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New-Build Snags: How to Get Them Fixed — and What to Do If the Developer Doesn't

Casper Arboll
Woman inspecting her new build kitchen

A new-build home should be finished properly when you get the keys — but finding a few things that aren't quite right doesn't mean you've bought a dud. Snagging is normal. Here's how to spot it, who's responsible for fixing it, and what to do if progress stalls.

Finding snags in a new build is almost universal. The Home Builders Federation's national survey found that around 94% of new-home buyers reported snags to their builder, and more than a quarter reported over fifteen — yet 93% would still recommend their builder. Most snags are minor: they come with the territory of a home built outdoors, in all weathers, by many hands.

So don't panic if your new home isn't flawless. What matters is knowing what to check, who's responsible for putting it right, and what to do if nothing happens.

That's especially worth knowing now. The government's newly announced “Your First Home” scheme is expected to let eligible first-time buyers in England buy a participating new-build home with a 2.5% deposit and a 20% government-backed equity loan, with full rules due at the 28 October Budget. It could bring more first-time buyers into the new-build market — so going in informed matters.

Scope: England, and general information — not legal advice. For anything serious, Citizens Advice or a solicitor can help.

Get your home snagged — before and after you move in

A snagging inspection is your most useful single step. First, what it is and isn't:

  • A mortgage valuation is not a survey of condition.
  • A general home survey and a specialist snagging inspection aren't interchangeable. A surveyor assesses the property's overall condition; a snagging inspector is specifically looking for defects in the construction, finish and workmanship of a newly built home.

If your home is covered by the New Homes Quality Code, you can have a pre-completion inspection carried out by a suitably qualified inspector using the Code's standard checklist (under the 2026 Code, that inspector must meet set qualification and insurance requirements). Inspect before completion if you can — and again once you've moved in.

Professional inspectors often find dozens of individual snags, and some inspections run into three figures. Many are minor; the point is to have them documented.

The snags buyers most often report

  • Leaking or badly-fitted sanitary ware: toilets, baths and sinks plumbed in wrong.
  • Blown double glazing and faulty window or door frames.
  • Uneven, sloped or creaky floors.
  • Damp and mould from poor roof or soffit detailing (for example, fans venting into the loft).
  • Waterlogged gardens from unsuitable soil or no drainage.
  • Missing or incomplete landscaping — particularly where planting, fencing or other works were part of your purchase specification or required for the development.
Snag, or something more serious? A paint run or a poorly-fitted cupboard door can wait for the normal snagging process. Active leaks, unsafe electrics, insecure doors or windows, serious damp or drainage problems — anything affecting safety or security — should not. Report urgent issues immediately, and say clearly that you consider them urgent rather than adding them to a routine snagging list. (The Code treats these “emergency issues” differently from ordinary snags.)

Who's responsible — and it's not all the same thing

This is where buyers get confused, because three separate things overlap:

  1. Your contract with the developer. Many purchase contracts include a condition that minor defects will be put right within a reasonable time. Worth checking yours.
  2. Your warranty (usually NHBC Buildmark). With Buildmark, the builder-warranty period usually lasts for the first two years (check the dates on your policy certificate), during which the builder is responsible for putting right problems caused by a failure to meet NHBC's requirements. (Not every home has NHBC — LABC and Premier Guarantee exist too.)
  3. The New Homes Quality Code, which applies only where your home is covered. It adds standards around after-sales service, a formal complaints route, and access to the New Homes Ombudsman.

If you spot a problem during the builder-warranty period, your first port of call will usually be the developer/builder. If they don't resolve it, your warranty provider may then be able to step in.

Report everything and use the formal process if needed

Report every snag to the developer in writing, and keep records: who you spoke to, when, and what was promised.

If your home is covered by the Code, the developer should aim to resolve snags within 30 calendar days. If there's a substantial reason for delay, they should explain it and give you at least monthly updates until it's sorted — so day 31 isn't an automatic breach. Their formal complaints process must acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and send a written “path to resolution” within 10.

When progress stalls — how to escalate

Most snags are sorted through the normal after-sales process. But if weeks are passing, appointments keep being cancelled, responsibility is unclear, or you've stopped getting meaningful replies, stop relying on phone calls and move up:

  1. Put it through the developer's formal complaints procedure (the 5-/10-day timings above).
  2. If you have NHBC Buildmark, complete the builder's complaints process first. Once you have their final written response — or you haven't received one within 30 days of your formal complaint — you can ask NHBC's resolution service to step in.
  3. If your home is covered by the Code, use the New Homes Ombudsman — free and independent. You can refer a complaint once you have the developer's closure letter, or 56 days after your formal complaint. It can require developers to put things right and make financial awards. In 2025/26 it upheld 82% of final decisions in favour of homeowners, and settled a further 575 cases through early resolution — agreeing a way forward without a formal decision at all.

What NHBC covers and what it doesn't

Don't assume the warranty is a catch-all:

  • During the builder-warranty period, the builder is responsible for putting covered problems right — and NHBC may step in if the builder doesn't meet its obligations.
  • After that, cover narrows to damage caused by defects in specified parts of the home (things like certain roofs, cladding, ceilings, staircases, glazing panes and underground drainage) — not everyday snags or cosmetic issues.
  • A minimum claim value may apply in those later years. It's shown on your own policy schedule — and, usefully, if a valid repair costs more than it, NHBC meets the full cost rather than deducting the threshold.
  • Check which warranty you have, and whether your home is covered by the Code — your rights differ depending on both.

Still getting nowhere?

If the complaints, warranty and Ombudsman routes are exhausted, Citizens Advice or a solicitor can help you weigh next steps. Companies House can confirm the legal entity you bought from — which may not have exactly the same name as the housebuilder's consumer brand. A county court money claim is a genuine last resort for a clearly quantified loss: pursue it only after the other routes, and note that fees depend on the amount claimed, and disputed claims up to £10,000 normally go through court-organised mediation first.

A little groundwork goes a long way

A little preparation can put you in a much stronger position:

  • Budget for an independent snagging inspection — before completion if you can, and again after moving in.
  • Check the warranty, and whether your home is covered by the New Homes Quality Code.
  • Check who you're actually buying from — the main housebuilder, or a subsidiary?
  • Don't treat the mortgage valuation as a survey — it isn't one.
  • Document everything from day one: dated photos, emails, every promise made.

The bottom line

  • Snags are normal — finding them doesn't mean you've bought a bad home.
  • Get the place professionally snagged, and report everything in writing.
  • For the first two years, fixing defects is mainly the developer/builder's job.
  • If progress stalls: complaints process → warranty resolution / New Homes Ombudsman → legal advice as a last resort.
  • Know your warranty's limits, and check whether the Code covers you.

Buying a new build? Work out the real numbers first — the monthly cost on our Mortgage Repayment Calculator, and the tax on our Stamp Duty Calculator.

Sources

SnaggingProperty Risk ReportNew Build