Snagging Survey in BS5 Bristol

For most new builds in BS5 - including apartments at the Chocolate Factory on Co-operation Road and smaller schemes in St George and Redfield - prices start from £295 for a one or two-bed property. A three-bed townhouse or house typically costs £350-£450. Our prices are fixed once agreed, so there are no surprises on the day of inspection.

Yes. All new builds in BS5 are from independent and boutique developers rather than national housebuilders, and our inspectors work with these developments regularly. We coordinate access directly with the site manager or developer's agent. Smaller developers sometimes push back on pre-completion access - if that happens, we can advise on your legal rights and alternative timing for the inspection.

For a one or two-bed apartment, allow 2-3 hours. A three-bed townhouse like those at the Chocolate Factory development takes 3-4 hours. We do not rush inspections - a thorough check of over 500 points cannot be done in under two hours, and any inspector quoting less than 90 minutes is not conducting a full inspection.

This is not part of a snagging survey, but it is worth knowing. St George (BS5 7 and BS5 8) was an active coal and fireclay mining area until 1904. Your solicitor should request a Coal Authority CON29M search if you are buying in St George - it is not always included in a standard local authority search. Our snagging inspector will note any visible signs of differential settlement or cracking during the inspection, but a formal mining search is a legal matter for your conveyancer.

We do not give investment advice, but we do survey properties there. The site occupies the former Elizabeth Shaw chocolate factory on Co-operation Road, Greenbank, and includes 140 homes across townhouses, converted factory apartments, and new-build flats. As with any brownfield regeneration scheme, buyers should check the contamination remediation certificate and understand how made ground under the site was treated. Our snagging report covers visible defects at the point of inspection and does not substitute for environmental and ground investigation reports.

On brownfield BS5 developments our inspectors most commonly find: incomplete or missing cavity wall insulation (a common issue on schemes with complex build phasing), inadequate drainage falls on patios and rear terraces, poorly fitted window reveals where new cavity meets older solid brick walls, and incomplete decorative finishes - specifically around stairwells and loft hatches. On apartment schemes, party wall acoustic insulation and ventilation duct terminations are frequent finds.

Yes. Pre-completion is the ideal time because it maintains maximum legal leverage over the developer, but a post-completion snagging survey is still valuable. In England and Wales, new builds carry a two-year developer defect liability period during which the builder is legally obliged to repair defects at no cost to you. A snagging report at any point within that two-year window gives you a documented basis for claiming repairs. For BS5 properties purchased in 2024 or early 2025, that window is still open.

A snagging survey is specifically designed for new build properties - it checks that the property has been built to specification and that all finishes, installations, and systems are complete and functional. It does not assess the structural integrity of the building in the way a full Level 3 building survey does. For BS5 buyers purchasing in older converted buildings or from boutique developers converting Victorian industrial premises, a Level 3 building survey may also be worth considering alongside a snagging inspection.