Snagging Survey in Faversham

New-build snags in ME13 often start with the obvious things, because the obvious things are the ones people live with every day. Our inspectors look for paint marks, patchy plaster, scuffs, missing sealant, chipped tiles, doors that do not latch properly, and windows that do not shut flush. On a site like The Sycamores or The Orchards, those defects can appear in clusters across plots, which is why a quick walk-through is rarely enough. You need a systematic room-by-room inspection, with photos and notes that make sense to the site team.

We also catch defects that sit just beyond cosmetic work. Electrical sockets out of square, poor kitchen fitting tolerances, uneven flooring, loose skirting, faulty ironmongery and plumbing issues are all common on new homes. A buyer’s solicitor will not pick up a window that fails to seal or a shower screen that has been fitted out of plumb. That is the gap a snagging survey fills, and it is one reason new-build buyers in Perry Court and Norton Gardens ask for a detailed report before they sign anything off.

The more serious checks matter too. Fire stopping, ventilation, drainage falls, cavity trays, roof tile alignment and cracks beyond ordinary shrinkage all need attention from a trained inspector. Faversham’s London Clay and the surface water risk around flatter parts of the town make drainage and external levels worth checking closely, especially where garden slabs, drives and paths are not yet finished. A tidy plot can still have a problem underneath it, and that is where a proper snagging inspection pays for itself.

• Paint and plaster defects
• Doors, windows and seals that do not work properly
• Kitchen, joinery and flooring defects
• Fire stopping, ventilation and drainage issues

Faversham’s live new-build pipeline matters here because the same finish problems can repeat across a large development. The Sycamores, Perry Court, Norton Gardens and The Orchards are all different schemes, yet the snag patterns are familiar, paint and plaster, poor sealant, doors that do not line up, windows that need adjustment and kitchens that need a proper final fit. Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, Bellway and Westerhill Homes are all active in the town, so a snagging report has to be detailed enough to stand up across different builders and plot types. We do not treat one house as a test case for the rest.

Ground conditions also shape the inspection. Faversham and the wider Swale area sit on London Clay, with pockets of Thanet Formation and Chalk, and clay movement can show up as minor cracking, paving movement or doors that start to bind. Add the tidal and fluvial risk around Faversham Creek, plus surface water flooding in flatter parts of town, and external drainage becomes a real part of the snagging job. A drive that looks tidy can still have poor falls. A patio can still throw water back towards the house.

The town’s historic core gives another clue about how the area has developed. Faversham has over 400 listed buildings and a large conservation area, with a mix of red brick, plain tile roofs, Kentish ragstone and timber framing with render around the centre. New estates on the edge of town sit beside that older stock, so planning conditions on landscaping, boundary treatments and materials can be easy to overlook if nobody checks the handover properly. Swale Borough Council approvals often leave a paper trail. The snagging report should match that trail, item by item.

That mix of old and new means the local housing market is not just about the headline price. homedata.co.uk shows an overall average sold price of £382,000 in the town, while home.co.uk shows average asking prices at £383,090, so buyers are already paying serious money before they even think about repairs. On a new build, you should not be footing the bill for an unfinished plot. The report exists to put the issue back where it belongs, with the developer.