New builds and warranties

When in a new-build purchase is a snagging inspection usually done?

Usually when the home is ready enough to see the finishes, and before you accept it, so the builder can be told while the contract still gives you leverage. The exact moment is in your contract and your solicitor’s advice. A survey done months after you moved in is a different tool.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

Developers often have a notice period for snagging. Miss it and you may still have warranty rights for some defects, but you will have lost the easy “please come back and adjust the door” stage. The solicitor explains the dates. The inspector lists the items. Neither role deletes the other.

A RICS survey can be timed earlier, to help you decide whether to proceed, or later, if you already own the house and want a condition report. Say which decision you are making when you instruct. A snagging list written after you have signed everything away is still useful evidence. It is a weaker negotiating stick. Ask the solicitor before you choose the week.

What should you ask your surveyor?

If I book you before the house is finished, what will you not be able to see?
Which findings are for the builder’s snagging list rather than for a specialist?
What should I ask my solicitor about timing, in one sentence?

What are the typical next steps?

Fix the inspection date with the solicitor’s dates in mind.
Give the list to the developer in the form they require.
Keep a copy. You may need it if a later warranty claim says the defect is new.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Can you snag from the show home?

The show home is not your plot. Snag the home you are buying.

What if the developer will not allow a snagger on site?

Ask the solicitor. Access is a contract point. The surveyor cannot force the gate.