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Snagging Survey

Snagging Survey in Greenock

Independent checks for new-build homes in PA15 and PA16

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Catch defects before the defect period gets tighter

Greenock has several live and approved new-build schemes across Duncan Street, Drumfrochar Road, Madeira Street, Renton Road and Spango Valley, and every one of them can look finished long before it is fully finished. Our snagging inspectors walk the property room by room, document every defect with photos, and produce a report you can send straight to the developer. The aim is plain enough. Get the faults written down while the builder is still responsible for them.

That matters on flatted schemes like Duncan Street and Madeira Street, where ventilation, fire stopping, doors and sealant need a careful check, but it matters just as much on detached plots at Shankland Road or Drumfrochar Road. Homemove snagging surveys start from £295 for 1-2 bed homes, £375 for 3 bed houses, £450 for 4 bed houses and £550 for 5+ bed homes, with the full photo report turned around in 2-3 working days. We can inspect pre-completion too, before legal completion has taken place.

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Greenock new-build snapshot

Active or approved schemes

Inverclyde Council

Local planning authority

100-250

Typical defects found in a new-build home

2-3 working days

Report turnaround

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

What a Snagging Inspection Catches

Fresh plaster can hide a long list of small faults in a Greenock new-build, especially on schemes like The Scholars off Madeira Street or the homes planned around Duncan Street. Our inspectors pick up paint splashes, patchy decoration, scuffed skirting, uneven caulking and joins that the sales office will not point out on handover day. Buyers often see the room and think the work is done. The snagging report tells a different story.

We also check things that affect daily use, not just appearance. Doors that will not latch, windows that do not seal properly, sockets that sit out of square, radiators that are badly fixed and kitchen units with poor tolerances all show up in our reports. On a flat block in PA16, those faults can sit beside a finished-looking communal entrance and still cause problems from day one. A buyer's solicitor will not catch those items, and neither will a standard mortgage valuation.

The serious defects matter most. Missing fire stopping, undersized ventilation, poor drainage falls, cracked lintels, uneven floors and cavity tray faults can hide behind new plaster on sites like Spango Valley or the former Tate & Lyle refinery land off Drumfrochar Road. We document each item with photographs, room references and clear wording, so the developer gets a list they can work through. That is the point of snagging. Find the issues before they become your problem.

Paint and plaster defects
Doors not closing or latching
Missing sealant and poor finishes around bathrooms and kitchens
Fire stopping, ventilation and drainage faults

Average snags found by property size

1-2 bed flat 120 snags

3 bed house 150 snags

4 bed house 190 snags

5+ bed house 230 snags

Homemove benchmark. Our inspectors typically find 100-250 snags in a new-build home.

Why you need it before completion, or within 2 years

NHBC Buildmark, Premier Guarantee and LABC New Home Warranty all work on the same basic pattern. The builder is expected to deal with defects during the first 2 years, then the warranty narrows to structural cover. If the home on Duncan Street, Madeira Street or Drumfrochar Road completes with scratched joinery, sticking doors or a noisy extractor fan, that is a builder issue first. After 2 years, the scope is tighter.

That is why many Greenock buyers book before legal completion, while the developer still has to close out the snag list. Our inspectors produce a photo report, the builder gets a clear schedule, and you keep a record if the same defect is still there when the keys are handed over. The same approach works for a flat in PA16 or a house near Renton Road. Timing matters, and earlier is better.

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Why you need it before completion, or within 2 years

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

Stage	Best use	What it catches
Pre-completion snag	Best option before legal completion on schemes such as Madeira Street or Duncan Street	Finish defects, obvious fitting issues, poor sealant, missing items and clear compliance problems
First-week snag	Use if you have already moved into a Greenock new-build and need a fast check	Faults that show up only after you start using heating, showers, windows and appliances
End-of-2-year snag	Last call before the defects period ends under the warranty	Remaining builder defects that should still be fixed, plus items not properly closed out after earlier visits

Do not wait until after keys change hands

If you can, get the pre-completion snag list agreed before legal completion. Once the keys have changed hands, the builder's urgency can drop, and items from a site like Spango Valley or Renton Road can drift down the queue. A written list, with photos, gives you a stronger position than a verbal promise on handover day.

Local New-Build Considerations in Greenock

Greenock's pipeline is not one uniform estate. Duncan Street is a social-rent scheme on a former health centre site, Drumfrochar Road is a 47-home project on the former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery land, Madeira Street is replacing the old Greenock Academy site, and Spango Valley carries a much larger mixed-use idea on former IBM ground. Those sites bring different risks, but the common thread is the same. New finishes sit on top of ground that often needed substantial enabling work first.

CCG Homes, Sanctuary Housing, Dalglen Investments, Clydeway Contracts and Advance Construction all show up in the local mix, and the homes range from flats to detached and semi-detached plots. On the CCG Homes work around Madeira Street and The Scholars in PA16, we would expect more internal fit-out detail to need attention. On Drumfrochar Road and Shankland Road, we would look harder at exteriors, driveways, rooflines and drainage around the plot, because those parts take more punishment in the first months after completion.

Planning details matter too. The Shankland Road approval has a 3-year start window, and Inverclyde Council has signed off schemes with small footprints, flatted blocks and townhouse rows. That can mean tighter build access, finishing work happening in phases, and snagging finding things that were hidden behind scaffolding or temporary access routes. A home can look ready from the street and still have issues inside the walls, behind the ceilings, or under the ground floor screed.

Former industrial or institutional land also changes the snagging mix. At Spango Valley, Drumfrochar Road and the former Greenock Academy site, we would expect extra attention on drainage, plot levels, service runs and external finish where the site has been reshaped for housing. On a project like that, a buyer needs more than a quick look at the paintwork. They need a proper defect report that reads like a checklist the site team can act on.

Using your snag list with the developer

We format the snag list so it is easy for the developer to work through. Each item is numbered, grouped by room, written in plain language and backed by photographs. That helps on a flat in PA16 as much as on a house near Drumfrochar Road, because the site team can move from one item to the next without guessing what we mean.

If the builder drags its feet, you can use the customer care route first, then the warranty provider's resolution service if needed. For an NHBC Buildmark home in Greenock, keep the report, your emails and the photo record together, because that paper trail matters if the defect is still open later. Premier Guarantee and LABC New Home Warranty follow the same broad idea. Builder first, warranty provider next, and escalation only if the defect is not dealt with.

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How a snagging inspection works

Quote

Tell us the address, the stage of the build and whether the property is on a site like Duncan Street, Madeira Street or Spango Valley. We price the job from £295 and confirm the best timing.

Instruction

Once you book, we assign the inspection and confirm the access details. If the plot is not yet legally completed, we can coordinate with the site team or sales office.

Access

The developer or site manager opens up the home for us. That matters on busy Greenock sites where trades may still be moving through the plot or the block.

Inspection

Our inspector spends around 3-6 hours on site, checking finishes, fittings, ventilation, drainage, glazing, doors, sockets, kitchens and external areas. Larger homes and flatted schemes take longer.

Report

We send a full photo-illustrated report within 2-3 working days. It is written so you can forward it to the developer without rewriting the defects yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I book a snagging survey in Greenock?

Before legal completion is the best point if the developer will allow access, because the snag list can be agreed while the builder still has the strongest obligation to put things right. If completion has already happened, book as soon as you can and keep it within the 2-year defects period under NHBC Buildmark, Premier Guarantee or LABC New Home Warranty. On schemes like Madeira Street or Duncan Street, earlier is usually better.

How long does a snagging inspection take?

Most inspections take 3-6 hours, depending on the size and layout of the property. A compact flat off Madeira Street is quicker than a larger detached home on Drumfrochar Road, but both still need a full room-by-room check. We do not rush the process, because rushed inspections miss the details that become arguments later.

What counts as a snaggable defect?

Paint and plaster defects, doors that do not close properly, windows that do not seal, missing sealant, poor kitchen fitting, out-of-square sockets, uneven flooring and drainage issues are all common snagging items. We also flag more serious matters such as fire stopping, ventilation, cavity tray faults and structural cracks that go beyond normal shrinkage. Greenock buyers often expect a few cosmetic marks, then discover the real list is much longer.

What is not usually snaggable?

General wear and tear after you have moved in is not the same as a new-build defect. Furniture dents, marks from daily use and damage caused after completion are not what a snagging inspection is for. We focus on faults that were present at handover or during the builder's defects period, not on problems caused later by normal living.

Who pays for a snagging survey?

The buyer pays for the snagging survey, not the developer. That is true whether the home is on Duncan Street, in PA16, or part of a larger site near Spango Valley. Our prices start from £295 for 1-2 bed homes, £375 for 3 bed houses, £450 for 4 bed houses and £550 for 5+ bed homes.

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

They can question items, and they can disagree with anything that is not a genuine defect, but they should deal with defects covered by the warranty or their own customer care obligations. If something is wear and tear, they may reject it. If it is a real snag, such as a door that will not latch on a new flat in Madeira Street, it should not be ignored.

Is the builder the same as the warranty provider?

No. The builder is the company constructing the home, while the warranty provider is the organisation behind the cover, such as NHBC, Premier Guarantee or LABC New Home Warranty. In the first 2 years, the builder normally has the main job of fixing defects. After that, the warranty narrows and structural matters become the main focus.

What if I have already moved in?

A first-week snagging survey or an end-of-2-year snagging survey can still help. That is common in Greenock when buyers only realise the full list after they have lived with the home for a few days, especially on flats where ventilation, windows and communal details show up once the property is occupied. The key is not to leave it until the warranty clock has nearly run out.