Snagging a New Build: What to Inspect, How to Write Your List, and How to Get It Fixed

What Is Snagging and Why Does It Matter

Snagging is the process of identifying defects, unfinished work, and quality shortfalls in a newly built home before — and immediately after — you take possession. The term comes from the construction industry where a "snag" is any item that departs from the agreed specification or falls below a workmanlike standard.

New builds are often completed under significant commercial pressure. Developers face share price commitments, quarterly completions targets, and sub-contractor schedules that do not always align with delivering a perfect finish. Research by the New Homes Quality Board has consistently found that a large majority of new build buyers encounter defects in their first two years. Catching those defects early — and logging them formally — is the most effective way to ensure your developer fixes them at no cost to you.

A well-prepared snagging list is also your most important warranty document. Under NHBC Buildmark and comparable schemes (LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee, ARK), defects reported within the first two years of occupation are the builder's responsibility to repair at no charge. After two years, the coverage narrows significantly to structural defects only. Every day you delay reporting a defect is a day closer to losing your right to a free repair.

When to Snag: Before or After Completion

The ideal moment to carry out a snagging inspection is before legal completion — ideally with two to five working days remaining. At this stage you have maximum leverage: the developer wants to hit their completion figure, and any defects you identify must be either remedied or formally acknowledged before money changes hands.

Many developers resist pre-completion access, arguing that the property is still under construction and unsafe. Legally they are entitled to do this. However, the New Homes Quality Code (which replaced the Consumer Code for New Homes in 2023) requires registered builders to allow a reasonable inspection before completion, and most reputable developers will accommodate a professional snagging surveyor if asked formally in writing.

If pre-completion access is refused, carry out your inspection on the day of legal completion before you accept the keys, or within the first two weeks of moving in. Document every defect in writing and email it to your developer's customer care team that same day. Retain all correspondence — Property Passport UK's new build passport lets you store snagging records, developer emails, and photographic evidence in one place so nothing gets lost across a two-year warranty period.

After the two-year builder warranty expires you retain NHBC Buildmark cover for structural defects for a further eight years (ten years total), but you lose the right to have cosmetic and minor defects repaired free of charge. This makes the first 24 months critical.

How to Write a Professional Snagging List

A snagging list is only useful if it is specific enough for a site manager to act on it. Vague entries like "kitchen not right" will be ignored or disputed. Every item should follow the same structure:

**Location** — room, wall face, specific position (e.g. "Kitchen, east wall, 300mm above worktop level").

**Description** — what you can see, not your interpretation of its cause (e.g. "hairline crack running vertically 150mm, plaster surface only" rather than "subsidence crack").

**Photograph reference** — number your photos to match numbered list items.

**Severity** — distinguish between items that prevent occupation (a missing boiler flue, a door that cannot close) and cosmetic defects (paint drips, grout gaps). Developers must address the former before completion; the latter within a reasonable period after occupation.

Go room by room and be systematic. Start at the roof if accessible, work down to the foundations. In each room, check the ceiling, all four walls, floor, windows, doors, and any fitted furniture or sanitaryware. Do not rush — a thorough inspection of a three-bedroom house typically takes three to four hours.

Use a checklist printed on paper or a dedicated snagging app so you do not miss areas under time pressure. Once your list is complete, number every item consecutively, attach dated photographs, and submit it as a single document to the developer's customer care team and — if you have one — your solicitor.

Getting Defects Fixed: Escalation Paths

Submitting your snagging list does not automatically mean defects will be repaired promptly. You will typically receive a response acknowledging receipt and assigning a case number. Within the two-year warranty period, the developer is contractually obliged to repair genuine defects within a reasonable period — generally 30 days for non-urgent items, sooner for anything affecting habitability.

If the developer disputes whether an item is a "defect" or claims it meets NHBC tolerances, you can refer the matter to the New Homes Quality Board's resolution service (for NHQB-registered builders) or, for NHBC Buildmark properties, to the NHBC's Resolution Service directly. The NHBC's Technical Standards define acceptable tolerances for common defects: for example, permissible bow in plasterboard walls is 5mm over a 2m straightedge. If your defect exceeds published tolerances, the NHBC will require the builder to remedy it.

Where a builder fails to respond or goes into administration, NHBC Buildmark provides a deposit protection insurance element and, within the first two years, an emergency helpline. After the builder has ceased trading, NHBC steps in directly as the repairing party for qualifying structural claims.

Keep every piece of correspondence in your Property Passport UK new build file. When you come to sell, a complete snagging and warranty record is a material selling point — it demonstrates the property has been properly maintained and all known defects resolved.