A “snag” is an imperfection or fault in a new home which does not meet the expected quality or finish as set out by building regulations, warranty standards, or generally accepted standards of workmanship. A snag is something which is unfinished, incorrectly finished, damaged, broken, not fitted or not working properly.

“Snagging” is the identification and professional reporting of snags during a survey by a surveyor. We strongly recommend that you use an accredited surveyor – please see below.

Not all snagging surveys or surveyors are accredited. A survey is accredited when the individual surveyor is a registered member of RICS or RPSA. Whoever you use, we strongly recommend that you ensure your survey will be carried out by an accredited individual. Only an accredited snagging report will be taken seriously by your builder.

We strongly recommend a pre-completion inspection (PCI) because it is the only type of snagging survey that gives you formal protection under the Property Ombudsman scheme. The PCI is officially recognised by the New Homes Quality Board (www.nhqb.org.uk) as part of their New Homes Quality Code. Registered builders are required to permit snagging surveys to be conducted prior to your completion date. A pre-completion inspection can only be carried out by an accredited surveyor (see above).

Many snagging companies suggest that a post-completion inspection is better than a pre-completion inspection, based on the mistaken assumption that the PCI is a "restricted" survey. At Knott Brothers we disagree - our Accredited Snagging Surveys are carried out by the same qualified surveyors to the same professional standards, whether we conduct the survey before or after your completion date.

Please feel free to ask us about this if you would like to know more.

Our Accredited Snagging Survey thoroughly checks your new home outside and inside. Our qualified surveyors follow a structured process to examine and operate everything:

• Are there any visible problems with critical parts of the building?
• Has anything been damaged?
• Has everything been installed or fitted correctly?
• Is there anything missing? (often difficult to spot without an expert eye!)
• Is everything operating correctly? (electrics, plumbing, drainage, windows, doors, etc)
• Is there anything that looks OK now, but could present a problem in future?

We normally take 2-3 hours on-site to conduct the survey, then email you a professional pdf report within 24 hours. Once you have reviewed the report, we are happy to send it to the builder on your behalf (with you copied to the email).

Our accredited snagging reports tend to be received well by builders due to our professional nature and clear pictures with concise notes. Most clients find their builder will present an agreeable schedule for remedial works. Our support is included in the price should you need any follow-up assistance by phone or email. Additionally we are always happy to speak directly to builders about anything that may be unclear in our reports.

Most people expect minor issues like substandard finishes and cosmetic defects to be common snags, and this is true, however many people are unaware that serious issues can also be found during a snagging survey – issues that can pose a danger for the new occupants, or issues that can seriously affect the living conditions over time, such as those related to damp or flooding.

Building a house is a complicated process involving dozens of different trades and people, so it's common for some things to go wrong or be overlooked. Your house is checked by your builder’s own team, but no-one examines every element with the care and attention we do. We have not yet seen a “snag free” house!