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Snagging Survey

Snagging survey in Cobham

Independent defect checks for new-build homes in KT11, with photo reports sent to the developer

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Independent snagging for Cobham homes

Cobham's village core still carries a conservation-area designation from 1970, so a new-build here needs a sharper eye than most plots on a standard estate. Our snagging inspectors walk the property, photograph every defect, and produce a report the builder can work through room by room. Prices start from £295 for a 1-2 bed home, and the full photo-illustrated report lands in 2-3 working days.

This is a small parish, with 1,469 residents recorded in the 2011 census and an estimated 1,497 in 2024, so verified new-build activity inside Cobham itself is thin. This varies street to street, so we go on your exact address rather than a town-wide average. That makes a pre-completion snagging inspection especially useful, because once the keys change hands the builder's leverage gets weaker fast.

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Area Property Market Data

£627,708

Average house price, homedata.co.uk

10% down

House prices year-on-year, homedata.co.uk

£709,286

Detached homes, homedata.co.uk

£604,167

Semi-detached homes, homedata.co.uk

£377,500

Terraced homes, homedata.co.uk

£574,123

Flats, homedata.co.uk

Recorded residential sales, homedata.co.uk

Since 1970

Cobham conservation area

1,497

Population estimate

100-250

Typical snag count per new-build home

Using listing data from home.co.uk and property data from homedata.co.uk

What a Snagging Inspection Catches

Paint and plaster are the first things most buyers spot in Cobham, especially where a fresh plot sits near older homes around Cobham Hall or the Darnley Mausoleum. Our inspectors still go further than the eye test. We look for scuffed walls, cracked corners, poor plaster finish, missed cut-ins around sockets, and patchy decoration that a developer can tidy before it becomes your problem.

Functional defects show up just as often. A door that will not latch, a window that does not seal, a socket that sits out of square, or a bath screen that has been fixed badly can all pass a casual walk-through. On nearby new-build schemes in Gravesend and Ebbsfleet, the same list often includes missing sealant, loose ironmongery, poor kitchen fit, and garden levels that do not match the agreed plan.

The bigger issues matter too, even on a polished-looking home. We flag drainage falls, ventilation that looks too weak, fire stopping that is missing or unfinished, and structural cracking that goes beyond normal shrinkage. A solicitor can review the paperwork for a purchase in KT11, but they will not crawl through loft spaces, measure a stiff window frame, or check whether a pipe run leaves water sitting in the wrong place.

Cobham's setting raises the bar in a different way. Four conservation areas, Church Cobham, Downside Village, The Tilt and Plough Corner, sit alongside 4 Grade I listed buildings, 3 Grade II* listed buildings and 38 Grade II listings, so a poor finish stands out even more. Our reports are built to give the developer a clear list, from the visible cosmetic faults to the defects that need a proper trade fix.

paint and plaster
doors and windows
sealant and sockets
kitchens and floors

Average snags found by property size

1-2 bed flat or house 118 snags

3 bed house 146 snags

4 bed house 173 snags

5+ bed house 198 snags

Based on Homemove inspections and the 100-250 defect benchmark for new-build homes

Why You Need It Before Completion (Or Within 2 Years)

NHBC Buildmark, Premier Guarantee and LABC New Home Warranty all carry a 2-year defects period, and that is the window where snagging defects should be logged. In Cobham, where the historic village core sits beside newer plots on the edge of the parish, our inspectors see the same pattern every time, defects are easiest to push back on before completion, and much harder after the keys are handed over.

After the first 2 years, the warranty narrows to structural issues only. That means paint, plaster, seals, sticking doors, misaligned sockets and garden levels are normally outside the wider defects cover, even if the home is on a new scheme near Gravesend, Ebbsfleet or Longfield. If you want the builder to own the fix, the timing matters.

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Why You Need It Before Completion (Or Within 2 Years)

Pre-completion, first-week, end-of-2-year snagging

Timing	Best used for	What it catches
Pre-completion snag	Before legal completion, while the builder still controls access	Finish defects, functional faults, safety items and agreed remedial work before you move
First-week snag	Right after completion if a pre-completion visit was not possible	Paint, plaster, doors, windows, sealant, kitchen fit, garden levels and visible drainage issues
End-of-2-year snag	Near the end of the defects period under NHBC Buildmark, Premier Guarantee or LABC	Persistent defects that have not been fixed, plus items that show up after settling

How the process works

Quote

Tell us the property type, the postcode and whether the build is still pre-completion. For a Cobham home near the village centre or on a plot toward the parish edge, we price the visit from the size of the property, with snagging from £295.

Instruction

Once you are happy with the quote, we take the booking and confirm the inspection window. We also ask for the completion date, site contact details and any notes about access, which matters on smaller sites around Cobham where the sales team may only be available at set times.

Access

We coordinate with the builder or site manager so the inspector can enter the property. If the home is still on site, this is the best point to book, because the trades are still available and the remedial list can be actioned before completion or move-in.

Inspection

Our inspector spends around 3-6 hours at the property, depending on size and layout. We check each room, the exterior, the loft where access allows, and the garden or boundary treatment, which is where new-build homes often show their most obvious tolerance issues.

Report

You receive a full photo-illustrated report within 2-3 working days. It is written so you can send it straight to the developer, with defects grouped clearly and severe items called out separately if they need urgent attention.

Do not wait for the keys

In a place as compact as Cobham, where the parish population was 1,469 in 2011 and the research set found no verified active new-build addresses inside the boundary, the builder's attention can move quickly once completion happens. Agree the pre-completion list before you take possession, because the leverage drops sharply after the keys are handed over.

Local New-Build Considerations in Cobham

Buyers who want a new home are looking beyond the village boundary, into Gravesend, Ebbsfleet, Longfield, Eynsford, Crouch, Hextable and Maidstone, where the development picture is fuller. We do not guess at builder names for Cobham, because none were verified for this location.

Cobham is not a blank canvas. It has been a conservation area since 1970, with Gravesham Borough Council providing mapping for the designation, and Cobham Heritage identifies 4 conservation areas within the village, Church Cobham, Downside Village, The Tilt and Plough Corner. Add in 4 Grade I listed buildings, 3 Grade II* and 38 Grade II, and even a modest new-build edge plot has to sit carefully in its surroundings.

That setting changes the snagging focus. Roof lines, mortar colour, boundary walls, external joinery, paving and garden levels all matter more when a new home sits close to a historic core that includes Cobham Hall, the Darnley Mausoleum and properties linked with Charles Dickens in The Pickwick Papers. If the house is timber-frame, modular or traditional masonry, the defects we see still tend to land in the same places, around plaster shrinkage, window seals, misaligned doors, kitchens and drainage.

The market detail is sparse, which is useful in its own way. homedata.co.uk records show prices in Cobham were 10% down on the previous year, while KT11 2 grew by 6.2% and KT11 3 grew by 1.2%. With only 5 recorded residential sales in the latest 24-month window, a snagging list that is clean, dated and well photographed is worth having ready before the warranty clock starts to run down.

Church Cobham
Downside Village
The Tilt
Plough Corner

Using Your Snag List With the Developer

We format the report so the developer can work through it quickly, with each defect set by room and backed by photos. In Cobham, that matters on small sites where the site manager may be covering plots across the parish, because a tidy list saves back-and-forth over the same bath seal or the same sticking rear door.

If the builder drags its feet, the warranty provider's resolution route may be the next step, especially under NHBC Buildmark. Our reports separate cosmetic defects from severe items such as fire stopping, ventilation, drainage falls and structural cracks beyond shrinkage, so urgent points do not get buried under the rest of the list from a house near Cobham Hall or a new plot off the parish edge.

Send the Snag List

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I book a snagging survey in Cobham?

Before legal completion is the best time, because the builder still controls access and the snag list can be agreed before you take the keys. If the purchase has already completed, book within the 2-year defects period and still get the list in front of the developer.

How long does the inspection take?

Most Cobham new-builds take 3-6 hours, depending on the size of the home and whether there is a garage, garden or outbuilding to check. A compact home near the village centre can be quicker than a larger plot on the parish edge, but our inspector still checks windows, doors, finishes, services and the external areas. The aim is to catch the faults while they are still the builder's responsibility.

What counts as snaggable, and what is just wear and tear?

Snaggable items are defects present at handover, such as failed sealant, doors that do not latch, misaligned sockets, poor plaster finish, a window that does not seal properly or a garden that has not been levelled to spec. Wear and tear is damage that happens after you move in. In Cobham, especially around a conservation area where visual quality matters, the distinction is still the same, new build defects are the developer's issue, not yours.

Who pays for the snagging inspection?

The buyer pays, not the developer. Homemove snagging starts from £295 for a 1-2 bed home, £375 for a 3 bed house, £450 for a 4 bed house and £550 for a 5+ bed house, with pre-completion priced the same way. That cost is there to give you a clear defect list before the 2-year warranty window under NHBC Buildmark, Premier Guarantee or LABC starts to narrow.

Can the developer refuse to fix the items on the list?

They can dispute items, but they should still deal with defects that fall under the builder's obligations or the warranty terms. In Cobham, a small site and a historic setting do not change that, whether the plot sits near Cobham Hall or on the parish edge, the home still has to meet the standard promised at handover. If the builder pushes back, the warranty provider's resolution process is the next step.

What is the difference between the builder, NHBC and the warranty provider?

The builder is usually the first point of contact during the 2-year defects period, because that is who carries out the remedial work. NHBC, Premier Guarantee or LABC are the warranty providers who step in if the developer fails to act, but they are not the same as the on-site trades fixing a bad window latch on a plot in Cobham or Gravesend. Our report is written so it can go straight to the builder first, then on to the warranty route if needed.

What if I have already moved in?

You can still book, and many buyers do. First-week and end-of-2-year inspections both work after completion, and they still catch items such as sticking doors, bad sealant, roof tile issues, drainage problems and cracks that appear after the house settles. In a village like Cobham, where the conservation area and listed buildings keep standards visible, a second look is still worth having even after the keys are in your hand.