Before you complete
Pre-Completion Inspection
The full inspection before you sign, so the developer fixes defects before you move in, not after.
£500 Find out more
You've spent years saving for this. Spend one more day making sure it's right.
Independent new-build snagging inspections. We don't work for the developer. We work for you.
- Fully independent
- Trade qualified
- Fully insured
- Report within 48 hours
A new build should be the one house you never have to worry about. Yet every week, buyers move into brand-new homes and find damp, cracked plaster, rushed finishes and cheap materials, with a developer who is suddenly hard to reach.
That’s why we started New House Inspections. Rich builds these houses. He’s a qualified electrician who works on new-build sites every week, and he sees what gets signed off and what gets missed.
We go through your home room by room, document every defect, and give you a clear report the builder has to answer to.
We don't work for the developer. We work for you.
Most snagging companies get their work through developer referrals. Ours comes from buyers. That changes what goes in the report.
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No developer referrals
We're not on anyone's recommended list and we don't want to be. Nobody at the sales office sends us work.
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No pulled punches
If it's wrong, it goes in the report. We don't soften findings to keep a site manager happy.
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Only answerable to you
You pay us, you get the report, you decide what to do with it. The developer never sees it unless you send it.
Inspections for every stage of a new build
Most buyers book a pre-completion inspection. If you have already moved in, the snagging inspection covers the same ground inside the two-year defects period.
After you move in
Snagging Inspection
The same room-by-room inspection for homes already occupied, inside the two-year defects period.
£500 Find out more
When the builder says it is done
Re-Inspection
We come back and check every item on the original list was actually put right. We don't chase the builder. We check the builder.
£400 Find out more
Add to any inspection
Electrical Inspection
Consumer unit, circuits, socket positions, bonding and RCD tests, checked by a qualified electrician.
From £150 Find out more
How it works
Four steps. You can be there for the inspection or leave it to us.
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Book a date
Tell us the plot, the developer and when you complete. We arrange access with the site, using our CSCS cards if the home is not yet handed over.
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We inspect
At least two hours on site, room by room, inside and out. Every defect is photographed, measured where it matters, and logged.
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You get the report
Within 48 hours: a clear, numbered PDF with photos, locations and what the standard requires. Written so a site manager cannot argue with it.
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You send it on
You hand the report to the developer. When they tell you the work is done, book a re-inspection and we check it really is.
Where our job ends. Getting defects fixed is between you and your developer, and we don’t act as your agent in that. What we do is give you evidence they can’t wave away, and come back to check the fixes when you ask us to.
What we find
Real defects from real inspections. Most of these had already been 'snagged' by the developer's recommended inspector.
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Kitchen
Worktop joint open, grout cracked along the splashback
Missed by the developer’s snagger
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Loft
Insulation missing over the bathroom and pushed back from the eaves
Missed by the developer’s snagger
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Bedroom 2
Sockets 40mm below plan height, faceplates out of level
Missed by the developer’s snagger
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Exterior
Weep holes blocked with mortar above the patio door
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Bathroom
Bath panel unsealed, waste trap weeping into the void
Missed by the developer’s snagger
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Garage
Fire door to garage: intumescent strip missing from the frame, closer not adjusted
Straightforward pricing
One price for the inspection, one for the follow-up, nothing hidden. Prices cover homes up to four bedrooms; larger homes are quoted.
Inspection
£500
Pre-completion or after you move in
The full room-by-room inspection, inside and out.
- At least 2 hours on site
- Every defect photographed and numbered
- PDF report within 48 hours
- Written to the standards developers sign up to
- Phone call to walk you through it
Follow-up inspection
£400
Only if you need it
When the builder says the snags are done, we check they are.
- Every item on the original list re-checked
- New defects caused by the fixes logged
- Updated report showing what is closed and what is not
- Booked when you are ready, no time limit
Intrusive inspection
£1,000
For when you need to see behind the finishes
Everything in the standard inspection, plus we open things up.
- Loft insulation lifted and checked for gaps
- Bath panels and kitchen kickboards removed
- Socket and switch faceplates off to check terminations
- Accessible floorboards and hatches lifted
- Drainage chambers opened and falls checked
- Borescope into cavities and voids
- Everything reinstated before we leave
Our standard inspection is non-intrusive: we look, test and measure, but we don’t remove fixed parts or lift floors. The intrusive inspection is for buyers who want that done, and every part we remove is put back.
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Fully independent
No developer referrals. We only work for you.
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Trade qualified
Qualified electrician, working on new-build sites every week.
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CSCS carded
Cleared to inspect on live sites before you complete.
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Fully insured
Public liability and professional indemnity cover.
Questions buyers ask us
The short answers. There are more on the FAQs page.
Can I have a snagging inspection before I complete?
Yes. Under the New Homes Quality Code, developers must give you the chance to have a pre-completion inspection once the home is finished. We carry CSCS cards, so we can attend on a live site. Tell us your completion date and we will arrange access.
Is this the same as a survey?
No. A snagging inspection is a detailed check of the finish and workmanship against the standards the developer has signed up to. It is not a structural survey, a valuation or a RICS HomeBuyer report. If you want structural advice, we will tell you and point you to a surveyor.
Will you make the developer fix the defects?
That is between you and the developer, and we don’t get in the middle of it. What we do is give you a report so clear they can’t argue with it, and, if you want, come back once they say the work is done to check it really is.
Do I need to be there?
No. Many buyers leave us to it and get the call afterwards. If you would like to walk round with us at the end, we are happy to.
Do you remove anything during the inspection?
Not on a standard inspection. It is non-intrusive: we don’t remove fixed parts, lift floors or open sealed units. If you want us to, book the intrusive inspection and we will open up the accessible areas and put everything back.
From the blog
From the site: the plot that had already been snagged
A note from Rich on one week, one plot, and a snag list that had been signed off with the insulation still on the landing.
The two-year defects period: what your developer has to fix
Two years sounds like a long time. It goes quickly. What is covered, what is not, and why month 21 is the date to put in your diary.
Snagging inspection or survey: which one do you need?
They sound similar and they are not. What each one checks, who does it, and when a new-build buyer needs which.
Completing soon?
Tell us the plot and the date. We will confirm a slot the same day.