Snagging Report Service

We offer a professional building snag report service for commercial customers seeking to improve their quality control an to private clients concerned that their new property falls short of the standards outlined by the NHBC. We have over 10 years experience creating high quality Snagging Reports for a wide range of developers and commercial customers. The Snag Report is invaluable to the developer who seeks to identify any possible defects prior to completion or the homeowner who is concerned about the quality of the house they have purchased.

We partner with a specialist surveying company due to their experience in this field and because they use the very latest technology in there surveys including thermal camera tests, soil reports, and image based reporting.

Why use a professional snagging report service?
 
Houses are not built in factory conditions by robots. House building involves multiple trades, working in all weather. It is inevitable that damage occurs. Some developers may choose to ignore the damage in the hope that the customer doesn’t complain, or simply, the developer does not notice the damage.
The developer is focussed on passing the builder-backed warranty inspections and Building Control inspections, which does not look at the quality of finish in the detail expected by the customer.


Customer’s expectations have increased.


Our aim to improve finishing standards whether employed by a private client or developer.


The services of a professional snagger can be invaluable in several respects

  • Assessment of the quality of finish of a new build or refurbished property is subjective in absence of detailed guidelines from the warranty companies. In some cases, the developer will argue that the quality of finish is within tolerances.
  • If a developer is aware that a professional snagger has been commissioned, he will spend more time finishing the house to a higher standard.
  • The snagging report provides an accurate snapshot of the damage/defects in the property before legal completion. So there is no confusion as to when the damage/defects occurred.
  • Damage and defects can be identified and resolved before the customer moves in. Minimising inconvenience and disruption and saving time taken off work and avoid tradesmen carrying out dirty or dusty remedial works in their new home.
  • A professional snagging report will provide a framework whereby the developer can resolve the issues more efficiently.
  • A professional snagger can apply pressure on the developers to rectify damage and defects.
  • A professional snag survey is also of benefit, where the developer is not responding to the customers concerns.
  • Even if the item identified is within industry guidelines, we find most developers will resolve problems in order to safeguard their reputation for customer services, therefore both the developer and the customer benefit.


 
Why use Snagworks for your Snag Reports?

  • We have been snagging houses since 2005, and during that time we have snagged thousands of properties.
  • We know what to look for from experience.
  • Our prices are the most competitive in the market.
  • We are unique as the only company to offer a snag and repair service.
  • Working with site managers and tradesmen, our report becomes a working document which is easy to use by all parties.
  • We will identify all blemishes to walls and ceilings in accordance with industry guidelines.
  • We will identify all damage or defects to factory items in accordance with industry guidelines.
  • A report that is easy to understand will enable the rectification of damage and defects more readily.  An accurate description of any damage or defect combined with precise location is paramount to achieving a comprehensive working document.
  • The report will be sent electronically and by post if requested. Further advice, where required is available, together with follow up visits in order to check that the agreed works have been completed.
  • We offer discounts on multiple properties.


 
Professional Repair Services

In addition to our snagging service we offer a specialist repair service to fix any minor damage to factory items installed during the build. Working in collaboration with the developer, we can organise the repair of items identified on the snagging report. The developer is required to resolve any issues, that are not acceptable to the customer under industry guidelines. In many cases, it is cheaper and quicker to use our services. We have a 2, 4, 6 and 8 hour charge and can usually complete a standard repair every 45 minutes. Call 0844 800 5508 today for a quote!

 
Snag Report Prices
 

  • 1-2 Bed home - £349
  • 3 bed home - £399
  • 4-5 bed home - £449


Working in collaboration with the developer and our snagging report, many issues can be resolved prior to the customer taking possession.

Please call us today on 0844 800 5508 or contact us via our contact page to place an order.


Booking...

Contact us through our contact page to place an order, identifying the report you require. We will send you our payment details and forward the report once payment has been received.

Snagworks Ltd Snagging Report Services throughout the UK.



Snagworks Frequently Asked Questions

Snag Reports 1.0    DOMESTIC CLIENTS 


  • What is included in the survey?  We visit to the property and carry out a visual survey of the following:  Inside the property:-All factory items including all joinery. Walls and ceilings that do not comply with industry finishing guidelines ​Outside the property: All factory items. Brickwork and roof covering. Stone or tile features etc.Painting finish that do not comply with industry finishing guidelines Garages, pathways, railings, perimeter fencing etc.
  • What are factory items? windows - casements, frames, runners, seals, glass, external and internal sills, ironmongery, external doors  - door, ironmongery (handles, hinges, letterbox etc.) weather bar, glass, lead  doors, frames, internal doors - door, ironmongery, kitchen - worktops, breakfast bars, splashbacks, edging, carcasses, shelving end panels, linings cupboard doors, drawers, running mechanisms, ironmongery, kickboards, pelmets, cornice Appliances – ovens, hobs, microwaves, w/machines, d/washer. (we don’t test if they work, we only look for damage). Sink, bowls, drainer, fixings, taps bathroom  - pan, cistern, toilet seat, basin, pedestal, taps, bath, bath panels, taps, shower equipment, shower screen, tiling, floor, walls, grout, beading, shower tray, towel radiator. joinery  - stairs - newels, string, baluster, handrail, handrail brackets, tread, riser, caps, skirting, architraves,picture rails fireplace - surround, mantle, hearth fitted furniture - wardrobes  – doors, frames, shelving, drawers ​dec. plaster  - cornice, ceiling rose flooring  - carpets, wood/laminate floor, vinyl, floorboards, screeds plumbing  - boiler, cylinders, radiators incl. valves electrical  - sockets, switches, lights, consumer unit, smoke, CO2, burglar  alarm (we do not test the system) rainwater  - gutters, downpipes, bracketseaves  - fascia, soffit external - porch, meter boxes Stone - Sills, quoins, string, plinth, releasing tile details garages  - doors, eaves, brickwork, roof covering, rainwater goods ​other  - gates, fencing, perimeter railings, pathways Walls and ceilings Snagworks full snag service would check all walls and ceilings for blemishes in plasterwork or inconsistencies in painting that fall outside building industry guidelines for tolerances. External envelope Snagworks check for damage and defects to the roof covering, brickwork elevations, landscaping, perimeter fencing and driveways/paths.
  • When is the best time to carry out a new build snag report? Following exchange of contracts and prior to legal completion is the best time to carry out a professional snag report. This gives the developer chance to resolve all the defects and repair damage before you move in.If you have already moved in, the developer is responsible for all defects up to 2 years, a survey can be undertaken at anytime up to the end of this period. It would be difficult however to blame the developer for damage to fixtures and fittings once you have occupied the property for several months. For example, you have a limited time to report defects to sanitary ware and scratches to glass.
  • What if we find new snags after the initial snag list has been submitted? The developer is responsible for rectifying all snags within the initial 2 year period. There is no limit therefore on the reports you can submit to the developer.
  • Will the developer allow access prior to legal completion? Any reasonable builder should allow for a detailed inspection of the property prior to legal completion.  The 2010 Consumer Code for Home Builders states that the developer should, ‘co-operate with appropriate qualified professional advisors appointed by the home buyer to resolve disputes’ (Clause 5.2) If a developer does not allow access, they are still responsible for rectifying snags for up to 2 years. Though, they will be doing the work once you have moved in.
  • How are payments made? A deposit is to be made prior to the works commencing, with the remainder invoiced prior to release of the report. We accept payment by Card, BACS, or Cheque payments. 
  • What if I want a factory item replaced not repaired? Industry guidelines accept that factory items can be repaired as long as the quality of the repair is of a good standard, it is invisible (to within 50cm), and it is long lasting. Damage repair companies specialise in carrying out invisible repairs to virtually any item both inside and outside the property, and are an accepted alternative to replacement, where replacement is impractical or its replacement may cause further damage to adjacent items.
  • What if the developer refuses to cooperate? If all negotiations with your developer fail and the developer refuse to put right any defects or damage, despite being liable under industry guidelines, our in-house specialist repair service can rectify all manner of damaged factory items. Clients may then decide to pursue their developer through the legal system for compensation.


When to call us in?

The best time to carry out a snag report is after exchange of contracts but prior to legal completion. During this period, the developer will invite you to inspect your property, and you will be asked at this short meeting to identify the snags you would like the developer to rectify before you move in.If a developer denies access prior to legal completion, then we would question what the developer has to hide.

If you have moved into your new property and are unhappy with the standard of finish, it’s not too late to ask a developer to rectify any defects or damage. Whilst it is more difficult to snag a property once it is lived in, and more difficult for a tradesman to rectify any defect or damage without disruption to furniture, decorative finishes and fabrics, you have the right to request that action is taken to resolve any issues that do not fall within industry guidelines within the first 2 years of the warranty period.

Frequently Asked Questions for Commercial Clients
 
2.0    COMMERCIAL - SNAGGING REPORTS


  • How would our company benefit? Most companies carry out their own internal quality procedure, through their site managers, contract managers or quality assurance manager. However, site managers and contract managers are generally too busy to carry out a comprehensive snag and is a conflict of interest as it identifies the defects and damage to their build.
  • If there houses are to be inspected by in-house quality manager’s, they pass the responsibility for damage and defects to them.Quality managers generally do not have the resources to carry out a full survey. They may only concentrate on the major issues, concentrating on walls and ceiling finishes rather than factory items.
  • They are not independent and have a conflict of interest.
  • Outsourcing the snagging to an independent company provide an unbiased view of the quality of the properties being built, is a effective way of producing a comprehensive snagging document that will help each trade deal with remedial items efficiently, and is a cost that can be identified in the budget that may be more cost effective than snagging in-house.100% snag free is our aim.
  • When is the best time to carry out a snag report? Best results are achieved once the house is practically complete and has been cleaned.
  • How easy is the report to use? Other snagging companies will generate a list of items per room that is geared towards their customers.
  • Our report  is written for the developer and tradesmen and is in an easy to use, table format identifying; the room, the defect/damage, precise location, a column to insert the trade responsible, and a column to verify that remedial work has been completed.
  • What are the payment terms? Work will be invoiced under our standard 30 day terms.


3.0    COMMERCIAL - REPAIRS AND SNAG & REPAIR


  • What can you repair? Just about anything, though hard surfaces such as glass repairs, granite repairs, and porcelain repairs are more difficult as it is hard to get any repair products to stick, or their hardness makes polishing difficult.
  • How long does it take to carry out a repair? Anything from 5 minutes to several hours, depending upon the size and complexity of repair. For instance, removing a metal mark to porcelain could take as little as  5 minutes, but a hole in the base of the bath could take 2 hours. How long will the repair last? This depends on the type of repair we carry out and the product we are repairing. We try and use similar strengths of repair material to the product we are repairing in order that they wear evenly.
  • We have been carrying out repairs for over 10 years and during that time we have repaired around 500,000 items in around 25,000 properties and our failure rate is averaging at 10 items a year.


INDUSTRY GUIDELINES


The three main companies that provide building insurance for new properties as follows: ​ NHBC Premier ​Zurich (not accepting new work) Any snagging report we undertake will consider the guidelines specific to your building guarantee in order to ensure that the developer has complied with accepted standards, and the report will written with their specific guidelines in mind.


  • NHBC Inspection - Their website can be viewed at www.nhbc.co.uk ​
  • From the NHBC website: Standards of Finish - A new home is an individually built hand-crafted product. For this reason there will inevitably be some variation in the finished appearance of different elements of the construction and a lack of uniformity, due to the nature of the materials used and the ways in which they are applied. This is normal and to be expected. NHBC requires work to be carried out in accordance with the NHBC standards, in a proper, neat and workmanlike manner. Judgement about the suitability of finished achieved can be subjective. Some materials such as timber do alter in size and shape as they dry out and settle in use. To help explain what the appropriate standards of finish are, NHBC has issued technical guidance to its inspection claims staff, and to it’s registered builders. ​Entitled ‘NHBC Standards Chapter 1.2 – A consistent approach to finishes’, the guide advises how finishes on many elements of a new home should be viewed, and the extent to which variations and changes are acceptable and normal. The guidance makes particular reference to the finishes of brickwork, internal plaster, render and paint work. It also provides guidance on some of the effects that drying out of the components and fabric of the building will reasonably produce.
  • During the first 2 years - The builder is responsible for putting right any defects to your home within this two-year period as defined by the Buildmark policy. In the first instance you should notify your builder to resolve any issues directly.The Buildmark policy is your insurance and warranty cover provided by NHBC for your new or newly converted home.  If problems arise after this two-year period, contact the NHBC directly.
  • Premier - The Premier Building Insurance Guidelines are very similar in content to the NHBC except that damage and defects to factory items are considered outside of tolerance when they are visible at 2m in natural daylight, as opposed to 0.5m in the NHBC guidelines. The difference is quite significant, and the standards of finish that the developer has to comply with are less onerous under this warranty.
  • For further information, the following chapters can be downloaded from the www.premierguarantee.co.uk website:Chapter 1 Tolerances and Chapter 10 Finishes Zurich - Their website can be viewed at www.zurich.co.uk Zurich Building Guarantee has now withdrawn from the new home Warranty and Building Control markets and has therefore stopped accepting new business for these products.Building InspectionsBuilding Inspectors are responsible for checking that the new build or refurbished property complies with current building standards. The inspector will not comment on the quality of finish, damage or defects unless they compromise the Building Regulations.


 




Snagworks Repair Chips, Scratches & Dents to Any Surface