Snag list template

Free snag list template to print

Press the button to print the blank template, or choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog to keep a copy on your phone or computer. Only the table prints, with a line at the top for the property, the inspector and the date.

Snagging list sample: a filled-in example

This sample shows the same template once it’s filled in. The wording comes from the defect library in SiteSnag and follows the way UK snagging inspectors write their reports, with each description saying what is wrong and then what the builder should do about it.

How to fill in a snag list

Work through the property in a fixed order, such as front door, ground floor, stairs, first floor, loft and then outside. Following the same route every time means you won’t skip a room, and the list reads in an order the site manager can walk.

1. No. Give every snag a number and never reuse one. If an item turns out not to be a fault, cross it out and leave the number in place so the photo references still match.
2. Room. Name the room the way the floor plan does, such as “Bedroom 2” or “En-suite”. For outside, add the elevation (front, rear or side).
3. Item. Write a short title that names the thing and the fault together, for example “Door not latching”. Builders sort and search by this column.
4. Description. Say what you can see and what needs doing. Add a position if the room has more than one of the item, for example “left-hand socket by the window”.
5. Severity. Pick one scale and stick to it. The example uses minor, moderate, major and safety, with safety reserved for anything that could hurt someone, like a missing window restrictor.
6. Photo ref. Note the photo number from your camera roll, or take each photo straight after writing the row so the order matches. A wide shot that shows where the fault is helps as much as a close-up.
7. Trade. Name the trade that will fix it. The builder can then split the list and send each trade only their items.
8. Fixed? Leave this blank on the first visit. On the return visit, mark each row as fixed, partly fixed or not fixed and add the date.

Tips for a snag list builders will act on

• Describe the fault in plain terms that anyone could check, like “gap not filled at skirting”, and avoid vague notes like “poor finish”.
• Put one fault on each row, even when two faults are on the same item.
• Test as you go, by running every tap, flushing every toilet, opening every window and switching on every light.
• Quote the standard where you know it, such as a chapter of the NHBC Standards, for anything the builder might dispute.
• Keep a dated copy of everything you send, along with the photos.

If you’re not sure what to look for, start with our room-by-room new build snagging checklist and the list of common new build defects with trades and NHBC references. For an explanation of the terms, read what snagging is and when to do it.

From a paper snag list form to an app

A printed snagging list form is fine for a single house. For anyone doing several inspections a week, the slow part is afterwards, when the photos have to be matched to rows and the whole list typed into a report.

SiteSnag, the snagging app for UK inspectors, captures the same columns on your phone as you walk round. Each photo becomes a snag in two taps (photo, then save), and typing a title suggests matching wording from 460+ UK defects. Picking one fills in the description, severity, trade and standard. Snags are pinned to a floor plan and can hold several photos each, and on a re-inspection every snag is marked fixed, partly fixed or not fixed in place of the last column of the paper form.

The result is a branded PDF that you can send from site, and our snagging report example shows what it contains. The app works offline without an account, and the plans are in the pricing section of the home page.

Frequently asked questions