Astana, 4 November, . The industry and construction ministry is discussing with the finance ministry not paying contractors who do not keep construction records in digital form, and is working on video surveillance at building sites, minister Yersaiyn Nagaspayev said at a Government briefing.
In the past, the minister said, once a building was finished the documents went into an archive, and two or three years later, when reconstruction or repairs were needed, they could not be found. Now, he said, records will be kept in digital form even after construction is completed, so that someone can be held to account later. Cameras at building sites, Nagaspayev explained, are needed to monitor the construction process.
Since July 2026, under the Construction Code, state architecture and construction control inspectors can halt work over violations, and a developer must stop immediately after an order. The warranty on new buildings has been extended from two to five years, and to ten years for load-bearing structures, facades and roofs.
What it means: A digital trail of the building work is becoming a condition of payment: without electronic records a contractor will not be paid, and years later it will be clear who built what and how.
Who benefits: Residents and owners who will need the records for repairs and disputes, and inspectors; contractors will have to rebuild their paperwork, and no date has been given for the measures.
Background: The question was raised by journalists who recalled the collapse of a building’s cladding in Astana in November 2025.
