Reshenie Specializirovannogo mezhrajonnogo jekonomicheskogo suda Almatinskoj oblasti ot 14 nojabrja 2018 g. po delu No. 18-3766. URL: https://sb.prgapp.kz/lawsuits/110849 (In Russian).

20. Reshenie Specializirovannogo mezhrajonnogo jekonomicheskogo suda g. Nur-Sultan ot 28 nojabrja 2019 g. po delu No. 7119-19-00-2/10808. URL: https://sb.prgapp.kz/lawsuits/887793. (In Russian).