The snag list: what a snag survey costs on a new build

What a snag list is

A new home from a builder comes with faults. Some are cosmetic: paint runs, a scratched worktop, a sticking window. Some matter: a radiator not connected, an extractor fan venting into the attic, a missing fire stop, a leak under the sink. A snag list (sometimes called a snag survey) finds them all before you close.

The snagger walks every room with a checklist and tests what can be tested: taps, showers, the heating, every window and door, every socket, the alarm, the attic, the external walls, the garden and the drains. The report lists each snag with a photograph and a location. A typical new home has dozens of items.

It is not a structural survey. The building regulations and the BCAR inspections during the build cover the structure, and the builder's certificate of compliance and the home's structural warranty cover you after. The snag list is about finish and function.

You can do your own snag list. A professional finds the ones you would not: the vent in the attic, the missing insulation, the drain that runs the wrong way.

When to book it

The builder tells your solicitor the home is ready, and your solicitor tells you that you can snag. That is when you book. Do not close before the snags are fixed: once you have paid the balance, you lose most of your leverage.

The order is:

1. the builder says the home is complete
2. you snag it (with a professional, a day or two)
3. the builder fixes the snags (a week or two)
4. you or the snagger re-check (a de-snag)
5. you close, and the keys are yours

Your contract with the builder usually says how long you have to snag and how long they have to fix. Ask your solicitor what it says. On a large development the builder may push for a closing date before the snags are done; your solicitor can hold the closing until they are.

Help to Buy's claim stage happens around the same time: the builder confirms the sale on Revenue's system and the refund is paid to them. The two are separate, but both land in closing week.

What it costs

A professional snag list costs €350 to €600 plus VAT at 23% for an ordinary house or apartment. A larger home, or a long drive for the snagger, costs more. A return visit to check the fixes (the de-snag) is sometimes included and sometimes an extra charge; ask.

The builder does not pay for it, and the lender does not ask for it. It is your check for your money.

Against €450, set what it saves. A snag the builder fixes before closing costs you nothing. The same fault after closing is a phone call, a wait, and sometimes a dispute. The ones that matter most, like the attic vent or the missing insulation, cost hundreds or thousands to fix yourself.

The table below gives the typical range from our costs config, not a quote.

How to choose

Use a chartered building surveyor (the SCSI's register) or a chartered engineer (Engineers Ireland). Some surveyors specialise in snagging and do little else; they are thorough on finish. Ask:

• for a sample report, to see the photographs and how each snag is described
• how long the visit takes (two to three hours for a house is normal)
• whether the de-snag is included
• whether they will send the report in a form the builder can tick off
• whether they have snagged homes in this development before, and what they found

The last question is worth asking. Faults repeat across a development: the same vent, the same missing seal, in every house. A snagger who has done three homes in the estate knows where to look.

Do not use a snagger the builder suggests. Their job is to find what the builder missed.

Getting the snags fixed

Send the report to the builder's site office and to your solicitor on the same day. Ask the builder for a date by which the snags will be done.

The builder will push back on some. That is normal: a scratch within the standard for the finish, a gap within tolerance. The snagger's report usually says which snags are defects and which are minor, and you can let the minor ones go if the rest are fixed.

When the builder says they are done, go back with the list and check every item. Or pay for the de-snag visit. Anything not fixed goes on a shorter list, and your solicitor can ask for a sum to be held back from the closing money until it is done.

After closing, most builders have a defects period in which they come back to fix things that appear. Keep a list and send it in writing. The structural warranty covers the structure, not the finish.

If the builder will not fix a real defect, your solicitor is the first call. The contract says what you can do.