Snagging list template

A snagging list records small defects that need fixing before a job is accepted. Print the sheet below for a walk-round, or build one by room with the free inspection checklist maker.

What a snagging list is for

It turns a walk-round into a list of jobs. Each snag gets a number, a location and someone responsible, so nothing relies on memory. Buyers use it on new homes, clients use it at the end of a fit-out, and contractors use it to check their own work before the client does. In North America the same thing is often called a punch list.

What each column should contain

• Number: one per snag, so it can be referred to in messages.
• Location: the room or area and where in it, such as "Bedroom 2, wall left of window".
• Description: what is wrong, in a few words.
• Photo reference: the photo number or file name.
• Responsible: the trade or person who will fix it.
• Target date and closed date, with the initials of whoever checked it.

How to fill it in well

Walk the property in a fixed order, room by room, and look at each surface: ceiling, walls, floor, doors, windows, then fittings and services. Good light helps, and a torch held flat against a wall shows up uneven plaster.

Photograph every snag twice, once close up and once from further back so the location is clear. When it is fixed, photograph it again from the same angle and mark it closed.

When to snag

Do the first snagging inspection when the work is nearly finished but before the trades leave site, so fixes are quick. Do a second check when the snags are reported as closed. On new homes, buyers often get an inspection before completion and can usually report defects after moving in too; check the warranty terms for how long that window lasts.

Mistakes to avoid

• Vague entries like "paint poor", which cannot be checked off.
• Mixing new requests into the snag list. Extra work belongs in a separate quote.
• Closing snags without looking at them.
• Leaving it until the day before handover.

Questions