Frequently Asked Questions: Your Questions Answered.

Explore our FAQs for clear guidance on Booking, Inspection, and Cost. Find everything you need to know about scheduling, the inspection process, and our pricing, all designed to make your experience straightforward and transparent.

Booking

If you need to change the date you can do so free of charge as many times as you need as long as you give us 2 working days notice.

If you are yet to move into your new build property, the best survey to consider is the Pre Completion Inspection which we typically conduct 1-2 weeks before completion as it gives the site time to address any issues before you move in. The Pre Completion Checklist is the most common way to get your property surveyed before completion, but there are exceptions if your builder is not part of the New Build Ombudsman scheme. You can easily check this via the NHQB websites list of registered developers. Please ensure you have the developers permission if you are booking us pre completion and we are provided with these details when booking.

If you have completed and are still within 9 months of completion, you want to book our Snagging Survey which has long been established as our flagship service. It allows us to go into more detail than the PCI or Fundamentals Check.

Lastly, our Fundamentals Check is a condensed version of our Snagging Survey offered to customers that have moved in more than 9 months ago. We tailor our checks and report in line with what the developer are potentially willing to address at this stage, so focuses on the externals of your house. As such it is not suitable for customers with an apartment.

For a PCI and Fundamentals Check, we offer a timeline of 2 working days. For a Snagging Survey we need more time for the write up so we offer a 3 working day turnaround (weekends excluded). During particularly busy periods this turnaround may increase, in which circumstance our surveyor will notify you.

Your inspector will contact you the day before your inspection with your estimated arrival time, or if it is access via Site or Estate Agent then we will will contact them to confirm if required (please ensure you provide their contact information).

We cover most of England & Wales, but some regions are too far for us to cover. For example, we do not cover Scotland, some parts of East Anglia and some parts of Wales. When booking online, you simply enter your postcode to access the availability of the nearest surveyor. Please feel free to call our office if you would prefer to do this.

Inspection

It depends on the size and condition of the property, but generally we spend between 1.5-3 hours in the property doing a PCI or Fundamentals check and between 2-6 hours doing a Snagging Survey. We then need time to write up the reports which takes 1-2 days for a PCI and Fundamentals Survey or 2-4 days for a Snagging Survey.

We only carry out the borescope cavity wall check on traditional block and brick houses which is the majority of houses built. We do not check if your house is fully rendered / cladding or if it is timber frame. The easiest way to know if your house is timber frame is to ask your Site Manager or look at the other houses being built on site. If you are unsure if it is Timber frame or Traditional by the time of our visit, we can check for you on the day.

No, a Snagging Survey is a specialist process that focuses on the quality of workmanship and issues out of building regs / Tolerances set by new build warranties (NHBC etc). A structural survey is more suited to an older house experiencing serious issues.

We do not chase up the builder as it is simply impractical to offer. It is not possible to quality-control sat behind a desk and a Site Manager will need to know suitable access arrangements. They are also unlikely to agree to deal directly with a snagging company after the inspection.

It is easy to book online and takes less than 5 minutes – See our booking page.
Just have the postcode of your newly built property/sales office ready so that it allocates your nearest surveyor. Alternatively, you can call us on 0203 793 3588 between 9 am and 5:30 pm.

In 2022 the New Build Ombudsman elected a board called the NHQB – New Homes Quality Board, which created a checklist for us to follow. This PCI (pre-completion Inspection) cannot deviate from the standards the NHQB has set.

The NHBC is a warranty company that signs off properties throughout the construction process. It provides a 10-year warranty for any structural issues but also provides a detailed guide on how to achieve its standards (known as “tolerances”). These tolerances are the benchmark to how we raise snags in our Snagging Survey, but for the most part, are too detailed to raise in the NHQB’s checklist.

Inspection Cost

We charge depending on the size of your property and it depends on whether you are having the Pre-Completion Inspection,  Snagging Survey or Fundamentals Check. The PCI and Fundamentals Check are similarly priced due to them not being as time consuming as the Snagging Survey. See our page cost of the survey.

As long as our inspector can inspect 2 properties on the same day and the properties are located nearby, we are happy to pass on the savings. Please email us at [email protected] and we will be able to quote.

We charge a £49 deposit when you book and then after the inspection has been carried out the balance is processed using the same card details. If you would prefer to pay using a different card then please let us know on the day of the survey.

REFERRAL REWARD SCHEME

Referral Reward Scheme!

Enjoy a £50 refund when you refer just 2 neighbours. Once we’ve completed their snag list, enjoy a £50 refund / voucher on us to say thanks! Spread the word, help your neighbours, and benefit together!

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Referral for refund!