Snagger

Snagging around the world: snag lists, punch lists and defects lists

By Mark Brincat5 min read

Every country that builds things has the same moment: the building is nearly finished, someone walks round it, and a list of what is wrong gets written. What changes from place to place is the name of that list, who writes it, and how long the builder stays on the hook afterwards.

This page is the short version. Each country has its own guide with the detail.

What it is called

  • Snag list — the UK, Ireland, Malta, the UAE, South Africa and much of the Commonwealth.
  • Punch list — the United States, and on American-run projects everywhere.
  • Deficiency list — Canada, especially on commercial work.
  • Defects list — Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
  • Réserves, Mängelprotokoll, opleverlijst, repasos — France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

They are the same document. If you want the longer comparison, see snag list vs punch list.

The country guides

  • United Kingdom — NHBC-style 10-year warranties, the New Homes Quality Code and the New Homes Ombudsman.
  • Ireland — snagging before closing, and what HomeBond does and does not cover.
  • Malta — off-plan apartments, the deed of sale, and the 15-year rule for serious defects.
  • United States — substantial completion, retainage and the one-year correction period.
  • Canada — Tarion's PDI and 30-day form, and the provincial warranty ladders.
  • Australia — practical completion, the defects liability period and statutory warranties.
  • New Zealand — the 12-month defect repair period and 10-year implied warranties.
  • UAE and Dubai — handover inspections, the one-year finishing period and decennial liability.
  • Singapore — HDB and condo defects liability periods, and CONQUAS.
  • South Africa — the NHBRC's three-month, one-year and five-year cover.
  • France — réserves at handover, and the one-, two- and ten-year guarantees.
  • Germany — the Bauabnahme, reserving defects, and the five-year warranty.
  • Netherlands — the oplevering, the 5% notary deposit and the three-month maintenance period.
  • Spain — the one-, three- and ten-year guarantees of the Building Act.
  • Portugal — ten years for structure and five for everything else on new homes.
  • Italy — the 60-day notice, the two-year limit and ten years for serious defects.
  • Cyprus — why the contract of sale decides your rights.
  • India — snagging at possession and RERA's five-year, 30-day rule.
  • Qatar — the defects period and ten-year decennial liability.

What is the same everywhere

The deadlines differ, but the habits that get defects fixed do not:

  • Inspect before you sign. In almost every system, the handover or completion signature is the point where your leverage drops.
  • Put it in writing, with a date. Every warranty scheme on this page runs on written notice. A phone call starts no clock.
  • One defect, one entry, one photo, one location. A list someone else can walk round without you.
  • Know your end date. Diarise the end of the defects period and inspect again a month before it.

That is also what Snagger is built around: a pin on the drawing, a photograph and a numbered PDF, issued on site, wherever the site happens to be.

This is a general guide, not legal advice. Periods and rules change, and your own contract can add to them — check it, and take professional advice before relying on a deadline.