Snagging means checking a newly built or newly finished home for defects, called snags, and getting them put right. A snag is anything unfinished, damaged or not built to the required standard: a door that sticks, a cracked tile, a gap in the loft insulation. A snag list is the written record of those defects, room by room, that the builder works through.
What Counts as a Snag?
A snag is a defect the builder is responsible for. Most are cosmetic, but some matter far more than they look.
| Usually a snag | Usually not a snag |
|---|---|
| Doors and windows that stick, don't latch or don't lock | Wear and tear, or damage after you moved in |
| Missing or broken sealant around baths, showers and worktops | A finish you dislike but that was specified |
| Paint runs, missed areas and damaged plaster | Marks only visible with a torch held against the wall |
| Gaps or uneven loft insulation, unlagged pipes | Minor drying-out (shrinkage) cracks, which most warranties treat as normal in a new home |
| Paving or ground that falls towards the house, blocked airbricks | Anything within the tolerance set by the warranty provider's technical standards |
The dividing line is the technical standard the home was built to. Warranty providers such as NHBC and LABC Warranty publish tolerances, for example for how flat a wall or how level a floor must be. A defect outside the tolerance is the builder's to fix. That's why a professional report names the standard for each snag.
When Does Snagging Happen?
- Before completion. If your developer is registered with the New Homes Quality Board, you can have a pre-completion inspection after the Notice to Complete and before you legally complete. This is when the developer has most reason to fix things fast.
- After you move in. A full snagging survey in the first weeks or months, once you can see the home furnished and lived in.
- Before the end of year two. Most new-home warranties make the builder responsible for defects for the first two years. A 2-year inspection gets late-appearing problems on record in time.
Who Fixes the Snags?
The developer. Under most new-home warranties, the builder must put right defects that breach the warranty's technical standards in the first two years. If your developer is NHQB-registered, Version 2 of the New Homes Quality Code also expects after-sales issues to be settled within 30 days unless there's a significant reason for delay, with a route to the free New Homes Ombudsman Service if a complaint isn't resolved. See what happens after your snagging report.
Snagging in Construction
On a building project, snagging is the stage around practical completion, when the contractor, the client or their representative walks the finished work and lists everything still to finish or correct. The snag list then becomes part of handover. If you're having an extension built, the same applies to you: read snagging your extension.
Can I Do My Own Snagging?
Yes. Our room-by-room snagging checklist is free to print. A professional inspection adds what most buyers can't judge: whether a defect is outside tolerance, and the problems in places you won't look, like the loft, drainage and service penetrations. Read is a snagging survey worth it?