Snagging inspections
Should I have a professional snagging inspection before I complete on my new build?
If you are purchasing a new apartment or property then it is crucial to have your new build professionally and independently snagged. Looking back over the thousands of apartments that we have inspected from studio flats to penthouses we have never inspected a property that had less than 30 snags or issues; the average 2 bedroom apartment will have about 60 defects and at the worse end we have reported over 500 snags in poorly finished properties.
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If you are investing in a new build then it is worthwhile reading any previous buyer reviews on the developer that you are purchasing your property from. Always check if the developer offers a credible one to two year warranty for snagging issues. It is important that any issues raised by a purchaser or snagging inspector are acknowledged and dealt with in a professional, timely manner and the developer is accountable to an independent quality control body such as the NHBC.
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Also check before you place your deposit that a developer is not adverse to a professional independent snagging inspection before completion.
All new builds will have snags and issues and there are reasons for this:
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1. Time restraints - construction companies are under huge pressures to complete projects in unrealistic time scales and therefore often have no choice but to handover rushed and poorly finished apartments to the developer in order for the developer to complete the sale of the property.
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2. Now days there are very few developers that actually construct a new development utilising their own work force; they often engage the services of a contractor who then subcontracts the work. Most tradesmen onsite now are self employed and therefore it is difficult to maintain a consistent level of good quality finishes.
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3. Developers know that most purchasers are unaware of independent snagging inspection services therefore buyers are unlikely to engage the services of a professional snagging inspector. Subsequently snagging defects and issues can often be overlooked by a buyer who may not be familiar what is acceptable and what isn't an acceptable finish.
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4. The developer will often push the purchaser to conduct a brief snagging inspection during a tight handover slot knowing that the buyer will have limited time to acknowledge, find, raise and report, genuine defects; a professional snagging inspector on average requires 3 hours to inspect a 2 bedroom property, a handover slot is normally 45 minutes. When time restraints of an handover inspection are taking into consideration it is not surprising to know that the average number of snags raised by a client at handover is 14 snags were as a professional snagging inspector will raise on average 60 snags.
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When the median price of 2 bedroom apartment in London is £575,000 surely engaging the services of a professional snagging inspector prior to completion or shortly after completion is worth the investment?
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"Overall, excellent service so I'll be recommending property snagging London to my family and friends! "
Bedroom window handle cracked and chipped