New Build Snagging: How to Identify Defects and Get Them Fixed (FTB Guide, Part 10)

Part 10: New Build Snagging — What It Is, What to Check, and How to Get Defects Fixed

This is Part 10 of our 12-part "Buying Your First Home" series. If you've purchased a new-build property — or are in the process of doing so — this guide covers one of the most important yet frequently misunderstood parts of the process: snagging.

Buying new should mean buying perfect. In practice, even reputable developers deliver properties with dozens of defects — some cosmetic, some functional, occasionally structural. The good news is that the legal and warranty framework in England and Wales strongly favours buyers in the first two years after completion. The bad news is that framework only protects you if you use it properly: that means knowing what to look for, documenting it carefully, and reporting it formally.

What Is Snagging?

Snagging is the process of identifying defects, unfinished work and substandard finishes in a newly built home. The term comes from the construction industry, where a "snag list" is the punch list of items that must be completed or corrected before a building is handed over.

For a homebuyer, snagging means inspecting your new property — ideally before you legally complete — and creating a written record of every defect you can find. That list is then submitted to the developer, who is legally obligated to fix each item during the 2-year defect period.

The scale of snagging on new builds surprises most first-time buyers. A typical report from a professional inspector on a two-bedroom flat identifies 50–120 items. A three- or four-bedroom new-build house commonly generates 80–200 items. Most are minor — a missed dab of paint, a slightly proud tile — but some may be significant enough to affect habitability, and occasionally a few will be structural.

None of this means you should avoid buying new. It means you should snag properly.

When to Commission a Professional Snagging Inspection

Before completion (preferred)

The best time to snag is before you legally complete — before money changes hands and before the property becomes yours. This has two important advantages:

1. Legal position: defects identified before completion are unambiguously the developer's responsibility. There is no question of whether you caused them.
2. Leverage: the developer still wants to complete the sale. While you should never delay completion over minor snags (your mortgage offer has an expiry date), having a formal report before completion means defects are documented and the developer has an incentive to resolve them promptly.

Under most NHBC registered schemes, the developer must allow a snagging inspector access to the property before completion. If your developer refuses, escalate to NHBC directly. This right to inspect is a meaningful protection — use it.

After completion (still effective)

Many developers, particularly large volume housebuilders, offer only limited pre-completion access or time windows that are impractical. In this case, commission a snagging inspection within the first 2–4 weeks of moving in. The 2-year defect period started from your completion date, so there is still time — but the sooner defects are documented and reported, the better.

Practical tip: Before your furniture and belongings arrive, walk every room systematically and photograph anything that looks imperfect. This baseline record protects you even before your professional inspector arrives.

The Cost of Professional Snagging in 2026

Fees vary by location (London and South East typically higher), inspector reputation and whether the report includes a re-inspection visit after the developer has completed remedial work (some packages include one re-inspection; others charge extra).

Is it worth it? Almost always, yes. Consider: if your inspector identifies a window that was not properly sealed during installation, fixing that after the warranty period expires could cost £200–£400 per window. A single missed drainage issue could cause thousands in water damage. The inspection fee pays for itself on even a handful of significant findings.

Look for inspectors who are:

• Chartered members of RICS, or trade-qualified in construction (former site managers, building surveyors)
• Members of the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) or similar body
• Willing to provide a sample report before you book — avoid inspectors who cannot demonstrate the depth of their reporting

The NHBC Buildmark Warranty: What It Actually Covers

The NHBC (National House Building Council) Buildmark warranty is the most common new-build warranty in England and Wales. Approximately 80% of new-build homes are registered with NHBC. If your new home is not covered by NHBC, it may be covered by an alternative provider: Premier Guarantee, LABC Warranty, BLP Insurance, or CRL Management.

The key principles are the same across all major warranty providers. Here is how NHBC Buildmark works:

Year 1 and Year 2: Developer defect period

During the first two years from your legal completion date, the builder is responsible for fixing defects caused by failure to build to the relevant NHBC Technical Standards. This covers:

• Defective workmanship
• Defective materials
• Items that were agreed as part of the specification but are missing or wrong
• Failure of systems and fittings to function as intended

Crucially: this is not an insurance claim. It is a contractual obligation on the developer. You report the defect directly to the developer and they fix it. NHBC's role in years 1–2 is as a dispute resolution body — if the developer is unresponsive or disputes the defect, you can refer the matter to NHBC's Resolution service, which will inspect independently.

What it does NOT cover in years 1–2:

• General wear and tear
• Defects caused by you (e.g., damage you caused during decoration or moving in)
• Cosmetic deterioration that was within acceptable tolerances at completion and you accepted
• Items agreed to be outside specification

Years 3 to 10: NHBC structural insurance

From year 3 to year 10, NHBC provides insurance-backed cover (not the builder's responsibility) for major structural defects. This means:

• Subsidence, settlement or heave
• Structural failure of load-bearing elements (walls, floors, roof structure)
• Damage to or failure of external rendering or external wall systems that allows water ingress

The structural cover does not cover cosmetic defects, routine maintenance items, or defects that should have been reported in years 1–2. It is there for situations where the building itself fails in a fundamental way.

The warranty follows the property. If you sell before year 10, the remaining warranty transfers to the buyer — this is a genuine selling point.

Five Practical UK-Specific Snagging Tips

Tip 1: Submit your snag list in writing on Day One

A verbal conversation with your site manager is worth nothing legally. Every defect you identify must be reported in writing — email is perfectly acceptable and creates an automatic time-stamped audit trail. Your email should:

• List each defect clearly, with the room and location
• Include a photograph of each defect
• State a reasonable deadline for response (14 days for non-urgent items)
• Reference the NHBC warranty or your developer's own warranty if relevant

Keep every reply. If the developer does not respond within your stated deadline, send a polite chase email referencing the original. If there is still no response after a second deadline, escalate to NHBC Resolution.

Tip 2: Use the developer's own snagging process — but don't rely on it

Most large developers (Persimmon, Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Bellway, Vistry, Crest Nicholson) have a formal customer care process and a dedicated aftercare team for post-completion defects. Register your defects on their portal or via their stated channel.

However, do not rely on the developer's own snagging inspection as a substitute for commissioning your own. The developer's inspector works for the developer. Their report may identify fewer items, may downgrade the severity of defects, and does not give you the independent documentation you need if a dispute arises.

Use both: the developer's process for formal reporting and tracking, and your own independent inspector's report as your evidence base.

Tip 3: Check these areas first — they are the most commonly missed

Professional snagging inspectors consistently find the highest density of defects in these areas:

External:

• Pointing and mortar joints (gaps, crumbling, inconsistent colour)
• Roof tiles (cracked, slipped, or incorrectly fixed tiles visible from eaves level)
• Fascias, soffits and guttering (incorrectly aligned, not draining toward downpipes)
• Driveway and paths (uneven flags, poor falls causing puddles)
• Garden fencing and gates (loose, unlevel, gate does not latch)

Internal:

• Skirting boards and architraves (gaps at joints, pulls away from wall)
• Door alignment and latching (doors that swing open or do not close flush)
• Window operation (handles stiff, locks do not engage fully)
• Tiling (lippage between tiles, grout gaps, cracked tiles)
• Flooring (squeaky boards, gaps between boards and skirting)
• Paintwork (runs, missed spots, brush marks on ceilings)
• Electrical sockets and switches (not level, faceplate gaps)
• Kitchen units (not level, alignment of door fronts, drawer runner operation)
• Bathroom seals (silicone gaps or voids around bath, shower tray and basin)
• Loft insulation (not laid flat or not reaching required depth — affects EPC rating)

Services:

• Boiler operation and pressure (test heating and hot water)
• All extractor fans (kitchen, bathroom, en suite) — check they actually operate
• Smoke and CO2 detectors — test every one
• Electric consumer unit (check all circuits labelled)
• Drainage (run all taps simultaneously to check drain rates; listen for gurgling from shared stack pipes)

Tip 4: Know the difference between a defect and a tolerance

Not every imperfection is a defect under NHBC standards. NHBC publishes Technical Standards that define acceptable tolerances for workmanship. Examples:

• A wall that deviates from plumb by up to 8mm in a 1.8m height may be within tolerance
• Grout joints in tiling that vary by up to 2mm in width may be within tolerance
• Slight colour variation in brickwork is normal and not a defect

A professional inspector will flag what is genuinely outside tolerance and what you might simply have personal preferences about. If the inspector flags something as "within tolerance but noted," it means the developer is not obligated to fix it — but you can still raise it; developers often will address items as a goodwill gesture, particularly in the first few weeks.

Tip 5: Re-inspect after remedial work is completed

When the developer completes remedial works from your snag list, do not simply accept their word that all items are resolved. Book a re-inspection — either via your original professional inspector (some packages include this; others charge £100–£200 for a revisit) or conduct your own systematic check against the original report.

Common problems found at re-inspection:

• Work completed to a lower standard than the original finish
• Items marked as "fixed" but only partially addressed
• New defects introduced by the remedial work (e.g., paint touched up in a way that leaves a visible patch, or a skirting board re-fixed but the nail holes not filled)

You have the right to request further remedial work for anything not properly resolved during the 2-year period. Document the re-inspection with dated photographs.

The Consumer Code for Home Builders

Approximately 95% of new-build developers in England are registered members of the Consumer Code for Home Builders (CCHB). This is a separate and additional layer of protection from the NHBC warranty.

Under the CCHB, developers must:

• Give you accurate and truthful information before you buy
• Use a fair and balanced reservation agreement
• Allow you a 10-day cooling-off period
• Ensure your home is ready for occupation on the agreed completion date
• Provide an effective customer service process for dealing with defects

If your developer breaches the Code, you can access the Independent Dispute Resolution Scheme (IDRS), which can award compensation of up to £15,000 — and require the developer to carry out specific work.

From January 2024, the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) also operates alongside the CCHB, with its own Code of Practice and an independent ombudsman. If your developer is NHQB-registered (a growing list of major developers), you have an additional route for escalation.

What If Your New Build Has a Serious Defect?

The majority of snagging issues are resolved straightforwardly. But occasionally a new-build buyer discovers a significant defect — fire stopping missing between floors, a structural crack, a major drainage failure, or damp caused by incorrect wall construction.

If you face a serious defect:

1. Do not do anything that could be construed as accepting the defect. Do not carry out repair work yourself; do not attempt DIY fixes.
2. Get an independent structural engineer or building surveyor's report — not another snagging inspector, but a qualified professional who can formally assess the severity.
3. Report formally and immediately to both the developer and NHBC in writing, with the surveyor's report attached.
4. Do not be rushed into accepting a minor repair when the root cause is more significant. A structural crack that is filled and repainted is not the same as a structural crack that is properly investigated and the underlying issue resolved.
5. Consider legal advice if the developer's response is inadequate — a solicitor's letter often accelerates matters, and many property solicitors will give a free initial consultation.

Snagging Timeline: A Month-by-Month Plan

Snag or Survey? The Difference

A common source of confusion for first-time new-build buyers is the distinction between a snagging inspection and a survey.

A snagging inspection is specific to new-build properties. It checks workmanship and finish against the NHBC Technical Standards and the developer's specification. It is typically conducted close to or at completion.

A survey (RICS Level 1, 2, or 3) is a professional assessment of the property's condition and structure. On a new-build, you might commission a RICS Level 1 Condition Report (£250–£400) for peace of mind that there are no structural issues apparent at the time of completion — this is separate from and complementary to a snagging inspection.

For a new-build, many buyers commission a professional snagging inspection only, and do not commission a separate survey. This is a reasonable approach if the property has an NHBC warranty and you are buying directly from the developer. However, if you are buying a near-new property (2–5 years old) on the resale market, a Level 2 survey is advisable — the NHBC structural warranty may still have years remaining, but the 2-year developer defect period will have expired, so you need your own independent assessment.

Series Navigation

This is Part 10 of 12 in our "Buying Your First Home — month by month" series:

• ← Part 9: Making an Offer and Negotiating in 2026
• Part 10: New Build Snagging (you are here)
• Part 11: Remortgaging Your First Home →

Sources

• NHBC: Buildmark warranty — what it covers
• NHBC: NHBC Technical Standards
• Consumer Code for Home Builders: Homebuyer rights and dispute resolution
• New Homes Quality Board: New Homes Quality Code and ombudsman
• RICS: Survey levels for homebuyers
• gov.uk: New home warranties — your rights