Your new build, snagged properly.
You get one clean shot at this, and it is worth doing before the money moves. Walk the house, photograph every defect, say what is wrong, and hand the developer a report they can work through.
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Actual iPhone app. Demonstration visit.
Six snags in every new build, and the line to write
None of these is dramatic and that is the point: they are the things a buyer walks past and a surveyor writes down. Each one is a photograph, a circle, and one sentence a builder can act on.
DCPaint runs on the skirting
DecoratingPaint runs to the skirting in the hall, filler showing through the top coat
CPDoor not closing flush
CarpentryBedroom door does not close flush, gap wider at the head than the foot
CPGap at the skirting mitre
CarpentrySkirting mitre open in the corner of the lounge, gap unfilled
TLGrout and silicone missed
TilingGrout missing to the tile joint above the bath and the silicone bead is uneven
GLScratched glass, mastic on the frame
GlazingScratch to the glazing in the front bedroom and mastic left on the bead
PSJoints showing through the paint
PlasteringBoard joints and fixings showing through the paint on the landing wall
Photograph it, circle it, say that sentence out loud. The list writes itself while you walk to the next room.
The timings that decide everything
Snagging is not one event. It is four moments, and each one is worth less than the one before it.
Before legal completion
Your pre-completion inspection. If your developer is registered with the New Homes Quality Board you have the right to one, and under Version 2 of the Code you can appoint a professional or do it yourself with the NHQB checklist. The strongest moment you get, because the money has not moved.
The first week after moving in
The second walk, with the heating on and the water run. A shower that will not drain, a radiator that stays cold, a door that swells against the frame.
Weeks two to eight
Drying out. Hairline shrinkage cracks appear and are normal. Note them separately so the list stays credible.
Before the end of year two
The last call. Under an NHBC Buildmark policy the builder warranty period runs two years from legal completion. After that the cover is structural insurance and cosmetic snagging is out of it.
What the developer has to put right
Not everything you dislike is their problem, and knowing where the line sits is what makes a list get actioned rather than argued with.
Theirs
- Work that does not meet the warranty technical standards
- Anything missing or different from the specification you bought
- Damage caused during construction
- Poor workmanship, from paintwork to a leaking window
- Items that fail in normal use in the first two years
Not theirs
- Shrinkage cracking as the house dries out
- Damage you or your movers caused
- Wear from normal use
- Changes you would prefer but did not buy
- Condensation from how the house is being lived in and ventilated
Under an NHBC Buildmark policy the first two years after legal completion are the builder warranty period, and NHBC runs a free resolution service across it. NHBC, first two years.
Do it yourself, or pay for a survey
Both are legitimate. The honest comparison is money against the quality of the document you end up holding.
A professional snagging survey
Typically £300 to £600 depending on size. An experienced eye and a report on headed paper. Under the Code an inspector you appoint must belong to a recognised body such as CABE, CIOB, ICWCI, RICS or RPSA and hold professional indemnity insurance.
Your own inspection
Free, and Version 2 of the New Homes Quality Code explicitly allows it using the NHQB checklist. You know the house better than anyone. What has been missing is a way to produce a report that reads like the professional one.
Plenty of buyers do both, their own walk first so the professional is not paid to find the obvious. The room by room checklist is what to take round with you.
One walk, and the report is written
A photograph and a spoken sentence on site, and a priceable line out of it. Nothing gets typed up afterwards.
21 Aug 2026 · 09:18Point, shoot, circle it with your finger.
“Hall. There’s paint runs all down the skirting by the front door, and you can see the filler coming through the top coat. Needs rubbing down and a proper second coat. Not urgent, but it’s on the list.”
Your own words, held down for as long as it takes.
DefectPaint runs to the skirting by the front door, filler showing through the top coat
ActionRub down and reapply the finish coat
Location, defect, action, trade, priority. Nothing added that you did not say.
- 1
Type the address
That is the entire setup. No project, no rooms to configure, no template to pick.
- 2
Photograph and circle each defect
Draw straight on the picture with your finger, so nobody has to guess which mark you meant.
- 3
Say what is wrong
Hold the button and talk. It becomes a written defect line with the trade and the urgency against it.
- 4
Send it from the drive
A PDF grouped by room, your photos and circles included, signed off in your name.
For the contractor
Works sheet
The same 14 numbered snags. Print it for notes, materials used and completion.
Open the 7-page works sheetQuestions people ask
When should I do new build snagging?
Before legal completion if your developer is registered with the New Homes Quality Board, because you have a right to a pre-completion inspection and the money has not moved yet. Then again in the first week of living there, with the heating on and the water run.
How much does a new build snagging survey cost?
A professional snagging survey for a new build typically costs between £300 and £600 depending on the size of the property. Carrying out the inspection yourself is free and is explicitly allowed under Version 2 of the New Homes Quality Code using the NHQB checklist.
How long does the developer have to fix snags?
Under the New Homes Quality Code, where issues found at a pre-completion inspection breach warranty technical standards the developer is responsible for addressing them ideally before legal completion, or within 30 days where that is not possible.
Are hairline cracks a snag?
Usually not. A new house dries out over its first months and shrinkage cracking is expected. Record them separately so the genuine defects on your list are not dismissed alongside them.
What if I have already completed?
You have not lost your protection. Under an NHBC Buildmark policy the builder warranty period runs for two years from legal completion, and the free NHBC resolution service is available during it if the developer will not engage.
Snag it before you sign for it
Capture photos and notes on site, even without signal after opening the app online. Connect to review the AI draft. Share one report a week free, up to 10 jobs.
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