New Home Owners/Builders/Buy to Let Landlords

With over 160,000 new homes due to be completed in 2007 and the apparent complacency of the major house builders with regard to the standard of their new homes, it is now becoming essential to seek independent professional help to assess the completeness and standard of your new home.

Snagging: what is it…. who does it and when?
For those who have never bought a new home “snagging” is the name for the seemingly endless process that identifies and lists all the major and minor problems that you find in your new home. In the past people would attempt to do these themselves. However the modern way is to get a professional inspector to do it for you, this will give you a detailed list and save you the embarrassment of perhaps arguing with a site manager who is trying to baffle you with technical jargon and “regulations”.

The number of defects or “snags” found in new homes is increasing year on year. Last year, the average number of defects per home was 62. You can expect to find at least 40 problems in a one-bedroom property to well over 130 for a four-bedroom house. The industry and other experts have various explanations for this, but the one salient fact is that very little is being done by the builders, to actually improve the standard of their new homes.

A new home can have many areas that can give rise to snags, some of which may not become noticeable for some time. It can be difficult for the site manager to set aside a period when he can thoroughly check every aspect of your new home without being interrupted. All too often the site snagging process becomes a rushed affair and areas are missed or not checked at all.

We offer the new home buyer a completely independent inspection snagging report and we will liase with the builders and warranty providers to ensure remedial works are completed to acceptable standards.
Industry figures show that 90% of buyers had experienced defects with their new homes. If you choose to inspect your home yourself it can be very time consuming at a period of heightened stress. “Apart from the obvious decoration defects, you really do need to know what to look for and where to look.

By using a professional snagging service the home owner has the benefit that the report and the contents will be taken more seriously by the builder and each item is far more likely to receive attention, than if the owner had prepared their own list. This is because these professionals are respected within the industry and they may already have a “working relationship” with some of the larger builders and will put the home owner’s interests first by dealing with the builder’s representatives at a professional level, independently and emotionally detached.

Appointing a professional is the easiest solution to ensure your new home is fully completed to acceptable standards before you move in, avoiding the hassle of works being carried out in your new home, on your new carpets, after you have moved in.

We can give you a detailed Inspection Report on a new or refurbished property this would usually be done before possession is taken. The Report includes photographs of every room and gardens.
Any faults and defects found will then be given to the builder or developer who will then have the opportunity to rectify the faults and defects. Once this has been done we will return to check that the work and changes have been made.

We will then compile a finished report and email it to you within 24 hours. If the property had any major problems we would contact you straight away.

This service is essential for builders as well, with more homes being built every year and more and more strict deadlines, it is less likely that each stage of construction is being properly checked and defects being rectified. Site Managers are now required to carry out new tasks or paperwork which are not related to quality or defect prevention. So as the Site Managers now no longer have sufficient time to supervise and check the build quality thoroughly so it makes good sense to have a Snagging Inspection, we can offer this service to suit your needs. You will be able to state in your marketing literature that all the new homes are independently checked and inspected.

For Buy-to-Let investors, we know you have a busy schedule and simply need someone you can trust to act on your behalf and provide a stage by stage report on progress and final inspection upon completion of a property that you have invested in that may be far from your locality.
If the property is going to be left empty for some time we can make regular visits to check on it we can also arrange for a final cleaning just before your tenants move in, this is good for investors who may have had the property on with agencies and viewings being made.

For more information on this service please call us on 01483 820944 or 07739 803664 or E-Mail: sales@inviewinventories.co.uk