Do I need a survey on a new build?
You do not legally need one, and a snagging inspection usually makes more sense than a standard survey on a brand-new home. It costs from about £320 and checks finish and workmanship. Developers registered with the New Homes Quality Board must let you or a qualified inspector look round before completion.
Snagging inspection or survey?
A snag is a defect or unfinished detail: a door that sticks, a badly sealed bath, a missing vent, a roof tile out of line. A snagging inspection is a room-by-room check of finish and workmanship against the warranty's technical standards. It is built for a home nobody has lived in. A RICS survey takes a broader view of condition and future maintenance, which usually matters more once a home has aged.
The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) says a pre-completion inspection starts from £320. The HomeOwners Alliance puts snagging surveys at £320 to £600, and Which? at around £300 to £600, depending on size.
When to book it
Timing depends on how far along the home is. This is the HomeOwners Alliance's advice:
| Situation | Best time to inspect |
|---|---|
| Built and ready | Ideally before exchange |
| Bought off-plan | Before completion, while you have more negotiating power |
| Neither was possible | As soon as you can after moving in |
Under the New Homes Quality Code, the inspection should take place after the notice to complete has been served and before the completion date, or earlier if you and the developer agree. Notice periods can be short, so choose your inspector early. The Code says the inspector must be suitably qualified and that the NHQB checklist must be used. Where the inspection finds items that breach the warranty's technical standards, the developer is responsible for putting them right, ideally before completion or within 30 days if that is not possible.
What the New Homes Quality Code gives you
The Code covers homes reserved with a developer on the NHQB register. Check the register for an active status and a registration date before the day you reserved. Version 2 applies to homes reserved from 2 March 2026. Under it you get:
- A 14-day cooling-off period after reservation, with a full refund of the reservation fee if you cancel. The NHQB says fees are usually £250 to £1,000.
- An Affordability Schedule of expected tenure and management costs for the first five years.
- An after-sales service for at least two years from completion.
- A free route to the New Homes Ombudsman Service. A complaint arising in the first two years can go to the Ombudsman after 56 days from the complaint start date.
Not every builder is registered. If yours is not, ask which consumer code protects you, and remember that complaints about things the structural warranty can deal with fall outside the Code.
What the warranty does and does not cover
A new home warranty is an insurance policy, usually lasting 10 years. For the first two years the builder must fix defects and snags that breach the warranty standards. In years three to ten, the policy normally covers only major structural problems, such as foundations, walls and roofs, so report smaller issues before the two years are up. Lenders generally expect an acceptable warranty on a new home, and each lender makes its own decision on which providers it accepts, so check with yours before you commit.
The checks a snagging inspection will not cover
An inspector looks at the home, not the deal or the neighbourhood. These need your own attention:
- Estate charges. Some freehold homes pay a management company to look after roads and green space. The NHQB says management fees are usually £500 to £2,000 a year where they apply. Reform has been consulted on, but do not assume it applies to you.
- Tenure. Ask whether the home is freehold or leasehold, and how to check. If it is a flat, see surveys on flats.
- Future phases and what is planned nearby. The developer must tell you what it knows about later phases, and the planning check shows other applications around the site in England.
- Flood insurance. Flood Re only covers homes built and given a Council Tax band before 2009, so a new home will not qualify. Do a flood risk check and get a quote early.
- Price. New builds carry no resale record, so look at sold prices for recent resales on similar nearby developments.
A Doorstep Report can help with the area, but a brand-new plot may have little to show. There may be no sale history or matched EPC yet, and that gap tells you nothing either way.
When a fuller survey makes sense
Some homes sold as new deserve more than a snag list. Think about a Level 2 or 3 survey for a barn or office conversion, a home built by a small developer without a recognised warranty, or a recent home you are buying second-hand, where part of the warranty has already run. RICS says Level 1 is aimed at conventional properties and newer homes. Our guide to surveys and reports compares the levels and costs.
Questions, answered
Is a snagging survey worth it on a new build?
For most buyers it is a modest cost compared with the price of the home, and an independent list gives the developer clear items to fix. You can do the inspection yourself using the NHQB checklist, but a professional is more likely to spot technical issues.
Can the developer refuse a snagging inspection?
Developers registered with the NHQB must give you the opportunity to have a pre-completion inspection. If your developer is not registered, check your contract and ask before you exchange.
Do I need a mortgage valuation on a new build?
Your lender will value the home before lending, as with any purchase. That valuation is for the lender and is not an inspection of workmanship.
How long do I have to report snags?
Report them as soon as you find them. The developer's responsibility for snags and defects runs for the first two years after completion, after which the warranty usually covers major structural issues only.