New-Build Home Snagging: Your Rights to Get Defects Fixed (UK)

A brand-new home should be perfect — but snags, from cracked tiles to faulty boilers and worse, are common. You have real rights to get them put right. Here is how to hold the developer to account.

Your three layers of protection

• The Consumer Rights Act 2015: the home and the building work must be of satisfactory quality and built with reasonable care and skill.
• The developer's snagging period: most builders fix defects reported within a set window after completion (often up to two years).
• Your structural warranty (e.g. NHBC Buildmark or similar): typically covers the first two years for defects and up to ten years for major structural problems.

Snagging the right way

1. Inspect thoroughly — ideally with a professional snagging survey — and list every defect with photos.
2. Report in writing to the developer, not just verbally, and keep a dated record.
3. Give reasonable access and time for repairs, but hold them to a clear schedule.
4. If the developer drags their feet, use the warranty provider's resolution service or the New Homes Ombudsman where available.

A snagging letter template

Dear [Developer],

Re: [Plot/address] — snagging defects

Following completion on [date], I have identified the following defects: [list with
photos]. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and my warranty, please rectify these
within [reasonable period, e.g. 28 days] and confirm an appointment schedule.

If the defects are not addressed, I will refer the matter to [warranty
provider/New Homes Ombudsman].

Yours faithfully,
[Your name and contact details]

Document everything from day one and put every report in writing. Developers respond far faster to a clear, evidenced list with deadlines than to phone calls — and the warranty and ombudsman routes give you teeth if they stall.