Snagging in the UK: new builds, warranties and your rights
The UK is where the word "snagging" is most at home. Buyers of new-build homes commission professional snaggers as a matter of course, and on commercial projects the snag list is the centre of practical completion. The rules differ for the two, so they are covered separately below.
New-build homes
The 10-year warranty — and the two years inside it
Almost every new home in the UK comes with a 10-year structural warranty from a provider such as NHBC, Premier Guarantee or LABC Warranty. Mortgage lenders generally insist on one. The detail varies by provider, but the common shape is:
- Years 1–2: the builder period. The builder must put right defects that breach the warranty's technical standards. This is where snagging lives.
- Years 3–10: the insurance period. Cover narrows to major structural problems and a short list of named items.
The practical point: a paint run or a misaligned door is the builder's problem in year one. In year four it is yours. Snag early, and snag again before the second anniversary.
The New Homes Quality Code
Developers registered with the New Homes Quality Board sign up to the New Homes Quality Code (a second edition was published in 2026). For snagging, the parts that matter are:
- A pre-completion inspection. You can have the home inspected by a suitably qualified inspector before you complete. The developer can refuse an inspector who is not qualified, so ask yours about their qualifications and insurance.
- Fixing before completion where that is practical, unless the inspection finds something significant.
- A 30-day expectation. Snags reported should normally be resolved within 30 days, with any delay explained. If they are not, the issue can go into the developer's complaints process.
- The New Homes Ombudsman. If the complaints process fails, the Ombudsman Service is the next step, for issues raised in the first two years.
What a UK buyer should actually do
- Book the inspection for the window after the developer says the home is ready and before you complete.
- Send the list in writing, numbered and photographed, and keep the date you sent it.
- Chase anything not fixed at 30 days through the formal complaints route, not just the site office.
- Inspect again around 21–22 months in, while you are still inside the builder period.
For what to look at on the day, see the new-build snagging checklist.
Commercial and contracted work
On JCT and NEC projects the snag list is tied to practical completion (NEC calls it "Completion" and uses the word "Defects"). The contract administrator inspects, a list is issued, and minor items can be left to be fixed after completion if they do not stop the building being used.
After that comes the rectification period — in practice usually 12 months, though under the JCT standard forms it defaults to six months if the contract does not state one. The second half of the retention is released when the final list is cleared. More on that in the defects liability period, explained.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The warranty providers and the New Homes Quality Code operate across the UK, so the new-build picture is broadly the same. Contract law and some building standards differ (Scotland has its own building standards system), so check local rules on commercial work.
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.