What is home snagging?

When you buy a new home, there are already lots of things for you to think about. From completing on time and picking up your keys to how you’re going to decorate and when you’re going to move in. It’s therefore understandable that seemingly lower priority elements like snagging would go a miss.

But what is home snagging and why is it important? In this blog, we’ll start at the beginning, defining snagging and letting you know why you should have a professional home snagging inspection when you buy a new build home.

What is snagging?

Snagging refers to the process of identifying problems with a new build property. A professional home snagger will come to your property and look for issues that may have been left or missed by your house builder. Home snagging is also known as a snagging inspection, snagging survey or snagging report.

A professional snagging inspection will record anything that is deemed to be below high standards, not completed to specification or non-compliant with building regulations. You will usually receive a snagging report after an inspection, detailing any snagging issues that have been found.

Why is snagging important?

Snagging is important for all new build properties because it enables you to find and rectify any issues which could cause further problems later on. This is crucial because you usually have a set time period where your house builder will correct any issues you find without it costing you.

Major and large faults are unlikely to get past building control, but shoddy workmanship or missing specifications can sometimes be overlooked. However, to a homeowner, these minor faults are still faults and should be treated in the same way as major ones. If left untreated, some issues could cause serious problems in the future, and if you’re out of your warranty period, they could be hugely expensive to fix.

With the UK construction industry working at a rapid pace, corners are bound to be cut. This is why it’s more important than ever to ensure you book a snagging inspection for your new build property. You’ve likely spent a lot of money on your new home, so protecting your investment with a professional snagging survey should be a no brainer.

When should snagging be done?

Property snagging should be a high priority task when moving home. A snagging inspection should be completed as early in the process as possible, ideally before you exchange contracts or hit your completion date.

We recommend having a snagging inspection before completion of your home, where possible, to ensure the housebuilder can fix any identified snags before you move in and before you hand over the rest of your money. This gives you slightly more leverage to have everything fixed if your developer is playing hardball.

However, where this is not possible, we suggest having your survey as soon as possible after you move in to ensure any issues can be identified and rectified before they cause serious problems. You normally have 2 years to report any defects to your builder, so inspections can be carried out later if required.

Do I need to pay for a professional snagging company?

Paying for a professional snagging service is not a requirement when you buy a new property, and it is possible to complete a snagging inspection yourself. However, we highly recommend hiring a professional to ensure you don’t miss anything.

Home snagging companies are usually made up of professionals with experience in the construction industry. They know what to look for and where issues might crop up, enabling you to receive a comprehensive snagging inspection and professional snagging list to match.

What do you look for when snagging?

The snagging inspection process covers all areas of your home, both internal and external. When surveying your home, a professional snagger will look for any surface defects that may occur on woodwork, paintwork, glazing or tiling.

At Shropshire Home Snagging, we thoroughly inspect your home to look for these usually minor defects, as well as chips and scratches on surfaces, cracks on walls and ceilings, uneven surfaces that are out of level, missing fixtures or fittings and any other obvious issues that may have been missed at your home inspection.

The areas that we typically inspect include the following:

• Brickwork, roof tiling and building structure

• Internal paintwork and tiling to walls and ceilings

• Flooring, skirting boards and architraves

• Kitchen and bathroom fittings

• Pipes and radiators

• Windows, doors and frames

• Staircases and internal joinery

• Appliances and fireplaces

• Loft space

• External pipes, paintwork and drainage

• Fences, gates, drives and boundaries

• Gardens and landscaping

If you are keen to look for any snags yourself, either before a professional snagging inspection so you can point a few things out, or instead of a professional survey, NHBC has put together a handy snagging checklist to help you.

Whether you’ve just purchased a newly built home, or you’ve been in your new house a while, a professional snagging inspection is a must. You can book a snagging survey with Shropshire Home Snagging online today.