What is snagging and when does it happen?

Snagging records items that need completion or correction as a project closes out. Agree the inspection process, the responsibilities and the target dates, then track each item through to closure rather than circulating conflicting lists.

How long is the defects period on a renovation?

The applicable period and obligations must be read from the signed contract. Do not infer a duration from another project, and do not confuse it with a manufacturer's warranty, which carries its own conditions.

What should be in my handover pack?

Ask for as-built information where it is included, the relevant certificates, commissioning records, product information, warranties, care instructions and service contacts. The exact schedule depends on the works.

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Q: Does the contractor approve the building work?

No. Approval and inspections are carried out through the appropriate building control route. NU coordinates with external building control providers, and that coordination does not make the contractor the approving body.

Snagging and Handover: How a London Renovation Actually Ends

11 minutes ago

3 min read

The scaffold is down. The house looks finished. Then a cupboard door catches on its neighbour.

Most of the friction happens in the last three weeks, not the first three months. The building work is done by then. What is not done is the agreement about what done actually means. This part gets planned last and argued about most.

Here is what a well run ending looks like. Agree these points before you reach it. It closes the 12 stage process we run from day one to handover.

Practical completion is not the day everything is finished

Practical completion is a contract term, not a feeling about the house. Your contract should define the completion threshold. It should also set out inspection, outstanding items and possession.

It is not a declaration that every later task is complete. Reading it that way is where expectations start to drift. Ask your team to show you the clause before the date arrives, not after.

A snag list is not a quality plan

Snagging records items that need completion or correction. It works when the process, responsibilities and target dates are agreed first. Then everyone tracks closure. What fails is three people circulating three conflicting lists.

The stronger move happens much earlier. Agree inspection points, samples and acceptance criteria before work is concealed or repeated. Quality control built into the sequence beats a long list at the end.

A defect found behind a finished wall is expensive. The same defect found before the plaster goes on is not.

Installed is not the same as commissioned

Equipment sitting in place is not a working system. Testing and commissioning should be written into the scope from the start. You should expect operating demonstrations and the relevant records.

Ask for a walkthrough of heating, cooling, ventilation and controls. Written instructions land better when someone shows you the settings. Arrange that session with the people who will actually run the house.

Finished cloakroom basin on a polished chrome washstand with cross head taps and exposed trap, second fix sanitaryware in a London renovation

A defects period and a warranty are different things

These two get confused constantly. Defects obligations come from the contract and the delivered work. Routine servicing, consumables and care are usually a separate matter.

The applicable defects period has to be read from your signed contract. Do not infer it from a friend's project. Do not assume it matches a manufacturer's warranty either.

Warranties can carry conditions of their own. Pumps, plant, waterproofing and specialist installations often require specified maintenance and records. Cover is not always unconditional, so check before you need it.

What belongs in your handover pack

Agree the document list well before completion, not on the day itself. Ask for as-built information where it is included. Ask for the relevant certificates and the commissioning records.

Add product information, warranties, care instructions and service contacts. The exact schedule depends on the works. Keep everything together and hold a secure digital copy alongside your property documents.

If you sell the house later, that record answers most enquiries for you.

Finished in-frame shaker kitchen in a London house, painted cabinetry, stone island and glazed doors to a courtyard, photographed at handover

Who actually signs the building work off

Approval and inspections are carried out through the appropriate building control route. NU coordinates with external building control providers. That coordination does not make the contractor the approving body.

Agree an inspection and evidence schedule early. Agree who obtains the records and who retains them. Inspections do not replace the duties that designers, contractors and clients already hold.

One contract and one team makes this stretch quieter. There is nobody to pass the list to, because the list is ours.

We plan the end of a build as carefully as the start. Fill out the contact form or call 020 7731 6841 and let's get you booked in for a free call with Nick.