The room-by-room new build snagging checklist.

01Documents & handover pack

Do this first. Missing paperwork is the defect that costs you most later, because it is the paperwork that proves what you are owed.

• Warranty certificate. Confirm you hold the NHBC, LABC, Premier Guarantee or equivalent certificate and the policy number. Note the start date: your two-year builder liability period runs from it.
• Building Regulations completion certificate. Should have been issued. Ask for a copy in writing if it is not in the pack.
• Home User Guide. Check it covers your specific plot and house type, not a generic development booklet. Appliance manuals and guarantees should be included.
• Boiler commissioning. Benchmark service book present, completed and signed. Unsigned commissioning can invalidate the manufacturer's guarantee.
• Electrical certification. Electrical Installation Certificate and Part P notification. Check the circuit schedule matches the labels inside your consumer unit.Pro inspection
• Ventilation commissioning. Extract and MVHR systems must be commissioned to measured airflow rates. Ask for the commissioning sheet: it is very often missing.Pro inspection
• Meter readings. Gas, electric and water readings recorded, dated and photographed on the day you take the keys.
• Keys, fobs & restrictors. Test every key and fob supplied, including window keys, garage, gates and meter cupboards.
• Isolation points. Locate and label the stopcock, external stop-tap, consumer unit and gas isolation valve before you need them in a hurry.
• Plot plan & specification. Compare boundary treatments, parking, turfing and upgrades against what you paid for. Missing specification items are a contractual issue, not a snag.

02Entrance & hallway

• Front door operation. Opens, closes and locks without lifting the handle hard. The multipoint lock should engage smoothly with the door simply pushed to.
• Door seals & draughts. Run the back of your hand around the frame on a windy day. Look for daylight at the corners and check the weather bar and threshold are sealed.
• Threshold drainage. Level-access thresholds need somewhere for water to go: a drainage gap, a brick-slot or a channel drain. Paving should sit slightly below the threshold, never above it.Pro inspection
• Door furniture. Letterplate, spy hole, numerals and handles secure and square. Remove a handle rose on one or two doors: one screw where there should be two is common.
• Hallway walls & ceiling. View from around 2m in natural light. Look for roller marks, filler shadows, uneven cutting-in, visible scrim tape and screw pops.
• Wall flatness & square. Walls should be flat within ±3mm under a 2m straight edge (±3mm under a 450mm straight edge for local bumps), and external corners within ±5mm over 250mm.Pro inspection
• Skirtings & architraves. Mitres tight, no shrinkage gaps at joins, caulk continuous, nail holes filled and painted. Check behind the front door where it is routinely missed.
• Consumer unit. Every circuit labelled clearly and legibly. Switch height should fall roughly between 1350mm and 1450mm from floor level: frequently fitted too high.Pro inspection
• Alarms. Press one smoke alarm: every other alarm should sound shortly afterwards. Heat alarm in the kitchen, CO alarm near the boiler or any solid fuel appliance.
• Door swings & clashes. No door should strike a wall, radiator, handle or another door. Door stops should meet the door before the hinge does.
• Flooring transitions. Thresholds flat and secure, no lipping, no trip edges, expansion gaps concealed under skirting rather than filled solid.

03Stairs & landing

The stairwell is the largest opening in the structure, so it shows movement first, and it carries the highest safety risk in the house.

• Spindle gaps. A 100mm sphere must not pass between spindles, or between spindle and string. This is a child safety requirement, not a preference.
• Balustrade height & rigidity. Push firmly at the top of each newel post and mid-span. Any perceptible movement is a defect. Landing balustrade height is set by Building Regulations.Pro inspection
• Handrail continuity. Should be uninterrupted with roughly 25mm clearance for your fingers, and returned into the wall at the top so clothing cannot catch.
• Tread & riser consistency. Treads level across width and depth. Uneven risers cause falls: one of the most common serious defects we report.Pro inspection
• Creaks & movement. Walk every tread and both edges. Creaking usually means inadequate fixing; a sharper cracking noise can indicate a structural fixing issue.Pro inspection
• Stringer cracking. A crack of up to 4mm where the stair string meets the wall is considered an acceptable tolerance due to natural shrinkage. Anything wider, or a crack that keeps growing, should go on the list.
• Newel caps & posts. Caps firmly fixed, posts plumb, string terminating in line with the landing skirting rather than protruding as a trip hazard.
• Access hazards. Loft hatches and smoke alarms directly over a stairwell make maintenance dangerous. Doors should not open onto the head of the stairs.Pro inspection
• Three-storey fire route. In a three-storey home the staircase is the escape route: FD30-rated doors, intumescent seals on three sides, and a door-to-frame gap no greater than 4mm.Pro inspection

04Kitchen & utility

The most expensive room to put right after you move in, and the room where damage is hardest to prove was not yours. Inspect it first.

• Cabinet doors & drawers. Open and close every one. Even gaps, aligned handles, soft-close working, no clashing with adjacent doors or appliance handles.
• Unit alignment. Sight along the wall units, then check with a level. Doors are usually adjustable; carcasses set out of level are not.
• Worktop joints. Joins flush, tight and sealed. Run a fingernail across: a lip you can feel will trap water. Check for chips at the sink and hob cut-outs.
• Laminate moisture protection. Laminate worktops need a moisture barrier over the dishwasher and washing machine positions. Missing sections cause swelling within a year.Pro inspection
• Sink, tap & waste. Fill the sink to overflow level, then release it and watch the trap and pipework underneath with a torch. Slow drips only appear under volume.
• Appliance pipework. Waste hoses clipped securely, supply valves accessible and labelled, no kinked hoses behind machines.Pro inspection
• Extractor. Run it on every speed listening for rattle. Confirm it ducts to outside if that is what you paid for.
• Appliance function. Run a short cycle on the dishwasher and washer. Test every hob zone, both ovens, the grill and the interior lights.
• Integrated fridge/freezer. There should be a vent in the plinth beneath it. A sealed plinth causes the unit to overheat and shortens its life.
• Plinths & end panels. Where safe, remove a plinth and look underneath with a torch for water staining, debris and unstable feet.Pro inspection
• Tiling & splashbacks. Consistent grout lines, no cracked or hollow-sounding tiles, silicone neat and continuous. Adjacent tiles within 1 to 2mm of surface level.
• Sockets & switch positions. Test every socket with a plug-in tester. Sockets and switches should sit clear of the hob and the sink.Pro inspection
• Under-cupboard lighting. Look up under the wall units with a torch for exposed cable ends and unfinished connections.Pro inspection
• Utility & boiler cupboard. Shelving secure, pipework insulated and clipped, boiler accessible for servicing, cupboard decorated internally rather than left bare.
• Floor level. Place a marble on the floor in several positions. Whether the deviation breaches tolerance is a measured check against a 2m straight edge.Pro inspection

05Bathrooms, en-suites & WCs

Nearly every long-term problem in a new build bathroom starts as a sealant, ventilation or fall defect that was visible on handover day.

• Silicone sealant. Continuous, evenly tooled and fully adhered around the bath, tray, basin and worktop. Gaps at the corners are where water gets behind tiling.
• Bath under load. Fill the bath to the overflow. The sealant should not split and the bath should not flex or creak. Watch the waste and overflow while it empties.
• Bath feet & cradle. Remove the panel where you can. Feet level and bearing evenly, frame secure and no packing improvised on site.Pro inspection
• Water temperature. Bath outlet temperature is limited by regulation to protect children, usually via a thermostatic valve.Pro inspection
• Shower performance. Hot water arrives within about a minute, flow of at least 6 litres a minute (a 1-litre jug in 10 seconds or less), and no temperature swing when another tap is opened. Check the screen seals and door closure.
• Shower tray fall. Pour a jug of water into each corner. It should all run to the waste with none left standing.
• WC. Flushes fully, refills and stops. Check the pan does not rock and that concealed cistern access panels fit properly.
• Backflow risk. If a shower hose can reach into the WC pan or a basin, it needs shortening or restraining: a contamination risk to the water supply.Pro inspection
• Tiling. Tiling should be centred on the main feature, the window or the bath, not started from one corner. Look for lippage, cracks and missing grout.Pro inspection
• Extractor fan. Runs with the light and overruns afterwards. Hold a sheet of tissue against it: if it will not hold, the fan or ducting is underperforming.
• Extract ducting. The duct must run to an external terminal, be insulated, and be as short and straight as possible.Pro inspection
• Drainage noise. A loud glug when a basin or bath empties indicates a venting or blockage problem in the soil stack.Pro inspection
• Ceiling below. After running the bathroom, check the ceiling directly beneath with a torch at a low angle for early staining.Pro inspection
• Sanitaryware condition. Inspect basins, baths and trays from around 0.5m in good light for chips, scratches and manufacturing flaws.
• Privacy glazing. Bathroom and WC windows should be obscured. Clear glass fitted by mistake is more common than you would expect.
• Switch positions. Switches and shaver sockets must be kept a safe distance from the basin and bath.Pro inspection

06Bedrooms & living areas

• Walls in daylight. Stand 2m back in natural daylight with wall lights off. Look for visible joints or tape, screw pops, dents and rough patches. Don't shine a torch across the wall: it exaggerates every ripple and isn't how the standard is judged.
• Ceilings. Look for jointing ridges, screw pops and long hairline cracks. Ceilings should be flat within roughly ±5mm under a 2m straight edge.Pro inspection
• Paint finish. Assess from 2m in natural daylight. Look for drips, snots, thin coverage behind radiators and splashes on ironmongery.
• Sockets, switches & data. Test every socket with a plug-in tester and every TV and data point. Faceplates flush, square and free of paint and plaster.
• Internal doors. Latch cleanly without slamming, no rattle, no bowing. The gap between door and frame should be no more than 4mm and even, and 10 to 22mm under the door to the unfinished floor.
• Radiators. Should heat evenly top to bottom. Cool at the top means air; cool at the bottom means sludge. TRVs turn freely and valves stay dry.
• Heating zones. Turn one thermostat up and check which radiators respond. Zones wired to the wrong floor is a defect we find regularly.Pro inspection
• Cold rooms. A room above a garage or on a top floor that will not warm up may have missing insulation rather than a heating fault.Pro inspection
• Floors. Under a 2m straight edge, deviation beyond about 5mm is out of tolerance. Listen for creaks and check boards do not bounce.Pro inspection
• Carpet & hard flooring. Carpet stretched with no ripples or visible seams; laminate and LVT free of scratches, lifting boards and perimeter gaps.
• Wardrobes & built-ins. Secure, plumb, doors aligned, internal fittings complete and matching the specification you paid for.
• Party wall noise. If you can hold a conversation through the wall or hear footfall clearly, note it. Back-to-back sockets are a common weak point.Pro inspection

07Windows & external doors

• Operation. Every window opens, closes and locks without forcing. Bi-folds and patio doors are the first to drop out of alignment as the house settles.
• Glass condition. From inside the room, 2m from the glass in daylight (3m for toughened, laminated or coated glass). Ignore the 6mm strip at the edge. Report cracks, chips, anything clearly visible from that distance, and misting between the panes.
• Failed units. Misting, beading or moisture between the panes indicates a failed seal. Note the room and position of every affected unit.
• Gaps & daylight. Check for daylight where patio door leaves meet, particularly at the bottom. Use a plastic spacer to test sash-to-frame gaps.Pro inspection
• External mastic. Continuous seal at every reveal, cill and threshold. Missing mastic beneath door thresholds is a leading cause of water ingress.Pro inspection
• Cill fall. External cills must slope away from the building. A cill leaning back drives rainwater into the reveal.Pro inspection
• Trickle vents. Present in habitable rooms, operating freely and not painted shut. They are part of the ventilation strategy, not an optional extra.
• Restrictors & escape. Restrictors should lock open and release easily in an emergency. Upstairs escape windows must not be key-locked shut.Pro inspection
• Rooflights. Low-level rooflights within reach of a child must be restricted. Narrow cut tiles beside a rooflight tend to slip.Pro inspection
• Trim & beading. Mullions and transoms straight and level, glazing trim cut to length with no sharp edges at the mitres.

08Loft, plant & ventilation

More significant defects hide above the loft hatch than anywhere else. Do not enter unless there is safe boarded access and someone else is home.

• Insulation depth & coverage. Two cross-laid layers to roughly 300mm, continuous to the eaves, and not walked flat or pulled aside by installers.Pro inspection
• Eaves ventilation. Vent trays must keep an air path open from the eaves into the roof space. Insulation packed tight causes condensation across the whole roof.Pro inspection
• Extract ducting. Bathroom and kitchen ducts must terminate outside through a tile vent, be insulated, and have no dips where condensate collects.Pro inspection
• Soil vent pipe. An internal soil pipe terminating in the loft needs either a roof vent or a correctly fitted air admittance valve, mounted upright.Pro inspection
• Restraint straps. Gable and party walls restrained by straps fixed to timber bracing, not directly to trusses, and to the correct face of the blockwork.Pro inspection
• Spandrel panels & party wall. Panels strapped at the specified centres, no gaps at the eaves, acoustic-rated cavity insulation in party walls.Pro inspection
• Roof underlay. Breathable membrane should sag slightly between rafters. Pulled drum-tight, water runs to the battens and seeps through the nail holes.Pro inspection
• Condensation & timber. Look for mould, damp staining and droplets under the membrane. Timber moisture content is measured with a meter, not judged by eye.Pro inspection
• Loft hatch. Draught seal fitted, insulation fixed to the hatch, ladder operating safely. Some three-storey layouts need a fire-rated hatch.
• Debris & cables. Offcuts, packaging and cement bags left in the loft are a fire load. Check for exposed cable ends and unmade connections.Pro inspection
• Boiler & cylinder. System pressure holding, no fault codes, expansion vessel secured, tundish visible and below the vessel, pipework insulated where required.Pro inspection
• MVHR system. Filters accessible, ducting insulated and supported, unit commissioned to the design flow rates and the sheet supplied to you.Pro inspection

09Garage & outbuildings

• Garage door. Operates smoothly through its full travel, locks correctly, and any powered door reverses on contact with an obstruction.
• Rainwater at the opening. There should be a channel drain, a lip or a fall away from the opening. A drive sloping towards the garage with no drainage will flood it.Pro inspection
• Integral garage fire separation. Self-closing door into the house, a step up or a floor falling to the exit, fire-rated ceiling where a room sits above, intumescent sealant at services.Pro inspection
• Roof structure. Trusses fixed to the wall plate with clips or the specified nailing, restraint straps at the correct spacing and properly secured.Pro inspection
• Piers & walls. Detached garages rely on piers for stability: full height, correctly spaced and solid when pushed. Check floor and walls for cracking.Pro inspection
• Power & lighting. Lighting and sockets working, outdoor and garage sockets weatherproof and RCD protected, personnel door latching and sealing.
• Practical use. Measure it. Confirm your car opens its doors inside, and that paths beside the house are wide enough for a wheelie bin.

10External walls, roof & rainwater

• Brickwork appearance. Consistent colour, straight and parallel courses, aligned perpends, no chipped bricks, no mortar smears left on the face.
• Mortar joints. Even width and colour, fully filled, hard rather than crumbling when rubbed. Patchy repointing usually marks a rectified error.
• Walls plumb. Assessed against a 2m level; deviation beyond roughly 8mm is out of tolerance. A measured check, not an eyeball one.Pro inspection
• Cracking. Hairline cracking is normal settlement. Stepped cracking, cracks through bricks, or horizontal cracking need professional assessment.Pro inspection
• Weep vents. Present above every opening and above flashings, clear and genuinely open. Blocked or dummy weeps trap water in the cavity.Pro inspection
• Damp proof course. Should sit at least 150mm above finished ground level. Raised ground, render or paving bridging the DPC lets moisture into the inner leaf.Pro inspection
• Air bricks. Where fitted, clear, correctly orientated and standing proud of ground level, not buried by soil, gravel or tarmac.
• Efflorescence. Isolated white deposits are usually cosmetic. Widespread staining, or a streak below a gutter or weep vent, points to water where it should not be.Pro inspection
• Render. Consistent texture and colour, free of crazing, no ghosting of blockwork, weep vents not rendered over, expansion joints on larger elevations.Pro inspection
• Roof covering. From ground level with binoculars: straight ridge line, no slipped or missing tiles, hip tiles not overhanging, dry verge caps secure and clipped.Pro inspection
• Flashings & abutments. Lead work at chimneys, canopies and adjoining roofs dressed neatly and correctly stepped. Difficult without pole camera or drone access.Pro inspection
• Fascias, soffits & bargeboards. Sealed, undamaged, no splits or gaps at joints, protective film and stickers removed.
• Gutters. Best assessed during or just after heavy rain. Look for overflow points, dips, twists and tiles not projecting far enough into the gutter.
• Downpipes. Securely fixed and actually connected into the gully below. Pipes discharging into soil or ending short of the drain are common.Pro inspection
• Canopies & overhangs. Check what sits below a canopy edge. Run-off onto a light fitting, an EV charger or brickwork causes staining and damage within a year.Pro inspection

11Drives, paths, drainage & garden

• Standing water. Walk the plot the morning after heavy rain. Pooling on the drive, patio or lawn tells you more in five minutes than any dry-day inspection.
• Paving & edging. Slabs secure underfoot, no rocking, no lipped edges, no chipped or stained units. Paths should fall away from the house.
• Path widths. Main approach paths and refuse routes have minimum widths under Building Regulations. Measure the side path you will drag a bin along.Pro inspection
• Channel drains. Aco and brick-slot drains clear of tarmac and debris, and connected at the ends. Blocked at installation is normal, so lift the grate and look.Pro inspection
• Inspection chambers. Where safe, lift covers and look inside for mortar, rubble and building debris. Chambers should sit flush with surrounding levels.Pro inspection
• Chamber load rating. A cover rated for pedestrian use only, installed on a driveway, will fail when you drive over it. Rating is stamped on the cover.Pro inspection
• Gully flow. Pour a bucket of water into each gully and watch it clear. Slow drainage now becomes a blocked run later.
• Topsoil quality. Dig a small section about 10cm deep and press the soil. It should crumble. If it holds a thumbprint it is heavy clay and your lawn will sit wet.
• Turf & debris. Turf laid on adequate topsoil, joints closed, free of stones and buried rubble: check along paths, fences and around chambers.
• Garden gradients. Steep falls towards the house pool water against the wall. Gradients are measured against a defined maximum, not judged by eye.Pro inspection
• Fencing & gates. Posts plumb and firm when pushed, panels flush and not rattling, gates hanging square, latching and not fouling as they swing.
• Boundaries vs plot plan. Compare fence lines and boundary treatments against your plot plan. Boundaries in the wrong position are cheaper to resolve now.
• Retaining structures. Where ground levels change, a drop over 600mm generally requires guarding. Check any raised or terraced area for guarding and safe access.Pro inspection
• External services. Outside tap operating and frost protected, external lighting working with PIRs set correctly, EV charge point commissioned and clear of run-off.

12Whole-house safety sweep

Run this last, across the entire property. These are the items where a defect is not an inconvenience.

• Interlinked alarms. Test each detector individually and confirm all others respond. Alarms on every storey, heat detection in the kitchen, CO where required.
• RCD protection. Test the RCDs at the consumer unit using the test button, and confirm which circuits they cover.Pro inspection
• Escape routes. Fire escape windows unobstructed and openable without a key; front door openable from inside where required; escape routes clear of clashing doors.Pro inspection
• Gas installation. Meter box sealed where pipes enter the building, pipework earth-bonded, boiler flue sealed and correctly angled at the terminal.Pro inspection
• Guarding & handrails. Every handrail, balustrade and guard firm along its whole length: test at the ends as well as the middle.
• Background ventilation. Trickle vents and background ventilation unblocked throughout. Closing them permanently causes condensation problems blamed on the extractor.
• Photographic record. Photograph every room in daylight before furniture arrives, and date every entry on your list. Timing is what determines who pays.