Cardiff has 14,000 new homes in active development - our inspectors check every one is built to standard before you move in
Cardiff is building at a scale not seen in decades. Plasdwr alone will deliver 7,000 homes over the next 15 years. Churchlands in the north-east adds another 4,500. St Edeyrn's Village, Llanilltern and the Cardiff Living programme push the total active pipeline beyond 14,000 homes. With new builds averaging £379,000 in Cardiff - a 54% premium over the existing stock average of £246,000 - buyers are committing serious money to properties that too often arrive with 50 to 150 defects each.
Our inspectors work across all major Cardiff developments, covering Bellway at Plasdwr's Rhiwlas, Redrow at Plas Ty Draw and Cwrt Sant Ioan, Persimmon and Charles Church at St Edeyrn's and Llanilltern, and Taylor Wimpey's growing north Cardiff portfolio. We know what each builder's teams get right and where they repeatedly cut corners.
A snagging inspection in Cardiff costs between £300 and £600 depending on property size. That is a small fraction of what you paid, and it creates a documented record of defects that your builder is legally obliged to address before completion or in the first two years of your NHBC Buildmark warranty.
£271,000
Average House Price
ONS UK House Price Index, December 2025
£379,000
New Build Average Price
54% above the existing stock average of £246,000
14,000+
New Homes in Active Pipeline
Plasdwr, Churchlands, St Edeyrn's and Llanilltern combined
50-150
Typical Defects Per New Build
National average across all new build completions
Cardiff presents two distinct sets of inspection challenges, separated by a century of construction history. The inner suburbs - Cathays, Roath, Canton, Pontcanna, Splott, Grangetown - are built largely from blue Pennant sandstone and red brick, laid in solid-wall construction with lime mortar. These Victorian and Edwardian terraces were built between 1875 and 1914 to house the workers of one of the world's busiest ports. They are durable buildings but with specific vulnerabilities: failed damp-proof courses, cement repointing that traps moisture in breathable stone walls, chimney defects, and ongoing challenges improving their thermal performance.
The outer suburbs and new development sites present entirely different questions. Plasdwr in the north-west, Churchlands in the north-east and St Edeyrn's in the east are large-scale suburban estate developments built to Welsh Building Regulations 2022, which introduced tighter thermal performance requirements. Timber frame construction is increasingly common in Welsh new builds because it meets those energy efficiency targets more easily than masonry. Timber frame inspections require close attention to vapour barriers, junction details and cavity closers - areas where site teams frequently leave defects that only become apparent years later.
Cardiff has been identified as the highest-risk local authority in Britain for flooding, with an estimated 33,000 properties - 17% of all Cardiff homes - facing flood risk by 2050. The River Taff's flood zone runs through Canton, Pontcanna, Grangetown, Riverside and Ely. The River Ely affects Llandaff North. If you are buying a new build on a Cardiff flood plain, Welsh Building Regulations require specific flood resilience measures. Our inspectors check that flood resilience thresholds, airbrick protection, drainage gradients and water-resistant membranes are correctly installed - a missed flood defence is not a cosmetic issue, it is a building regulations defect.
Source: ONS Census 2021 (Wales). New build transactions in Cardiff are skewed toward detached (51%) and semi-detached (33%), reflecting large suburban estate development at Plasdwr and Churchlands.
Our inspectors are active across Cardiff's largest development sites. At Plasdwr - the 900-acre garden city taking shape between Radyr and St Fagans - we survey homes built by Bellway (Rhiwlas), Redrow (Cwrt Sant Ioan), Barratt and David Wilson Homes (Maes-y-Deri) and Lewis Homes (Dol Werdd). The most common defects across these sites include incomplete landscaping and drainage falls that pool water near foundations, window and door seal failures allowing drafts, and uneven floor surfaces in ground-floor rooms.
At St Edeyrn's Village - the 1,300-home Persimmon and Charles Church development between Pontprennau and Old St Mellons - residents reported drainage issues causing kitchen and living room flooding. Our inspections at this site focus specifically on utility connections, drainage gradients and kitchen plumbing before completion. At Churchlands in Lisvane and Pontprennau, where Redrow (Plas Ty Draw), Taylor Wimpey and Bellway (Longwood Grange) are all active, thermal bridging at structural junctions and incomplete internal plaster finish are among the most frequent findings.
The Cardiff Living programme, where Wates Residential is delivering 1,500 homes at Silverdale Park in St Mellons, Aspen Grove in Rumney and Briardene in Gabalfa, also falls within our coverage area. These council-partnership homes are held to the same Welsh Building Regulations standards, and our inspectors check them with identical rigour.
| Property Size | Cardiff Typical Range | National Average | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 bed apartment | From £300 | From £360 | Pre-completion recommended |
| 2-3 bed house | From £380 | From £449 | Most common Cardiff new build type |
| 4-5 bed house | From £450 | From £479 | Detached new builds at Plasdwr |
| Re-inspection (post-remedy) | From £240 | From £290 | Check builder has fixed items |
1-2 bed apartment
Cardiff Typical Range
From £300
National Average
From £360
Notes
Pre-completion recommended
2-3 bed house
Cardiff Typical Range
From £380
National Average
From £449
Notes
Most common Cardiff new build type
4-5 bed house
Cardiff Typical Range
From £450
National Average
From £479
Notes
Detached new builds at Plasdwr
Re-inspection (post-remedy)
Cardiff Typical Range
From £240
National Average
From £290
Notes
Check builder has fixed items
Prices vary by inspector and access. Cardiff surveys are priced in line with national ranges. Sources: HomeOwners Alliance 2026; local Cardiff provider quotes.
Tell us your Cardiff development, property type and your preferred inspection window. We confirm pricing for your home within a few hours.
Our inspector arranges access directly with the site manager at your Cardiff development. Builders are required to allow pre-completion inspections once the property is signed off as complete.
Our inspector spends two to four hours at your Cardiff property, checking every room, all external elevations, the roof space, drainage and all fixtures and fittings against Welsh Building Regulations 2022 standards.
You receive a written snagging report within two working days, with photographs of every defect and clear descriptions your builder can act on.
You present the report to your builder. Under NHBC Buildmark warranty terms, the builder must address all genuine defects. Our inspectors offer a Cardiff re-inspection service to confirm the work has been completed correctly.
A Cardiff snagging inspection covers every visible and accessible element of your new home. Our inspectors work to a structured checklist aligned with Welsh Building Regulations 2022 and NHBC standards, going room by room from the roof to the drainage.
Snagging surveys in Cardiff range from £300 to £600, depending on the size and type of your property. A one or two-bedroom apartment starts at around £300, a typical three-bedroom house at £380 to £450, and a four or five-bedroom detached home at £450 to £600. These figures are in line with the UK national average of £377 cited by HomeOwners Alliance. Post-completion re-inspection surveys, where our inspector verifies the builder has fixed the defects, cost from £240 in Cardiff.
Our inspectors work across all active Cardiff developments, including Plasdwr (Bellway Rhiwlas, Redrow Cwrt Sant Ioan, Barratt and David Wilson Maes-y-Deri, Lewis Homes Dol Werdd and Goitre Fach), Churchlands (Redrow Plas Ty Draw, Bellway Longwood Grange, Taylor Wimpey), St Edeyrn's Village (Persimmon and Charles Church), Llanilltern Village (Persimmon and Charles Church at Junction 33), and the Cardiff Living programme sites at St Mellons, Rumney and Gabalfa. We also cover Parc Llandaf and smaller infill developments across the city.
Most Cardiff new build inspections take between two and four hours on site. A two-bedroom apartment takes around two hours. A four or five-bedroom detached house on a Plasdwr or Churchlands estate typically takes three to four hours to inspect thoroughly. After the site visit, our inspector compiles the written report with photographs, delivered within two working days. Some Cardiff inspectors offer same-day report delivery for an additional fee.
A pre-completion inspection is the most effective approach and is available to all Cardiff new build buyers. Your builder must allow access once the property is signed off as complete by the site manager - typically two to four weeks before your legal completion date. Pre-completion inspection creates the strongest position: defects documented before keys change hands are far harder for the builder to attribute to your occupation. If your builder refuses access, that refusal can be challenged, and your solicitor can assist with escalating the matter.
Yes. Cardiff has the highest flood risk of any local authority in Britain, with around 33,000 properties at risk. For new builds in designated flood zones - including parts of Canton, Pontcanna, Grangetown, Riverside and some Cardiff Bay sites - Welsh Building Regulations require specific flood resilience measures to be built in. Our inspectors check that airbrick covers, flood-proof threshold details, drainage gradients and any flood-resistant materials specified in the planning consent are correctly installed. A missing flood defence is a building regulations defect, and the builder is obliged to remedy it.
Across Cardiff developments, our inspectors most frequently find incomplete or poorly graded external drainage causing water pooling near foundations; window and door seal failures creating drafts and damp ingress; uneven floor surfaces in ground-floor rooms; plasterwork hollows and cracks; missing or incorrectly fitted cavity closers at window reveals; and roof tile bedding failures. At Cardiff Bay and riverside sites, drainage connection quality and flood resilience details are additional priorities. On Welsh timber-frame builds - increasingly common because of the Welsh Building Regulations 2022 thermal requirements - vapour barrier continuity and structural junction details require particular attention.
An NHBC Buildmark warranty covers structural defects for 10 years, but covers general defects (snags) only in the first two years. After year two, cosmetic and finishing defects become your responsibility and your cost. A snagging survey creates a comprehensive record of defects at completion, giving you the strongest possible basis for warranty claims during that critical window. Nationally, new builds average 50 to 150 defects on completion, and many are invisible to an untrained eye. At Cardiff's current scale of development - with thousands of completions each year across Plasdwr, Churchlands and St Edeyrn's - builder site supervision is stretched, and our inspection findings reflect that.
Yes. Our inspectors cover new build apartments throughout Cardiff, including developments in Cardiff Bay, Parc Llandaf and any multi-block schemes within the Plasdwr and Churchlands masterplans. Apartment inspections follow the same structural checklist as houses, with additional attention to inter-tenement floor and wall construction, acoustic performance between units, communal area access and mechanical ventilation systems. High-rise and mixed-use blocks in Cardiff Bay are also covered.
Explore our full range of property surveys in Cardiff
From £400
HomeBuyer Report for Cardiff properties - recommended for post-1919 houses and apartments in good condition
From £600
Full Building Survey for Cardiff's Victorian and Edwardian terraces, and any property with structural concerns
From £60
Energy Performance Certificate for Cardiff homes - required for all sales and lettings
From £200
RICS-registered valuation for Cardiff Help to Buy equity loan staircasing or repayment
Most surveyors take 1-2 days to quote.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
Most surveyors take 1-2 days to quote.
We'll price your survey in seconds.
Homemove is a trading name of HM Haus Group Ltd (Company No. 13873779, registered in England & Wales). Homemove Mortgages Ltd (Company No. 15947693) is an Appointed Representative of TMG Direct Limited, trading as TMG Mortgage Network, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 786245). Homemove Mortgages Ltd is entered on the FCA Register as an Appointed Representative (FRN 1022429). You can check registrations at NewRegister or by calling 0800 111 6768.
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