Choosing a renovation company in Tbilisi: checks and contract terms

Is there a licence to look for?

No. Georgia's Law on Licences and Permits sets an exhaustive list of licence types, and nothing on it covers building, repair or finishing firms. A licence number on a renovation company's website therefore proves nothing. Geostat counted 15,842 active entities in the construction section of its register on 1 July 2026, almost all of them small, but that national figure also includes developers and civil engineering firms and leaves out unregistered crews. With no licensing body to filter the market, the checks fall on you.

How do you check a firm from abroad?

Ask for the firm's 9-digit identification code first. Every public check runs on it, and the official register searches names only in Georgian.

The tax data are public by law: Article 39(1-1) of the Tax Code excludes VAT registration, status, tax debt, tax liens and seizures from tax secrecy. Court records help less, because masked decisions mean a search for a firm may return nothing even if it has been sued. The Public Registry's debtors register was not reachable when we tried it on 3 November 2026; for a large job, ask a lawyer to check it.

What should match on the extract?

• Name, form and code. The same legal name (LLC = შპს, sole trader = ი/მ) and code on the extract, the contract, the bank details and the invoices.
• Signer. Someone the extract names as a representative, or a person with the firm's power of attorney.
• Age and status. A recent registration date means no track record under that code; liquidation or reorganisation entries mean stop.
• VAT. A VAT-registered firm must charge VAT and, if you ask, issue a tax invoice, so a registered firm offering to skip VAT does not add up. Rate and threshold: see turnkey renovation.

An unregistered crew leader is still bound by the Civil Code's works contract, and the consumer law's definition of a trader covers any natural person acting commercially (Article 4). What you lose is the paper trail.

How do you compare offers?

Have several firms price the same written brief. Prices per m² are on our renovation cost per m² page; here we compare the terms around the price. The examples below are what each firm publishes about itself, not a market standard or a recommendation.

An advertised fixed price covers only the scope it describes. Anything outside it still costs money: under Civil Code Article 630, pay is deemed agreed when work is expected only for pay, and without an agreed amount the usual rate applies. Price every extra in writing before it is done, and put the warranty, with its start date, into the contract.

Does the contract have to be in writing?

Not by law: Article 69 of the Civil Code allows oral transactions, and the works-contract articles set no form. An oral renovation deal is valid, but from abroad your proof is usually a chat history. One clause is different. A penalty (პირგასამტეხლო) must be agreed in writing (Article 418(2)), so an oral promise of a daily delay penalty cannot be enforced. A delay penalty can be claimed alongside completion (Article 419), and a court may reduce one that is disproportionately high (Article 420). Article 68 lets the parties choose a form themselves, so write in that changes to scope, price or deadline bind only when signed. Do not call the first payment earnest money (ბე) without a lawyer's advice: a firm at fault returns it double, but keeps it if you break the contract (Articles 421-423).

What must the contract say?

• Parties. Legal name, identification code and the signer's authority, as on the extract.
• Scope. A room-by-room annex of works and materials with makes and grades (see building specification), plus your designer's drawings (see interior design for an apartment).
• Price. Fixed or estimated, with or without VAT; extras only at a signed price.
• Dates and penalty. Start, finish and a written per-day penalty for delay.
• Team. The firm may use others unless the work's nature requires it to work personally (Article 632); name the foreman you chose the firm for.
• Materials. A firm answers for poor materials it supplies; for materials you buy, it owes you an account of use and the leftovers (Article 646). It must warn you in time if your materials or instructions would make the work unsound (Article 647).
• Damage. The firm answers for damage to your property even through carelessness (Article 650). Ask about liability insurance for neighbours' flats; we found no rule making it compulsory.
• Site rules. Hours, lift use and lawful debris removal at the firm's cost, with fines on the firm.
• Acceptance, warranty, termination. Inspection period, warranty length and start, and exits for both sides. A firm may quit early only in a way that lets you finish elsewhere, unless it has an important reason (Article 637).
• Language. For a contract signed at your flat, the consumer law requires the information in Georgian on paper and a signed copy for you (Article 11). Ask for a bilingual text saying which version prevails, and have a lawyer confirm it.

How should the payments be staged?

The law's default favours you. Civil Code Article 648 makes the fee payable once the work is performed; instalments apply only if the contract sets them, and we found no legal cap on advances. So every advance is a concession you make; ask for a firm start date and a delay penalty in return.

1. Split the job into stages you can verify on video, such as pipes and wiring before they are covered, plaster and screed, tiles and floors, fittings.
2. Write the amount for each stage and what must be finished before it is paid.
3. Pay against a signed stage act with dated photos.
4. Hold back a final sum until the whole job is accepted and the snags are closed.
5. Pay by bank transfer to the account of the firm named in the contract, never to a worker's card.

Signed stage acts do not start the claim period: where work is accepted in parts, Article 656 counts from acceptance of the whole job. Bank escrow exists (Terabank publishes 0.2%, minimum GEL 100, for residents and non-residents), but the bank describes it for property sales, and we found no evidence that banks hold renovation stage payments in practice.

Why does the acceptance deadline matter?

Because silence can count as acceptance. Under Article 649 the work is deemed accepted if the client does not accept it within the period the contractor sets. An unanswered completion notice can close the job in law with the snags still visible. Acceptance also starts the claim period: 1 year, or 5 years for claims concerning a structure (Article 655). Whether flat finishing counts as concerning a structure is not confirmed, so plan on 1 year unless the contract's warranty gives more.

• Set the period yourself. The contract should give you a fixed number of days to inspect after written notice.
• Appoint a representative. Someone in Georgia with a power of attorney can sign for you. The Notary Chamber says any notary can certify a power of attorney online from any country, but only where the grantor is a Georgian citizen or known to the notary.
• List every defect in the act, with a date to fix each, before signing.

What if the work is late or faulty?

Under the Civil Code you may first demand a fix or a redo at the firm's cost; the firm chooses which (Article 642). If your deadline for the fix passes, you may have the work fixed by others and claim the cost, or demand an advance for it (Article 643). Termination (Article 644) and a price cut (Article 645) follow, and a firm that deliberately hid a defect cannot rely on a clause limiting your rights (Article 654).

When you renovate a home for your own use, the consumer protection law applies too: it covers services a natural person buys mainly for personal use, not business (Article 4). Under its Article 18, after a reasonable extra period you set passes without result, you may give the work to someone else at the firm's expense, cut the price, or withdraw and claim damages. A firm that started late or drags the work without good reason past the agreed deadline cannot claim costs or pay for part-done work you have lost interest in (Article 18(5)). Whether a flat renovated only for letting counts as personal use is not confirmed. Complaints go to the Competition and Consumer Protection Agency within 2 years of the breach (Article 31); it reported 890 consumer applications in 2024.

Can you cancel within 14 days of signing?

Possibly. Article 13 of the consumer law gives 14 calendar days to withdraw without reason from a distance contract (made only by remote means within the firm's organised distance-selling scheme) or an off-premises contract (signed with the firm in your flat). For a service the days run from the contract date. The right ends once the service is fully performed, if work began with your prior consent and knowledge that this ends the right (Article 14(2)(a)), and it excludes services made to your individual order or clearly tailored to your needs (Article 14(2)(c)). Whether a renovation falls under that exclusion is not confirmed, so do not plan around the 14 days.

Which works need a permit or a notice?

Most flat renovations need neither. In the current text of Government Resolution No 255 of 2019, Article 4(4) frees repair, renovation and finishing from both the construction permit and the construction notice, including moving partitions other than fire separations and repairing the flat's own pipes and wiring, as long as the building's look and load-bearing structures do not change; finishing on listed monuments is excluded.

Balcony glazing is not named in the resolution, and its status is not confirmed. For load-bearing walls and fines see load-bearing wall; for when neighbours must agree, see the homeowners' association guide and glossary entry.

Gas, noise and debris: what may the crew do?

Gas. Under Resolution No 101 of 2014 on gas system safety, gas pipes and equipment in residential buildings are repaired by the gas supply company or by others acting by agreement with it (Article 6(1)). A general crew should not move them alone; the contract should say who arranges and pays for that work.

Noise. Article 77-1 of the Code of Administrative Offences does not apply to construction and repair works in daytime, 08:00 to 23:00. Night work above the noise limits can bring a GEL 1,500 fine on a company (GEL 150 on a private person), more for repeats. We found no city rule on weekend or lunchtime quiet hours; ask the building manager about house rules.

Debris. Dumping construction waste is fined under Article 32 of the Waste Management Code: up to 1 m³, GEL 500 for an individual and GEL 2,000 for a legal entity; 1 to 10 m³, GEL 1,500 and GEL 3,000. Debris in household containers is a separate offence, GEL 200 or GEL 1,000 (Article 31(10)). The contract should name where debris goes, who pays, and that dumping fines are the firm's.

How do you supervise the job from abroad?

Put the reporting into the contract. Some firms already publish it: Renovare describes weekly photo and video reports and a joint final inspection, and TrueHomeBuild photos of hidden works. Ask any firm for the same:

• Weekly photos from fixed positions, plus a short video walk-through.
• Hidden works photographed with a tape measure before they are covered.
• A video call with the foreman before each stage act.
• A paper trail: bank transfers, signed changes and the firm's written warnings.

Risks and exceptions

• Trusting a licence number. No such licence exists.
• Paying a worker's card. The payment is hard to tie to the contract.
• An oral penalty. It cannot be enforced.
• Ignoring the acceptance deadline. The job may count as accepted.
• Advances ahead of the work. The law's default is payment after completion.
• A crew moving gas pipes. That work belongs to the gas company or someone it has agreed to.

Frequently asked questions

Do renovation companies in Georgia need a licence?

No. No such licence exists, so check the firm's registration and tax status instead.

How can I check a renovation firm in Tbilisi online?

Search its 9-digit identification code in the Public Registry business register and on the Revenue Service website.

Is a verbal renovation agreement valid?

Yes, but it is hard to prove, and a penalty clause is valid only in writing.

How much should I pay in advance?

The law sets no figure and by default payment follows completion. Tie each payment to a finished, signed stage.

How long can I claim for defects?

1 year from acceptance, 5 years for claims concerning a structure; whether finishing qualifies is not confirmed, so get a written warranty.

If you would rather not manage contractors yourself, see our renovation and furniture service.

Sources

1. Law of Georgia on Licences and Permits, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated text (accessed 3 November 2026)
2. Registered and active entities by kind of activity and size, 1 July 2026, National Statistics Office of Georgia (accessed 3 November 2026)
3. Business register search, National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 3 November 2026)
4. Taxpayers registry and tax debt information, Revenue Service of Georgia (accessed 3 November 2026)
5. Tax Code of Georgia, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated text (accessed 3 November 2026)
6. Case-management system of the courts, courts of Georgia (accessed 3 November 2026)
7. Civil Code of Georgia, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated text (accessed 3 November 2026)
8. Law of Georgia on the Protection of Consumer Rights, Legislative Herald of Georgia, 29 March 2022, consolidated 15 December 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
9. Agency reports increase in consumer appeals in 2024, 1TV, 17 January 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
10. Government Resolution No 255 on construction permits, 31 May 2019, current text (accessed 3 November 2026)
11. Government Resolution No 101 on gas system safety, 22 January 2014, as amended 25 March 2021 (accessed 3 November 2026)
12. Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 13 October 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
13. Waste Management Code of Georgia, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 16 September 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
14. Escrow service, Terabank (accessed 3 November 2026)
15. Answers to hot topics, Notary Chamber of Georgia (accessed 3 November 2026)
16. Firms' websites: Prime Build (modified 2 November 2026), Geometria, STROYCOM, TrueHomeBuild (22 February 2026), Renovare (accessed 3 November 2026)

Change log

• 3 November 2026 - Guide published from the Civil Code, the consumer protection law, Resolution No 255 and the official registry and tax portals.