Snagging Survey in Dover

A snagging inspection is wider than a quick walk-round. On a Dover plot, our inspectors look at paint, plaster, skirting and sealant, then they test doors, windows, sockets and kitchen fit. We also check the things a buyer's solicitor will not see, such as whether the socket plate sits square, whether a door latches cleanly, and whether the window seals close as they should. In a new flat at Military Road or a house at Guston Heights, those faults are common, and they are rarely isolated.

The bigger concern is hidden work that can fail later. We flag fire-stopping, ventilation, drainage falls and structural cracks that go beyond normal shrinkage, because these are the defects that matter most under a warranty claim. Dover's steep ground, the River Dour and the coastal edge all make drainage and external levels worth checking closely. A patio that holds water or a poorly graded drive is not just untidy, it can point to rushed external works.

A practical snag list also catches construction faults in the parts of the home people use every day. Kitchens can be out of square, tiling can run unevenly, and floors can dip enough to show up at the threshold between rooms. We often find missed mastic, gaps in the finish around windows, and poor garden levels on plots that looked finished from the street. Those are the kinds of defects that are easy to miss if you only inspect for a few minutes.

• Paint and plaster marks
• Doors, windows and latches
• Socket alignment and electrics
• Kitchens, sealant and tiling
• Drainage, falls and garden levels

Dover's active new-builds are not clustered in one neat pocket. Guston Heights sits in Guston with Dover Fastrack zero-emissions bus stops directly outside, while Military Road and Poulton Close are council-led schemes in the town itself. That mix matters because the defects we see are often less about the postcode and more about the pace of the build. A phased development can leave you with incomplete external works, patchy sealant and doors that need re-alignment after the finish team has gone.

The ground and the water matter too. Dover sits on chalk, the River Dour runs through the town, and the coastline is exposed to high tides, storm surges and large waves. There is also a small area of functional floodplain, Flood Zone 3b, in Mid Town Dover near the River Dour. That is why we pay close attention to drainage falls, threshold heights, patio levels, air bricks and the finish around rainwater goods. A plot can look complete while still failing at the edges.

Older stock sets the context. Around 75% of properties in the Dover District were built before 1980, and that means many buyers are used to seeing older timber, tired electrics and movement in older homes. New-build plots should still be checked against modern standards, not against what a pre-1980 terrace can get away with. In practice, we often find cosmetic defects first, then window seals, socket alignment, kitchen tolerances and garden levels once the inspection gets into the details.

• Guston Heights off the Dover Fastrack route
• Military Road council homes
• Poulton Close council apartments
• Mid Town Dover floodplain near the River Dour