Since an appraisal order is usually legally classified as a contract for work and services, the general rules of contract-for-work law regarding delay apply accordingly – provided that we are actually responsible for the delay ourselves.
In practice, the causes of delays lie predominantly outside our sphere of influence, for example missing documents, tenants who are difficult to reach for scheduling inspections, or outstanding information from authorities.
For particularly time-critical occasions, such as tight court deadlines, this should be explicitly communicated at the time of order placement and recorded in the contract, so that realistic processing times are agreed upon from the outset.
A delay for which we ourselves are responsible requires that the delay actually lies within our own area of responsibility and is not based on external circumstances beyond our control.
Transparent interim updates on the current processing status usually help in practice to foster understanding for unforeseen delays and avoid conflicts.
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