Snagging list for a new build: how to run it and close it out

A new build lives or dies at handover. The plot can be structurally perfect and still fail its first impression on a scuffed architrave, a door that catches and a run of silicone that was never finished. A proper snagging list is how you find those items before the client does, assign each one to the right trade, and prove it was closed. This guide covers what belongs on a new build snag list, the order to work in, a worked example, and how to run the whole thing from your phone so nothing gets lost between finding it and fixing it.

What a new build snag list needs to capture

A snag is only useful if someone can find it, own it and close it. A photo in a camera roll with no location and no owner is not a snag, it is a problem you will forget. Every item needs:

• Location. The plot, the room, and the wall or fitting. "Plot 12, bedroom 2, window wall" not "upstairs"
• Description. What is wrong, in plain terms a trade can act on. "Architrave to door split at mitre" not "door dodgy"
• Photo. A clear image of the defect, close enough to show it and wide enough to place it
• Owner. The trade or subcontractor responsible for the fix, so it goes to the right person first time
• Status. Open, in progress, fixed, verified, closed. Status is what turns a list into a process
• Date raised and date closed. So you can prove when it was found and when it was put right
• Verified by. Who checked the fix, so a snag is not just marked done by the person who caused it

The order to snag a new build

A consistent route is what stops you missing things and what makes the report usable for the trades who come back to fix. Work in the same pattern on every plot:

1. Exterior first. Brickwork, pointing, render, rainwater goods, fascias, external doors, driveway and boundary
2. Room by room, top to bottom. In each room, work ceiling, walls, then floor, and left to right from the door, so nothing is skipped
3. Kitchens and bathrooms in detail. These generate the most snags: units, worktops, tiling, sanitaryware, seals and appliances
4. Doors, windows and ironmongery. Operation, alignment, latching, and finish
5. Services on test. Sockets, switches, lighting, heating, taps and drainage, checked working, not just present
6. Communal and plot-wide items last. Anything shared or external to the individual rooms

A worked new build snag example

Here is what a handful of well-formed snags look like on a single plot. It is illustrative only, but it shows the level that closes out cleanly.

Plot 12 pre-handover snag. Item 1: Bedroom 2, window wall, architrave split at top right mitre. Owner: carpenter. Status: open. Photo attached. Item 2: Ensuite, shower enclosure, silicone bead to left upstand incomplete. Owner: tiler. Status: open. Photo attached. Item 3: Kitchen, run of base units, worktop join at hob has a visible step. Owner: kitchen fitter. Status: open. Photo attached. Item 4: Hallway, front door, catches on frame at top when closing. Owner: carpenter. Status: open. Photo attached. Item 5: Living room, double socket to rear wall, faceplate loose. Owner: electrician. Status: open. Photo attached.

Each item names the room, the fault, the trade and a photo. When the carpenter comes back, they know exactly what and where without a phone call.

Why a spreadsheet fails on a new build

Most snagging still runs on a spreadsheet and a separate camera roll, and it falls apart for the same reasons every time. The photos are not linked to the rows, so matching image to item is guesswork. There is no reliable status, so nobody knows what is still open. Versions get emailed around and the person on site is never sure they have the latest one. And a spreadsheet needs a signal and a desk to be any use, which a half-finished plot does not have.

A snag list you run from your phone fixes the mechanics. The photo attaches to the snag as you raise it, the status moves from open to closed in front of you, and the report is generated from the live list rather than typed up later. On a plot with no signal it saves offline and syncs when you leave. The point of snagging is to close items out, and you cannot close what you cannot track.

Frequently asked questions

What should each item on a new build snag list record?

Each snag needs a location such as the room and the wall or fitting, a clear description of the defect, a photo, the trade or person responsible for fixing it, a status, and the date it was raised. When it is fixed, record who verified it and the date it was closed. Without an owner and a status, a snag list just becomes a list of complaints that never gets closed.

In what order should I snag a new build?

Work room by room in a consistent route, usually top to bottom and left to right in each room, then the exterior and communal or plot-wide items. A fixed route means nothing gets missed and the report reads in an order the trades can follow when they come back to fix.

When should snagging happen on a new build?

Run a thorough pre-handover snag before the property is signed off, ideally with enough time for the trades to return and close items out before the client moves in. On plots with a defects or warranty period, keep the same list live so any items raised after handover are tracked to close in the same way.

How does FORGE Command handle new build snagging?

FORGE Command lets you raise each snag on your phone with a photo, location, owner and status, track it through to closed, and export a branded PDF snag report per plot. Every record is stamped with GPS, weather and time, and it works offline in a plot with no signal. It is a one payment of £39.99 with no subscription.

Related: how to run a snag list that gets closed, site diary for a house extension, site inspection checklist.