Commercial · Free template
Snagging list template
A snagging list marks a transfer of responsibility, and it is examined precisely because somebody disagrees about where that boundary sits. Its authority comes from complete coverage rather than from the length of the defect list.
Each entry should carry enough detail that a contractor can quote from the record alone. A snag reading "damage to door" generates a site visit before it generates a price.
47 check items · 6 sections
How to use this checklist
- 01
Define the areas before you start
List every room, space and external area in the scope. Recording that an area was inspected and found satisfactory is what gives the absence of a defect meaning.
- 02
Work area by area in a fixed order
Follow the building layout rather than defect category, and complete each area fully before moving on.
- 03
Describe each defect so it can be priced
Record the specific location within the area, the element, the nature of the defect and its extent or dimensions.
- 04
Photograph at the moment of finding
Capture a wide frame establishing the location and a close frame establishing the defect. Attach both to the specific snag.
- 05
Keep the defect and its remedy separate
Track closure independently of the observation, so resolving the work does not erase the record of what was found at handover.
The checklist
Project and scope
- Property or unit reference
- Parties present at the inspection
- Date and time of inspection
- Areas within scope, listed
- Areas excluded from scope, with the reason
- Drawings or specification referenced
Per area — record for every space
- Area inspected and found satisfactory, or defects listed below
- Walls: finish, cracking, damage, incomplete decoration
- Ceilings: finish, staining, cracking, incomplete works
- Floors: covering, level, damage, incomplete edges or thresholds
- Doors: alignment, operation, ironmongery, finish, seals
- Windows: operation, locking, glazing, seals, trickle vents
- Skirting, architrave and trim: fixing, mitres, finish
- Sockets, switches and data points: position, operation, finish
- Lighting: operation, alignment, missing fittings
- Heating or cooling units: present, operating, finish
- Sanitaryware where applicable: fitting, sealant, operation
- Joinery and fitted units: alignment, doors, drawers, finish
Building services
- Consumer unit or distribution board: labelled and accessible
- Water: stopcock accessible, no visible leaks, pressure adequate
- Drainage: falls correct where visible, no standing water
- Ventilation: extraction present and operating
- Heating system: operating, controls present and functional
- Fire detection: devices present, tested where permitted
- Emergency lighting where applicable
External and common areas
- External doors and thresholds
- External wall finishes and pointing
- Roof edges, gutters and downpipes where visible
- Paths, steps and hard landscaping: levels and trip hazards
- Boundary treatments
- External lighting
- Refuse and storage provision
- Signage and unit identification
Per defect — record for each snag
- Area and specific location within it
- Element affected
- Description of the defect
- Extent, dimensions or quantity
- Severity or priority
- Wide photograph establishing location
- Close photograph establishing the defect
- Party responsible, where agreed
- Target date for resolution
Sign-off
- Total areas inspected recorded
- Total defects raised recorded
- Items agreed as outside scope
- Both parties have reviewed the list
- Signatures and date
Practical notes
Recording that an area was inspected and found satisfactory is not padding. It is what makes "no defect recorded" evidence rather than an unexplained gap.
Where a defect is disputed at the inspection, record the disagreement rather than resolving it in the document. A list that captures the dispute is more credible than one that quietly takes a side.
Produce the list jointly at the property where possible. A snagging list assembled afterwards and circulated for agreement carries considerably less weight.
Common questions
- What makes a snagging list defensible?
- Complete coverage of every area in scope, specific descriptions that can be priced without a site visit, dated photographs attached to each item, and clear attribution of who inspected and when.
- Should both parties attend the snagging inspection?
- Where possible. A record produced jointly at the property carries more weight than one assembled afterwards, because disagreements surface while the evidence is still in front of everyone.
- How should closure be tracked?
- Separately from the defect itself. If the snag and its remedy are the same record, closing the work erases the observation, and the history of what was found at handover stops being retrievable.
Further reading
- Snagging and handover inspections that settle rather than start argumentsHandover records define who pays for what. Precision and complete coverage are what make them hold.
- What turns inspection data into evidenceAttachment, provenance and consistency are what separate a defensible record from a folder of images.
- From inspection record to professional PDF reportWhat a useful inspection report needs—and what should remain in the operational workspace.
