What is snagging?
When the term is used in relation to house building, it usually means fixtures and fittings that are damaged or broken, not fitted correctly or appear unfinished. In many cases, snags identified in new build homes are cosmetic, minor in nature and easily repaired – like a damaged window handle, a door that doesn’t close properly or a scratch on a window pane, however snags of a more serious nature are regularly discovered by our inspectors during surveys. Damaged or missing roof tiles, structural cracking in brickwork, blocked drains or plumbing leaks are just a few examples. Even a tiny leak from underneath a bath can lead to major long-term damage to the fabric of a building if not spotted early enough. For this reason, Snag-Right always recommend that you have a professional snagging survey carried out on your new home – it can be money well spent.
Your house will have been checked and signed off in line with current Building Regulations to make sure it meets all statutory standards and in most cases will have also been inspected by the NHBC, however it is unlikely that these checks will have caught everything. The inspections carried out on your new home prior to handover are usually quick visual checks, especially if your new home is part of a larger housing development where several new build homes are being inspected and handed over at the same time.
Another important consideration when deciding whether or not you need to appoint a professional snagging company, is that it can be notoriously difficult to get your house builder to react to snags you identify after moving into your new home. At this stage they have your money and many of them appear uninterested in your concerns while their focus turns to getting the next batch of plots ready for sale. In our experience, presenting your house builder with a professional home snagging report usually adds a great deal of weight to your case and ensures their undivided attention. Many of our client’s report that their snagging lists are complete within a few weeks of us issuing our report.
Checking inside and outside
- The brickwork
- External paintwork
- External pipes/outside drainage
- Garages
- Drives and pathways
- Gardens
- Walls, fences, and gates
- The roof (ground level visual inspection)
- Ceilings, walls, and wall tiles
- Windows
- Doors and frames
- Staircases
- Floors and skirting boards
- Pipes, radiators, and heating system
- Leak checking sinks, showers, and baths
- Kitchens and bathrooms
- Appliance installation
- Loft space
Our Snagging Process
The ideal time to get a snagging survey done is before you move into your new home, however, many developers will not allow snagging inspections to be done prior to handover.
When our Snag-Right inspector arrives at your home, they will work their way through the property systematically, focusing on all areas that produce common concerns within new build homes.
Our report will list all the areas that have been inspected, such as brickwork, paintwork (internal and external), pipework, gardens, walls, roof, windows, kitchen, appliances, floors, staircases and loft space.
Our follow up re-inspection provides our customer with the peace of mind that your housebuilder has rectified the defects we identified during our initial survey to a satisfactory standard.
