Snagging Survey in Frome

A snagging survey in Frome typically costs between £399 and £559 depending on the size of the property. A two-bedroom home starts at around £399, a three-bedroom at £439, and a four-bedroom at £449. Five-bedroom and larger properties are priced from £559. These figures are in line with Somerset market rates and include thermal imaging and a full written report. The cost is modest compared to the value of defects that professional inspectors typically find - it's not unusual for first-time reports to identify plumbing or electrical issues that would cost significantly more to fix outside the warranty period.

Our inspectors cover all active and recently completed new-build sites in the BA11 postcode area. This includes Keyford Meadows (Curo, Sandys Hill Lane, BA11 4GD), Francis Fields (David Wilson Homes), Purbeck Gardens at Locks Hill (Mendip Developments), and any other new-build completions in the area. If your development isn't listed, contact us directly - we cover all of Somerset and can usually arrange an inspection within five working days of enquiry.

Most standard new-build snagging inspections in Frome take three to five hours, depending on the size of the property. A two or three-bedroom home at Keyford Meadows or Francis Fields will typically take around three hours. Larger four or five-bedroom detached properties take closer to four to five hours. Our inspectors work methodically room by room, testing every electrical socket, plumbing outlet, window and door, and inspecting the roof and external envelope. The written report is delivered within 24 to 48 hours of the inspection.

A pre-completion inspection is the ideal option - it means the developer can begin resolving defects before you take ownership. Most developers operating in Frome, including Curo and David Wilson Homes, are required under the New Homes Quality Code to allow customers a pre-completion inspection either before completion or within five days of the Completion Notice being served. Some developers limit this to one hour on site, which is not enough for a thorough inspection. We recommend combining a developer-led pre-completion visit with our independent post-completion survey in the first few weeks of moving in to ensure full coverage.

Based on our inspections across Somerset and nationally, the most frequently occurring issues on new-build properties include loose or misaligned roof tiles, brickwork mortar gaps in external walls, plumbing connections left incomplete (particularly under-sink waste traps and appliance supply connections), electrical sockets and switches not functioning correctly, paintwork requiring additional coats or sanding, window and door frames that don't close squarely, and heating systems with zones not properly connected to thermostats. For energy-efficient properties like those at Keyford Meadows - which include solar PV, air source heat pumps and waste water heat recovery - our inspectors also verify all green technology connections are active and commissioned correctly.

Under NHBC Buildmark warranty (standard on most Frome new builds), your developer is legally required to rectify reported defects within the first two years of your completion date. Once you receive your snagging report, you send the defect list to your developer's customer care team and request written confirmation of the resolution timeline. When the developer indicates the snags have been addressed, you should carry out a follow-up inspection to verify every fix is to an acceptable standard. If the developer is unresponsive - a pattern documented extensively in David Wilson Homes reviews - you can escalate through NHBC's resolution service or contact the New Homes Ombudsman. Our report provides the documentation you need for both routes.

Frome has been named the best place to live in the South West by The Sunday Times, and the local property market reflects that status. Average house prices in BA11 reached £381,199 in October 2025, sitting above the Somerset county average of around £360,000. Frome's strong appeal to London creative professionals and commuters - Bath is 14 miles and 30 minutes by car, Bristol is 25 miles - has kept demand resilient through the post-pandemic market correction. New builds at sites like Keyford Meadows offer the energy efficiency and EV readiness that older limestone cottages in the town centre cannot, which is attracting buyers who want the town's lifestyle without the maintenance costs of a Victorian stone property.

Yes - independent inspection and developer self-inspection serve different purposes. Developers carry out internal site manager and contracts manager inspections (known as QC 5.1 and 5.3A sign-off), but these are production checks, not consumer protection documents. There is no obligation for a developer's inspector to share findings with you, and the standards they apply are set internally. An independent snagging inspector works exclusively in your interest, using recognised benchmarks such as the NHBC standard to assess every element of the property. Buyers who request copies of the developer's own QC documents frequently find them incomplete or unsigned, which is why independent surveys consistently identify more issues than developers' self-assessments.