diff --git a/src/app/components/contract/contract.component.html b/src/app/components/contract/contract.component.html
index fcece6e..e754a98 100644
--- a/src/app/components/contract/contract.component.html
+++ b/src/app/components/contract/contract.component.html
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <div class="flex-container-row full-height flex-container-content-center flex-container-items-center">
     <mat-card
+        data-id="createEditFormContainer"
         style="width: 30%"
         appBusy="createEditForm">
         <mat-card-content>
diff --git a/src/app/components/contracts/contracts.component.html b/src/app/components/contracts/contracts.component.html
index 0decfc0..cb31987 100644
--- a/src/app/components/contracts/contracts.component.html
+++ b/src/app/components/contracts/contracts.component.html
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <div
+    data-id="dataContainer"
     class="mat-elevation-z8 content-margin margin-top"
     appBusy="contracts">
     <mat-toolbar class="flex-container-row">
diff --git a/src/app/components/contracts/tests/contracts.component.spec.ts b/src/app/components/contracts/tests/contracts.component.spec.ts
index 40dcce2..2a52f41 100644
--- a/src/app/components/contracts/tests/contracts.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/components/contracts/tests/contracts.component.spec.ts
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
       harnesses
     } = await initComponent(CONTRACTS)
 
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
     for (const contract of getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS)) {
       await harnesses.router.component.inMatTableRow('contractList', {
         number: contract.number
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
       harnesses
     } = await initComponent([])
 
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(0)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', 0)
     await harnesses.router.component.expectElementVisible('noContractsMessage', true)
   })
 
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
       number: contractToDelete.number
     }).clickElement('deleteContract')
     await harnesses.router.component.messageBoxClick(MessageActions.CONFIRM)
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(expectedContracts.length)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', expectedContracts.length)
     for (const expectedContract of expectedContracts) {
       await harnesses.router.component.inMatTableRow('contractList', {
         number: expectedContract.number
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
       number: contractToDelete.number
     }).clickElement('deleteContract')
     await harnesses.router.component.messageBoxClick(MessageActions.CANCEL)
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(expectedContracts.length)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', expectedContracts.length)
     for (const expectedContract of expectedContracts) {
       await harnesses.router.component.inMatTableRow('contractList', {
         number: expectedContract.number
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
     const contractToFind = CONTRACTS[5]
 
     await harnesses.router.component.enterValue('contractSearchInput', contractToFind.number)
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(1)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', 1)
     await harnesses.router.component.inMatTableRow('contractList', {
       number: contractToFind.number
     }).expectElementText('contractNumber', contractToFind.number)
@@ -225,12 +225,12 @@ describe('ContractsComponent', () => {
     }).expectElementText('contractConditions', contractToFind.conditions)
 
     await harnesses.router.component.enterValue('contractSearchInput', '')
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
 
     await harnesses.router.component.enterValue('contractSearchInput', 'some nono-existent contract number')
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(0)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', 0)
 
     await harnesses.router.component.enterValue('contractSearchInput', '')
-    expect(await harnesses.router.component.matTableNRows('contractList')).toBe(getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
+    await harnesses.router.component.expectMatTableNRows('contractList', getVisibleContracts(CONTRACTS).length)
   })
 })
diff --git a/src/app/tests/foundation/base.component.harness.ts b/src/app/tests/foundation/base.component.harness.ts
index 0163faa..1b4077e 100644
--- a/src/app/tests/foundation/base.component.harness.ts
+++ b/src/app/tests/foundation/base.component.harness.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export class BaseHarness extends ComponentHarness {
 
   protected getRootLoader(): HarnessLoader {
     if (!this.rootLoader) {
+      console.error('root loader was not initialized')
       throw new Error('root loader was not initialized')
     }
     return this.rootLoader
@@ -388,12 +389,16 @@ export class BaseHarness extends ComponentHarness {
     return children.length
   }
 
-  public async matTableNRows(id: string): Promise<number> {
-    const matTable = await this.locatorFor(MatTableHarness.with({
-      selector: this.getIdSelector(id)
-    }))()
-    const rows = await matTable.getRows()
-    return rows.length
+  public async expectMatTableNRows(id: string, nRows: number): Promise<void> {
+    await this.waitFor({
+      lookup: async () => {
+        const matTable = await this.locatorFor(MatTableHarness.with({
+          selector: this.getIdSelector(id)
+        }))()
+        return (await matTable.getRows()).length === nRows
+      },
+      errorMessage: `No mat table ${id} with ${nRows} rows found`
+    })
   }
 
   // +