Snagging Surveys in Lichfield

A proper snagging inspection goes well beyond paint touch-ups. In Lichfield, our inspectors look for cosmetic defects such as scuffed plaster, patchy decoration, paint runs, and sealant gaps, then check whether the doors, windows, and sockets actually work as they should. The buyer's solicitor will not spot a sticking hallway door in a new flat near Lichfield City station, and they will not measure whether a socket is fitted square against the wall.

Functional faults are common on new-build homes around Boley Park and the wider city edge. We check windows for proper sealing, doors for latching and alignment, extractor fans for airflow, and plumbing for leaks, poor pressure, or noisy pipework. Small faults build up fast. A misfitted kitchen unit, a draughty frame, or a bathroom seal that was never finished can point to poor workmanship rather than simple wear.

Construction defects need a sharper eye. Our inspectors check for uneven floors, gaps in skirting, poorly set kitchens, awkward thresholds, weak garden levels, and external items that were left short of spec. Where needed, we flag more serious items separately, such as fire stopping, ventilation shortfalls, drainage falls, and structural cracking that goes beyond normal shrinkage. Those are the issues that can sit behind the gloss of a new show home finish.

• Cosmetic defects such as paint, plaster, scuffs, and sealant
• Functional defects such as doors, windows, sockets, fans, and plumbing
• Construction defects such as uneven floors, skirting gaps, kitchen tolerances, and garden levels
• Regulatory defects such as fire stopping, ventilation, drainage falls, and structural non-compliance

That said, the city context still matters. Lichfield is 14 miles north of Birmingham, Lichfield City station has direct services to Birmingham New Street, and the market recorded 1,624 transactions in the last 12 months to December 2025. Homes moving through that pipeline often need a close snagging eye because handover dates can be tight.

Boley Park is a good example of why local context helps. Buyers there often expect a clean new-home finish, but the defects we see most often are still the same practical items: plaster not finished properly, doors that do not latch, windows that do not seal, and sealant missed at baths, showers, or kitchens. Volume-housebuilder estates can also leave external works short of the mark, so we check paths, patios, turf levels, boundary finishes, and drainage details rather than stopping at the front door.

Lichfield's housing stock is dominated by detached and semi-detached homes, and that shapes how snagging findings present. Larger plots can hide garden level issues, awkward thresholds, and roofline or external finish defects, while smaller units and flats often show tighter kitchen tolerances, poor socket alignment, and noise or ventilation faults. We write the report for the exact property, not for a postcode average, because a new flat by the station and a family house near Boley Park will rarely fail in the same way.

The local price picture also tells a story. homedata.co.uk records show detached homes in Lichfield at £522,000, semis at £315,000, terraces at £251,000, and flats and maisonettes at £162,000 in March 2026. Those values are high enough that builders should be held to a clean finish. If a new home has loose trim, poor plastering, or a drainage issue, it is not something a buyer should shrug off just because the development is still new.

We also keep an eye on what the research did not confirm. Instead, we focus on what a snagging report can prove: photographs, room notes, defect descriptions, and a clear list the developer can work through.