What is Snagging?"Snagging" is a necessary process of identifying issues with your new build property. For homeowners, it is a notoriously stressful and time-consuming process which lasts months or even years.
Some developers pressure customers to give them a snag list within just 7 days after completion whilst others are more flexible. Snagging issues range from leaks, heating faults, un-level ceilings and walls, damaged units. poor joinery and structural issues. The importance of hiring a snagging company is that we are experts in identifying hundreds of issues issues quickly with specialist equipment, and providing one comprehensive snag list for you and the builder to easily follow. A professional snagging company takes away this burden and during a typical 5 hour inspection a HomeSnag inspector will capture more than 150 snags which are all photographed, time-stamped and tagged with the trades required. Snagging a house or apartment is a specialist field and an important part of buying new build to the extent that most solicitors recommend using a professional snagging company before funds are sent to the builder. One of the benefits of buying a new build house or apartment is that a governing body such as the NHBC will guarantee the quality of the build and provide a 10 warranty. That means that there shouldn't be any issues right? Wrong... 
"Ask an independent snagging company to inspect the house for flaws before completion"An inspector sent on behalf of your builder will inspect that the house has been built within building "tolerances" but will not pay any attention to the final finish. This is why a professional snagging inspector is required to check the quality after the inspection from the likes of a NHBC or LABC inspector.
Builders are rated by customers in a HBF rating system but this doesn't give an indication as to the quality of the finish from site to site. Some of the worst new build hand-overs we have snagged have been from a 5 star company. If you have bought from a large volume builder, see how they are rated here. Most offer a warranty period between 2-5 years which means there is no immediate cut-off point for you to instruct our company to snag your house. However it is advisable for you to book your snagging inspection 2-4 weeks prior to completion which should be the timescale your builder has finished. It gives your builder time to address the issues our snaggers have raised before you move in, which is beneficial to both parties. or
Choosing the right Snagging Company.It is important to understand that not all professional 'snaggers' do the same sort of checks. Most will simply walk around and identify issues which are then typed up after the inspection. This is notoriously vague and unhelpful to a site manager looking to understand the issues and instruct the trades to rectify.
In contrast, our surveyors are trained with specialist equipment to identify issues out of sight and all the snags are raised in a photographic report. This is done to assist the site manager attend to your issues quickly and efficiently. Whilst a lot of issues raised during a snagging inspection will be minor issues to save you the time raising them, we have the 'trained eye' and qualifications to identify more serious issues that fall outside of tolerances and building regulations. |
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A typical standard snagging survey conducted by most other professional snaggers will just be a hand-written list of faults. In our experience and opinion this makes it difficult to pin-point the issue at hand.
Our snaggers take photographs of the issue which is timestamped and we use dot stickers on the wall (as an option) to help the trades find the issue straight away. This is useful when highlighting issues not just of paintwork but also scratches on windows and damage to doors etc. When booking with us, you will get the chance to have a thorough inspection of your insulation which costs just £45. The reason we charge this as extra is due to the time spent inspecting the house with a thermal camera and using a borescope to inspect through the walls in the cavity through a small 10mm gap. Such an inspection on its own would cost in the region of £500 so it is worth carrying out on your house (we cannot offer this on apartments and not worthwhile on timber framed houses). Insulation issues in new-build houses is more common than you'd think and it has been missed in areas ranging from dormer window reveals, walls and garage ceilings (when bedrooms are above). For more information about our inspection, see our why choose us page or click below for an example snagging report. |
