New Build Snagging Before Completion Day — How to Inspect Your New Home

Snagging is the process of identifying defects and incomplete work in a new build property before or shortly after completion. In an ideal world, your new home would be perfect on handover. In practice, the vast majority of new builds have defects — research suggests an average of 100+ snags per property.

The Pre-Completion Inspection

Before legal completion, the developer must invite you to inspect the property. This pre-completion inspection (sometimes called a preview inspection) is your most powerful opportunity. Issues identified before completion must be addressed before you are legally required to complete — giving you significant leverage.

**Request the inspection in writing** and confirm the date. Aim for the inspection to be 3–7 days before the anticipated completion date — enough time to raise issues but not so early that the property isn't finished.

Who to Bring

**Professional snagger** — a qualified new build inspector (typically £200–£500 for a full snagging inspection). They know what to look for, have a systematic approach, and produce a formal report. Their fee is almost always recovered in value through issues identified.

If you go alone, use a comprehensive checklist covering every room, every fitting, and the exterior.

What to Inspect

**Inside every room:**

• Wall and ceiling surfaces — scratches, paint misses, plaster imperfections
• Skirting boards and coving — gaps, paint, secure fixing
• Doors — close and latch correctly; no binding; door handles aligned
• Windows — open, close, and lock correctly; no condensation between panes
• Floors — level, no soft spots or squeaks; tiles not cracked or misaligned
• Light fittings — all work, correctly centred

**Kitchen:**

• All appliances present and working
• Doors align correctly; soft-close mechanisms working
• Worktop joints and seals complete and clean
• Splashback complete and grouted

**Bathrooms:**

• All sanitary ware present and undamaged
• Tiles complete, grouted, and sealed at joints
• Shower and taps work; temperature ranges as expected
• Extractor fan working

**Exterior:**

• Roof tiles not cracked or displaced
• Gutters and downpipes secure and correctly connected
• Drainage channels unobstructed
• Paving complete and level
• Fencing as agreed

Documenting Your Snagging List

• **Video walkthrough** — record continuously, narrating as you go
• **Timestamped photographs** — close-up of every defect, wide-angle of location
• **Written list** — room by room, with description and photo reference number

Submit the snagging list to the developer in writing on the day of inspection.

The Developer's Obligation

The developer is legally obligated to deliver the property in the condition set out in the contract specification. Pre-completion snags are defects in that delivery. The developer must address them before completion (or agree a written schedule for doing so within the first two-year NHBC builder warranty period).

**Do not complete if there are major unresolved issues** — structural defects, major systems not working (heating, electrics), large areas of unfinished work. Your solicitor can hold up completion pending rectification.

For minor snags, complete on schedule and pursue resolution under the two-year builder warranty period. Log all communications with the developer's aftercare team, and store your snagging report in Property Passport UK as part of your property's history.