Snagging in France: réserves, livraison and the three guarantees
In France a snag is a réserve, and the snag list is the set of réserves written on the handover report — the procès-verbal de réception for building work, or of livraison when you buy a new home off plan (VEFA). Anything you write there is protected. Anything you do not is much harder to claim later.
Handover: write it all down
At handover you walk the property with the builder or developer and note every visible defect on the report before signing. Be specific — room, element, defect — and attach photos. Buyers often bring a professional to the handover for exactly this reason.
In a VEFA purchase there is a short safety net: visible defects missed on the day can still be notified in writing within one month of taking possession. After the report, though, it becomes your job to show the defect was there at handover, so send the notice early and by recorded delivery.
The three guarantees
- Garantie de parfait achèvement — one year. The builder must put right every defect listed as a réserve or notified in writing during the year after handover, whatever its seriousness. This is the snagging year.
- Garantie biennale — two years. For equipment that can be removed without damaging the building: taps, water heaters, shutters and the like.
- Garantie décennale — ten years. For damage that affects the building's solidity or makes it unfit for use. Builders must be insured for it, and the owner's dommages-ouvrage insurance pays for repairs without waiting for the question of fault to be settled.
Lifting the réserves
Once the builder has done the work, each réserve is "lifted" (levée des réserves) — ideally with a short second visit and a signed note. Keep the same numbering as the original report, so each item can be closed off one by one.
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.