How to Run a Pre Handover Snagging Inspection
A practical UK guide to running a pre handover snagging inspection: when to do it, a room by room checklist, how to record snags, and how to close them out.
What a pre handover snagging inspection is and when to do it
A pre handover snagging inspection is the final, structured walk through of a finished property to find and fix every defect before a buyer or tenant takes the keys. You do it once the build or refurb is practically complete but before handover, so the new occupier walks into a property where nothing has been missed.
This is more specific than your general snagging routine. Throughout a build you snag continuously, checking work as trades finish each stage. The pre handover inspection is the last gate: a single, deliberate sweep of the whole property at the end, treated as a formal sign off rather than ongoing housekeeping. If you want the wider process, see our construction snagging lists guide. This post is about that final inspection.
Timing matters. Run it when the property is genuinely finished, all trades off site, decoration cured, services live and commissioned, but with enough days left in the programme to put right whatever you find and reinspect. Booking handover the morning after your snag walk leaves no room to fix anything.
When in the programme to schedule it
Schedule the pre handover inspection after practical completion of all trades but several days before the handover date, so you have a buffer to fix and re check. A rushed inspection on handover morning is not an inspection, it is a list of excuses you hand the new occupier with the keys.
For new build sales, the New Homes Quality Code formalises this. Registered developers must give the customer the chance to appoint a suitably qualified inspector to carry out a pre completion inspection before legal completion, and within five calendar days after a notice to complete has been served, according to the New Homes Quality Board. By September 2024, more than half of new homes in England, Scotland and Wales were subject to the Code, and the figure is rising, per Brodies LLP.
Whether or not you fall under that Code, the principle is the same: inspect properly before anyone moves in. Whoever buys or rents from you may bring their own inspector, so it is far better to find the snags first.
How to inspect a property systematically
Inspect in a fixed order so nothing gets skipped: work room by room, then do the exterior, and within each space follow the same path every time. A consistent route turns a vague "looks finished" glance into a repeatable check you can stand behind.
Walk each room in the same direction, for example clockwise from the door, and look at the same things in the same sequence: floor, walls, ceiling, then doors, windows, sockets, switches, radiators and any fittings. Open every door and window, run every tap, flush every toilet, switch every light, and check that heating fires up. Bring the basics: a torch, a spirit level, a tape measure, a phone for photos, a notepad or app, masking tape to flag faults on the spot, and a plug in socket tester.
Use your senses. Smells (damp, drains, fresh paint over a problem), sounds (a binding hinge, a knocking pipe) and touch (a loose handle, a cold radiator, a draught) all reveal snags the eye misses.
What "good" looks like: recognised tolerances
Not every imperfection is a snag. UK new homes are built to defined tolerances, and a fault only counts if it falls outside them. Knowing the numbers stops you chasing things that are within standard, and gives you firm ground when a trade argues a defect is acceptable.
The NHBC Standards 2024, Chapter 9.1 "A consistent approach to finishes", set out what is acceptable for the visible finishes you inspect at handover. As a working guide drawn from that chapter, summarised by New Build Inspections:
- Walls and ceilings: flat within roughly 3mm to 5mm under a 2m straight edge.
- Internal walls: up to about 8mm out of plumb over a 2.5m height.
- Door frames: within about 5mm of plumb.
Treat these as a sense check, not a licence to leave sloppy work. A buyer does not care that a leaning wall is technically within tolerance if three other things in the same room are not. Aim well inside the limits.
Room by room checklist
For each room and the exterior, check finishes, doors and windows, plumbing, electrics and heating against the list below, recording anything that falls short. The table is your master template; copy it per room so every space gets the same treatment and nothing is checked from memory.
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Finishes (every room) | Paint runs, patchy coverage, scuffs, cracks in plaster, uneven filler, chipped or scratched skirting, architraves and trims, tile cuts and grout gaps, sealant lines, floor scratches, gaps at thresholds |
| Doors | Open and close smoothly, no binding or dropping, latches and locks work, handles tight, even gaps around the frame, no damage to faces, intumescent and seals fitted where required |
| Windows | Open, close and lock, no draughts, trickle vents present and working, no scratches or cracked glass, even reveals, sealant neat, restrictors fitted upstairs |
| Plumbing | Hot and cold at every tap, good flow and drainage, no leaks under sinks or at traps, toilets flush and refill, no running overflow, shower temperature and pressure, isolation valves accessible, no staining |
| Electrics | Every socket and switch works (use a socket tester), faceplates straight and undamaged, light fittings secure, extractor fans run, smoke and heat alarms fitted and tested, consumer unit labelled, EV point if specified |
| Heating | Boiler fires and reaches temperature, every radiator heats evenly and is bled, TRVs turn, thermostat and timer work, hot water reaches the cylinder, no airlocks or noise |
| Kitchen and bathrooms | Units level and doors aligned, worktops sealed and undamaged, appliances connected and working, extractor functions, sanitaryware secure and unmarked, sealant continuous, tiling sound |
| Exterior and systems | Brickwork and pointing, render, rainwater goods and downpipes clear, roof tiles and flashing, fascias and soffits, external doors and locks, drainage gullies, paths and levels, fences, gas and water meters accessible, external lighting |
Do not forget the spaces people skip: the loft, the airing cupboard, under the stairs, the garage, the meter cupboard and the garden. Snags hide where nobody looks until move in day.
How to record snags properly
Record every snag the same way: location, a clear description, a priority (high, medium or low), the trade it belongs to, and a photo. A snag without those details is a note you will misread next week, not an instruction someone can act on.
Be specific. "Kitchen, scratch on worktop" is weak. "Kitchen, deep 50mm scratch on worktop right of hob, replace or repair, painter or fitter" is something a trade can find, price and fix without a phone call. Pin the location to a room and a wall or feature, photograph it close up and, where it helps, with context so the fix it person can find the exact spot.
Set priorities honestly. High is anything affecting safety, weatherproofing or whether the property is fit to occupy (a leak, a dead socket, a faulty alarm). Medium is functional but not urgent (a sticking door). Low is cosmetic (a paint touch up). Sorting by priority means the things that would stop handover get tackled first.
Managing this on paper or a spreadsheet falls apart fast once photos and re checks are involved. A tool like Build & Let keeps each snag together with its location, priority, assigned trade and photo in one place, so nothing slips between the walk through and the fix. The same discipline pays off in your wider document control for small builds, where the snag record becomes part of the handover pack.
Assigning snags to trades and fixing them
Group your snags by trade, send each trade only their list with photos and priorities, and agree a date for the fixes. A single combined list emailed to everyone gets ignored; a focused list with a deadline gets done.
Work through it in order. Chase high priority items first, confirm each trade has been back, and update the snag status as work completes (open, fixed, verified). Keep the photos: a before and after pair settles any later dispute about whether a snag was ever put right, and gives you a clean record for the handover pack.
If you run several projects, the same end of build discipline carries from the building site to first tenant, where snagging and the start of a tenancy meet. Closing snags cleanly is the bridge between the two.
Re inspect before you hand over
Never sign off on a trade's word that a snag is fixed. Re inspect every item yourself before handover, mark it verified only when you have seen the work, and keep the photo evidence. Handover should only happen once your snag list shows zero open high priority items and the rest are genuinely closed.
A reinspection often turns up damage caused while fixing the first round, or a "fix" that does not meet standard. That is exactly why the buffer in your programme exists. Walk the property one final time on the morning of handover for fresh damage, then hand over with a clear, closed list and the supporting photos.
Why this protects your reputation
A thorough pre handover inspection is the cheapest insurance you can buy against callbacks, bad reviews and disputes. Fixing a snag while your trades are still mobilised costs a fraction of sending someone back to an occupied home, and it protects the reputation that wins your next job or tenant.
Callbacks are expensive in time, goodwill and money. A defect found by the new occupier on day one becomes their first impression of your work, and in the new build world it can become a formal complaint. Finding it yourself first, and being able to prove what you checked, keeps you in control and keeps the relationship positive from the moment the keys change hands.
Frequently asked questions
How is a pre handover inspection different from normal snagging?
Normal snagging runs throughout the build as trades finish each stage. The pre handover inspection is the single, formal sweep of the whole finished property at the very end, before anyone takes the keys. It is a final sign off gate, not ongoing housekeeping, and it needs a buffer afterwards to fix and re check.
Who carries out a pre completion inspection on a new build?
You, the developer, should inspect first. Under the New Homes Quality Code, registered developers must also let the buyer appoint a suitably qualified inspector, such as a RICS or RPSA member, before legal completion. Because the buyer may bring their own inspector, it pays to find and fix every snag yourself beforehand.
How long before handover should I run the inspection?
Run it once all trades are off site and the property is genuinely finished, but leave several days before the handover date. You need a buffer to assign snags, get them fixed and reinspect. Inspecting on handover morning leaves no time to put anything right.
What tolerances apply to new build finishes in the UK?
NHBC Standards 2024, Chapter 9.1, set acceptable tolerances for finishes: walls and ceilings flat within roughly 3mm to 5mm under a 2m straight edge, and internal walls up to about 8mm out of plumb over a 2.5m height. A fault only counts as a snag if it falls outside the relevant tolerance.
Do I have to pay for the buyer's inspector?
No. Under the New Homes Quality Code, if a customer chooses to instruct their own pre completion inspection, the customer is responsible for the inspector's fees, not the developer. Your own internal pre handover inspection is separate and is simply part of finishing the job properly.
Try Build & Let
Snagging at handover only works if every defect is recorded with its location, priority, trade and photo, then chased to closed. Build & Let keeps your snags, costs, site diary and documents in one workspace for both your builds and your rentals, so handover is clean and nothing slips. Start a 14 day free trial and run your next pre handover inspection without the spreadsheet.
Written by Build & Let · Last updated 21 September 2026
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