There are constantly stories in the press about how house builders are letting their purchasers down with the quality of new build properties.
Likewise, we regularly take calls from clients that have had building work undertaken and have been disappointed in the results.
With a variety of trades working on site for profit, site practices and management are not always what they should be, which can lead to below par quality. This can affect both small developers and large. Even with the better developers and contractors, as construction is a lengthy, complicated and often messy process, human errors slip in.
Once you have purchased your new home, you will normally have some form of build warranty. These are commonly a 10-year policy, although you should realise that most of these only provide cover with liability from the developer for the first 2 years. After this initial period the cover becomes far less comprehensive by providing what is essentially only structural coverage in the form of an insurance policy.
Where you are having building work undertaken to your home or commercial property, the economies of scale may not warrant the involvement of a professional during the construction process, but this can leave you exposed to poor workmanship.
As a firm of Chartered Surveyors, we apply our experience and eye for detail to help you by undertaking an inspection and providing a Schedule of Outstanding Works, commonly known as a Snagging List.
We can provide this service to clients in the following circumstances:
- When purchasing a new build property to check the quality of construction/finish before you take ownership.
- Once you have purchased a new home, prior to the expiry of the 2-year warranty period so that you can raise issues of concern before the level of cover drops and you lose the opportunity of claiming action by the developer.
- Where you have had building work undertaken that doesn’t warrant the cost of professional oversight during construction, but where you wish to have the reassurance of an assessment before you make a final payment to the building contractor.
Our detailed inspection is followed up with a comprehensive written schedule setting out the issues noted and the scope of making good required or any further investigations necessary, together with a helpful list of the manuals/documents that you should expect to receive.
Snags can be simple issues such as a poor-quality finish that would just be an annoyance through to more significant issues that can cost substantial sums to address or could lead to premature deterioration in the property.
Having a professional written document, supplemented with photographs where helpful to illustrate the issues, means that you can avoid debate and the feeling that you are having the wool pulled over your eyes by your developer/builder.
We can also make an optional return visit after work has been undertaken to de-snag the property.
It’s all about attention to detail to help ensure that you get what you expect and provide some peace of mind.
