A new build snagging checklist works best as a fixed walk order through the property, room by room, so you photograph and note every defect in the same sequence every time.
Why a fixed walk order matters
Snagging a new build without a set route means you backtrack, forget rooms, or check the same light switch twice while missing a cracked tile. A printable checklist fixes the order before you start, so you walk the property the same way every time, whether it is your first look before legal completion or a follow up visit a year later.
The order below runs from the outside in, then upstairs, then the services that run through the whole house. Print it, take it round with you, and tick or note as you go.
The printable walk order
- 1Exterior and approach: brickwork, render, pointing, guttering, downpipes, driveway, boundary fencing, external doors and locks, outside taps.
- 2Garage and outbuildings: door operation, roof line, damp patches, power sockets, lighting.
- 3Hallway and stairs: flooring joins, skirting, banister fixings, under stairs storage, smoke alarm position.
- 4Living and dining rooms: windows open and close, trickle vents, radiator fixings, plug sockets, plaster finish in corners and ceiling.
- 5Kitchen: unit doors align and close, worktop joins, tap function, extractor fan, appliance fit, sealant around sink and splashback.
- 6Downstairs WC and utility: sealant, flooring, extractor fan, drainage smell, appliance connections if fitted.
- 7Bedrooms in turn: window operation, wardrobe fit if built in, carpet or flooring edges, radiator, socket count against the plan.
- 8Bathrooms and en suites: tile grout, sealant around bath and shower tray, water pressure, extractor fan, waste pipe fixings, shower screen alignment.
- 9Loft space if accessible: insulation coverage, any visible pipework, hatch fit.
- 10Services check throughout: every socket and switch, every radiator for even heat, boiler panel and pressure, stopcock location and function.
Photographing and recording each defect
For each issue, take a photo that shows the defect clearly, circle or mark the exact spot, and note the room and trade responsible so the report sorts itself when you write it up. A loose light switch is electrical, a gap in sealant is usually the fitter who installed the sanitaryware, a cracked tile is tiling.
Before legal completion or after
Under the New Homes Quality Code Version 2, from March 2026, you have a right to a pre-completion inspection. You can appoint a professional from a recognised body such as CABE, CIOB, ICWCI, RICS or RPSA who holds professional indemnity insurance, or carry out the inspection yourself using the NHQB checklist. Where issues breach the warranty technical standards, the code sets out that the developer addresses them ideally before legal completion or within 30 days.
If you prefer a professional eye over your own walk round, a snagging survey typically costs between £300 and £600 depending on the size of the property. Either way, the room by room order above applies, whether you walk it yourself or a surveyor walks it for you.
After you move in
NHBC Buildmark cover gives a two year builder warranty period from legal completion, followed by eight years of insurance against specified structural defects. In the first two years there is a free NHBC resolution service if you and the builder cannot agree on a defect. Re-walking the same checklist a few months after moving in, once the house has settled and you have lived with it through a change of season, often turns up issues that were not visible on the first pass, such as door frames moving or small cracks appearing.