SNAGGING & HANDOVER

For those who have bought a new build property or off-plan investment, Properion offers a completely independent snagging and handover service in London and surrounding areas.

There is a common conception that if a property is new, everything is finished to high standards and therefore there would be no defects. You could not be more wrong!  

New homes or converted properties are known for minor defects or ‘snags’ caused by poor workmanship or equipment.

A lot of new build developments are built on mass scale and although the developer will carry out their own snagging, they often miss things especially if there are a hundred of apartments all with the same specs and finish. Fresh pair of eyes will spot things that the builder didn’t notice in time prior to completion, so that the defects can be addressed before your tenant moves in.

Our inspectors are highly skilled and experienced and have inspected many properties over the years. They are passionate about their work, with an eye for detail and have exceedingly high standards when it comes snagging new build homes.

THE PROCESS

SNAGGING

Specification check and a visible snagging and defect inspection of the Property is carried out as soon as a notice is served.

HANDOVER

Collection of keys, warranties and statutory documentation (if provided by developer) is carried out on completion.

AFTERCARE

We follow up with the developer on any issues and re-inspect where necessary until issue resolved.

Typical Property Snags:

Defective Decorations

Whether it's poorly applied paint, peeling wall paper, poorly installed light fittings or uneven switches or sockets. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

Fitted Floor Issues​

Whether it's uneven floors, poorly fitted floors, cracked tiles, stained carpets and even scratches surfaces. Over the years. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

Kitchen Defects

Whether it's unlevel cabinets, ill fitted cabinet doors, cabinet doors that don't open,scratched kitchen work tops and even leaking taps. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

Bathroom Defects

Whether it's leaking fittings, cracked shower trays, blocked pipes, ill fitting bath tubs and even showers without handles. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

Defective Doors

Whether it's creaking doors, jamming doors, misaligned handles, defective locks, missing fire seals or scratched doors. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

Defective Windows

Whether it's windows that are painted shut, stiff to open, misaligned or unlevel, missing sash weights or cracked glazing. Over the years we have seen and snagged them all!

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Most frequent questions and answers

Snagging is an informal expression used within the construction industry used to describe the process of defect identification and resolution. Snagging inspection is used to identify any defects or repairs that need to be made to a new build property or a property following refurbishment work. Most commonly used for new build properties, snagging surveys are should be carried out between building work being finished and your legal completion date.

A Snagging List is a detailed report of items not finished to an acceptable standard in a total or partial new build as well as recently refurbished older properties.

This report is prepared prior to completion. The purpose is to identify defects in your home for your housebuilder to fix.

Snagging lists provide a professional’s visual opinion on what is not correct or unacceptable practice.

It is advisable to get a professional to create your snagging lists as they will find more defects than a layperson and the house builder is not obliged to inform you about the defects that they are aware of.  It is a case of buyer beware.

The report aims to help you:

>>   Highlight any issues in the property that full short of the warranty standards

>>   Highlight any breaches of building regulations or any other statutory technical guidance

>>   Identify works which are outstanding

>>   Identify where traditional custom and practice within the industry have not been met

>>   Provide guidance prior to or post completion of the property as to any outstanding issues requiring remedial works.

We will check every aspect of the property that is visible.

Your report details the outcome of a visual survey of the property and the defects, to check the quality of workmanship against applicable standards.

Some of the things we are not able to check:

TV systems …

Drainage systems,

Telecoms ….mostly no connected at the time of inspection

Alarm systems …there are so many differing types, all require specialist to advise home owner

Home automation systems …these are complex systems and there are many differing types, all require specialist to advise the home owner.

The length of time an inspection can take will vary according to the size of the property, the number of snags found.

The top ten snagging defects that we see in new build properties are:

  1. Different finish/specifications.
  2. Different layout.
  3. Plasterwork patching and redecoration.
  4. Ceramic tiling and bathroom tiling grouting and mastic incomplete.
  5. Architraves and skirting boards require caulking.
  6. Defective or scratched glazing.
  7. Kitchen cabinet doors not aligned properly.
  8. Plumbing incomplete.
  9. Leaks.
  10. Faulty locks.

If you are buying off-plan it is usual to exchange contracts before the house has been finished or even started. In this case the best time to have the snagging inspection completed is when the builder serves notice to complete. This is usually done two weeks before you move in (legal completion) and will provide the builder with a reasonable amount of time to deal with any snagging defects identified during the inspection.

Until you have completed, in legal terms, the property still belongs to the developer and they may try to deny access to our snagging inspector.

However, you have a legal interest in the property and for this reason your solicitor will be able to arrange access if the builder is being difficult. In recent years this has not been a major issues as most developers are used to dealing with us and the HBF has published a voluntary code, Customer Service Code of Conduct, which states:

  1. The home builder will co-operate with appropriately qualified professional advisors appointed by the customer to resolve disputes, if they arise.

Although we are not carrying out a structural survey we will highlight defects that require further investigation.

It is not uncommon for the builder to include substitution clauses in contracts that allow them to change the specification. This is not unreasonable as specified products may not be available when the property is built for a number of legitimate reasons. However, these changes should be like-for-like substitutions.

If the contract does not stipulate like-for-like substitutions it may also contravene the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCRs) and you should speak to your lawyer prior to legal completion.

Our snagging and handover report will check the due diligence and specification and fixtures and fittings details, any differences will be highlighted in our snagging and handover report.

The answer to this question depends upon whether the builder has served notice to complete.

If they have served notice, you will be able to claim liquidated damages. The amount you can claim will be specified in the contract and will be in the order of £50 per day. However, the builders will only serve notice once they are absolutely certain that they won’t have to pay any damages. They do this by serving notice just a couple of weeks before the property is finished.

If they have not served notice, it is not possible to claim compensation. This is despite the fact that the sales staff will have probably given you an unrealistic moving date to close the deal resulting in significant inconvenience and expense. The best way to mitigate this risk is to buy a stock home or to use a part-exchange scheme if one is available.

Our inspectors are experienced construction and property professionals, and the service that Properion provides is not in any way a valuation or structural survey. If however, elements are noticed by our inspectors that raise concerns in these areas, then a recommendation shall be made that a structural survey is carried out.

See terms and conditions for full details

To ensure that we identify and record all of the snags within the property, our inspectors will work their way through the property room by room in systematic and thorough approach.

We will start by inspecting the ceiling, then move onto the walls, the floor, the windows, the switches, the door furniture and any other items within the room.

Each property snag is carefully recorded, described and photographed and then later on within the report, a recommended for making good the snag is made by the inspector.

The report is then forwarded to you so you can present this report to your builder or developer.

They will then work their way through the report, making good the various defects that have been recorded.In our experience we know that contractors can often raise issue with a snagging list, or can dispute the snag.

As a part of our handover service, we will liaise directly with the developer/builder about rectifying the identified snagging issues and then arrange to return on handover to re-inspect the property to ensure everything is done to a satisfactory standard. We will continue to support you so that you can be safe in the knowledge that your investment property will be well presented, fully operational in every respect and as been finished to the standard you would expect.

MULTIPLE BOOKING DISCOUNT

WE ARE ABLE TO OFFER SUBSTANTIAL DISCOUNTS TO THOSE WISHING
TO HAVE MULTIPLE UNITS INSPECTED ON THE SAME DAY

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