Snagging new built

rubble2

https://www.youtube.com/@newhomequalitycontrol

You might like to have alook at the above Youtube channel. It will either reassure you or put you off altogether.

GixerKate

From my personal experience I think its unlikely that you will be allowed to do the snagging before completing, it really doesn't often happen.  There is also a lot of anti-new builds on here too so its easy to get very worried.  I think there are good new builds and not-so-good new builds, just like there are good older builds and others which are not.

I moved into our new build about 2 and a half years ago now (so not actually new build anymore) and we asked to do the snagging before hand and were told no so did it afterwards.  It really didn't make any difference, we presented the developer with the list, some of the items were really small like where the paint hadn't been finished properly and others were a bit bigger such as an issue with a window.  The after sales manager came around and then the snaggers came in and sorted them out.  We used the 2 year period to report other snags with doing a final list just before the 2 years were up.  Most have been completed but we are waiting for materials for the final 2 snags. Yes its taken a while but the way I see it, every house you move into needs stuff doing to it, by buying a new build we just have to report the snags and they get fixed vs an older house where you have to pay.

Good luck with your new build, I hope it all goes smoothly.

jam6008

Hi again

I've had the following response from the site
"If you wish to employ the services of a Professional Pre Snagging Inspector the inspection will have to be organised and paid for by yourself.  The Inspector must hold a suitable qualification such as RICS.  The inspection should be booked to take place within the 5 days prior to legal completion."

So it seems like they are allowing it.

I have spoken to a snagging company and they basically said that pre completion snagging isn't that detailed because they are restricted.

This is the response I've had:

"We offer 2 types of surveys. The PCI (Pre-Completion Inspection) abides by the NHQB (New Homes Quality Board) requirements and is suitable if you are getting us around pre-completion. Our flagship service is the Snagging Survey which allows us to go into more detail (so is not NHQB compliant) and is the survey to go for if you have moved in. 

In a PCI pre-completion inspection, we follow a strict checklist formed by the NHQB (New Homes Quality Board) as part of the New Build Ombudsman. This checklist is to give homeowners an idea of issues that meet /do not meet standards according to their guidance. It is therefore more restrictive in comparison to our flagship Snagging Survey which allows us to often raise more technical issues in line with building regs, NHBC (National House Building Control) tolerances and other relevant standards."

I am trying to decide if there is much point getting pre completion snagging done if there is only going to be a difference of 5 working days? Or is it better to get this done as site can not blame for any of the issues that are found as we have not moved in yet.

Please let me know what you think  

[Deleted User]

If you can wait a few days before moving in you could get the post completion one. Of course if it's bad they have your money by then...

Becksie11

I’ve just brought a new build also in Leicestershire, prior to completion we had a meeting with the site manager and we went round every room with him and did a snag list, he took pictures and sorted those out prior to completion.

Four days later I got a professional snagger to come, he did his report which shows all the things that need to be corrected in pictures, handed it in and everything on the list has been fixed, no questions asked. 

Cannot fault the site manager. 

https://thehouseinspectorltd.co.uk/ Is who I used. 

Thumbs_Up

Does a “professional snagger” carry x-ray goggles in his tool box?

I was looking at a new build a few years back that was local to me. The sales rep (at the risk of her job no doubt, let me look over this house in the process of being built at the weekend) while the builders were away. I had to climb over the security fencing to gain access, looked all over from rooftop to the ground floor...I can’t say anymore, but you have to be over 50 years of age to remember this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HtqvZ9ywJY

MikeJXE

I'm Leicestershire too, Coalville area, ex builder 

My granddaughter bought a new build October 2021 

I used to visit the site quite often and a few weeks before completion I would just walk in to her house and look around, even with workmen in, didn't see any problems as they were making a good job

The builder I know from the past was then the best quality builder around at the time who sold out to one of the big names, then set his son up with a new company, 

Highly recommended 

Can't you walk into your new home and have a look, talk to the trades like I did, might help to put your mind at recast 

Most of the new builds when almost complete are not fenced off with those in part construction 

[Deleted User]

Every house in the UK is bodged in some way. Just depends how bad it is.

In other countries there is a manager assigned to each building, whose job is to check everything is within exacting standards. All the way through the build. Nothing like that here.

jam6008

I agree things vary a lot from site to site and builder as well. 
I am hoping for the best with this house and they are happy to let me go and have a look at the house before we move in and have now also said yes to be pre completion snagging survey. 

I know the house has 2 years warranty but any important/major issues idenfitied should ideally be fixed before I move in so furniture etc is not in the way. Not sure if thay would be vase and how quick the site would be in fixing issues. 

Also not sure how much time NHBC spends inspecting the house as they are doing their inspection early June so if they did their job properly you would expect them to pick up on any major issues...... 

Mutton_Geoff

jam6008 said:

I don't know if anyone's used this company before or not but their example report looks good? 

https://www.homesnag.co.uk/example-snag-report.html

I used them, excellent service and they are registered with RICS so their reports more likely to be taken seriously. The surveyor told me stories from both ends of the spectrum, a national housebuilder who constructed 2 houses on an estate so badly they had to be demolished and in contrast, a small developer near Gatwick that employs them to monitor stages of the build to monitor subcontractor standards and make sure that the home buyer gets somewhere with the least amount of snags.

They found some interesting things with my new build that I was never aware of even after living in it for two years.