Snagging a new build: the inspection nobody schedules

Both approaches to new build snagging work. What differs is what they cost you, and the cost is what this sets out.

What snagging actually is

Snagging is the systematic recording of defects and unfinished work in a new property so the builder rectifies them under their obligations. It covers finish rather than structure in most cases: doors that bind, poor sealant, misaligned units, paint defects, and services that do not work correctly.

The volume of items on a new home is routinely large, and a long list is normal rather than a sign of a bad builder. Builders expect the process, and a clear itemised list produces a better response than a general complaint about quality. Many buyers never do it, discover problems slowly over the first year, and then find the window for easy rectification has narrowed.

Timing the inspection

The strongest moment is before completion, because the builder still controls the property and rectification is simplest while trades are on site. Some developers restrict pre-completion access, and where they do, a demonstration visit is still an opportunity to record what you can. A second inspection a few weeks after moving in catches items that only appear in use, such as heating balance, drainage and door movement.

For most people, a further review before the end of the initial defects period is worth diarising, since that deadline arrives quietly. Book any professional inspector well in advance, because they are busy around completion dates and a delay costs you the best window.

Doing it properly

Work room by room in a fixed order and record every item with a photograph, a location and a short factual description. Bring a spirit level, a torch, a plug tester and a tape measure, since a torch alone reveals a surprising proportion of defects. Check that every socket, switch, tap, window catch and door lock works, because these are individually trivial and collectively significant.

Look at the external works too: drainage falls, paving, fencing, the state of the roof from the ground and the finish of render or brickwork. Professional snagging inspectors exist, and on a large or expensive property the fee is small relative to what a thorough list recovers.

How the warranty layers work

New homes in many countries are sold with a structural warranty, and the arrangement is usually layered rather than uniform across the period. The earliest period is normally the responsibility of the builder for defects, with the insurer covering structural matters for a longer period afterwards. What counts as a defect is defined by tolerances in the warranty documentation, and some items you dislike may fall within them.

Read those documents before the inspection, since arguing against a published tolerance is a poor use of your leverage.

Warranty schemes and their terms vary by country and by provider, so the specific policy for your property is the document that matters.

When the builder does not respond

Keep everything in writing with dates, and send lists to the address specified in the documentation rather than to an individual on site. Escalate through the developer customer care process in the order set out, since skipping steps usually restarts the sequence.

Put simply, where the process fails, most warranty providers operate a dispute resolution service, and some jurisdictions have an ombudsman for new homes. Withholding money at completion is generally not possible, which is why the pre-completion inspection carries so much weight. Photographs with dates are the difference between a resolved item and a disputed one, in every one of these processes.

Some of this will suit you and some will not, and that is the point.

Living in a new house

New buildings dry out over the first year or two, and shrinkage cracking in plaster is normal rather than structural. That is why decorating is usually best deferred, and why builders often specify a period before final making good. Modern airtight construction depends on the ventilation system working as designed, so understand it and do not block it.

In practice, keep the manuals, certificates and warranty documents together, because a buyer will ask for them and they support later claims. Register any appliance warranties promptly, since those are separate from the structural cover and have their own conditions.

Side by side

The takeaway

Book the inspection before completion, record every item with a photograph, and diarise the end of the defects period the day you move in.

The version you keep doing is the version that works.