Snagging Survey in Cambridge CB3

Homemove snagging surveys in CB3 start from £295 for a one or two-bedroom apartment and increase with property size. A three or four-bedroom house at Darwin Green or similar typically costs £345 to £395. Re-inspections - where our inspector returns to verify your developer has completed the agreed repairs - are charged at £125. These prices are fixed, not estimated - you will see the exact cost before booking.

The NHBC Buildmark warranty provides two years of developer responsibility for defects and ten years of structural cover. But the warranty only responds to defects you report. Without a snagging survey, you are relying on your own ability to spot every issue before the two-year window closes. According to the HBF's National New Homes Survey 2025, 93.7% of new build buyers reported problems to their builder after moving in. A written snagging report creates a documented record that the developer cannot later claim was post-move-in damage.

Most CB3 inspections take between two and four hours. A one or two-bedroom apartment at Eddington typically takes two hours. A four-bedroom detached house at Darwin Green will take three to four hours. We ask for access before you complete wherever possible - this means the inspection covers the property in its handover condition, before your furniture and belongings are inside.

Yes. Post-completion snagging is common when buyers need to move in before the inspection can be arranged. The later you leave it, the harder it becomes to prove that defects were pre-existing rather than caused by occupation - but within the first two years of your NHBC warranty, you can still report defects. If you have moved in, book as soon as possible. We can still document structural items, drainage issues, and mechanical defects even with furniture in place.

The 88 homes demolished at Darwin Green in January 2024 were from Phase 2 (specifically the BDW2 sub-phase). Barratt commissioned independent structural engineers Cundall and Simpson TWS to assess Phase 1 (BDW1), and that phase was cleared. Phase 2 homes currently being sold are on different plots from those demolished. That said, gault clay is still the soil beneath the entire Darwin Green site, and the demolition case is a matter of public record. A snagging inspection on a Darwin Green home should include documented checks for settlement cracking, foundation-related movement, and drainage function - giving you a written baseline.

On CB3 sites, our inspectors most commonly find: settlement cracking at window and door corners linked to gault clay movement in the first dry season; incomplete airtightness sealing at window frames and loft hatch surrounds, particularly on the energy-efficient specification homes at Eddington; surface water drainage issues on clay substrate plots where falls to drains are insufficient; paintwork holidays and touching-in on communal staircases at Darwin Green apartments; and incorrect kitchen appliance installation. Structural foundation concerns are less common post-demolition but remain worth documenting at handover.

Yes. The same inspection applies regardless of how you are purchasing the property. At Darwin Green, L&Q offer shared ownership homes alongside Barratt and DWH market-sale properties. A buyer purchasing a 30% share still occupies 100% of the home and bears responsibility for maintenance defects not reported during the warranty period. The economic case for a £295 snagging survey is actually stronger on a shared ownership purchase, where the per-square-foot cost of the property is often higher than market sale.

Present the report to your developer's customer care team in writing, referencing specific items by the report's reference numbers. Both Barratt and DWH operate customer care portals where defects can be logged. Under the Consumer Code for Homebuilders, your developer must respond within a defined period. If they dispute items, the NHBC Resolution Service provides an independent adjudication process at no cost to you. Our report format is written specifically to be used in this process - each defect is categorised, photographed, and described in clear terms.