Snag list: 8 ways to automate

What a snag list covers

A snag list is the written list of small faults and unfinished jobs found when someone walks round finished work before accepting it. A door that sticks, a patch of missing paint, a socket that does not work, a tap that drips. Each one is a snag. The list goes to whoever did the work so they can put it right, and the same list is checked again once they say it is done.

Builders, developers and homeowners also call it a snagging list. It is not only for new houses. A shop refit, a hotel bedroom refurbishment, a new office fit out and a school's summer works all end with someone walking round with a snagging list before they sign the job off. The work is the same: look at everything, write down what is wrong, and get it fixed before the final payment or the move in.

The new homes code in the UK

For new homes, the New Homes Quality Board, an industry body, runs the New Homes Quality Code. The code is a voluntary scheme, not law, and it binds only developers who have registered with it. For those developers, Part 2 says the developer must let the buyer, or a qualified inspector working for them, carry out a pre-completion inspection using the code's own checklist. Problems that breach the warranty standards should be put right before legal completion, or within 30 days if that is not possible.

The code's homeowner guide to snagging describes snags as minor issues, such as a tap that drips, a sticking door or a socket that does not work, and says the developer is responsible for fixing reported snags and defects during the first two years. Emergencies, such as a water leak or an electrical fault, are not snags and should be dealt with within hours.

What makes a snag list useful

A snag list is only as good as the detail on each line. "Paint in bedroom" does not tell the decorator where to go. "Bedroom 2, left of the window, paint missing, 10cm patch" does. Photos, a name on each snag and a date to fix it turn a list into something you can check off. The versions below start with the basic walk and add those things one at a time.

#1 - The snag list

Who it's for: One person signing off finished work.

What it is: A snag list is one walk round one property, room or area, on a phone. It asks what is being inspected and who did the work. Eight checks cover the finish and whether things work: doors and windows, walls and floors, paint and sealant, plumbing, electrics, heating and appliances, fittings, and whether it is clean. Then a count of snags and the list itself, one snag per line. Every snag is written down before the work is accepted.

In practice: A landlord has had a flat refurbished between tenants. Before paying the builder, she opens the snag list on her phone and walks the flat. The bathroom tap drips and the bedroom door rubs on the carpet. She ticks the other checks, writes 2 snags, and lists them with where they are.

Why it works: The eight checks work like a short quality control checklist. They make you look at the things that are easy to forget on a quick walk, such as opening every window or running every tap. The list then goes to the builder in one piece, so nothing is passed on by memory.

The main failure is a list written afterwards. Someone walks round, means to note it all down later, and by the evening half the snags are gone from memory. Writing each snag as you find it, standing in front of it, is what makes the list complete. It also means the builder can be asked to fix the list before the last payment, rather than chasing them weeks later.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (what is being inspected)
• 1 text input (who did the work)
• 1 checklist (8 finish and function checks)
• 1 number input (number of snags)
• 1 text input (the snag list)

When to upgrade:

1. Someone else does the walk round
2. The contractor needs to see each snag
3. The contractor has to accept the list
4. You check the same area again after the fixes

#2 - With guidance above the checks

Who it's for: Teams where a site manager, caretaker or assistant does the walk round.

What it is: The same snag list, with two guidance panels above it. The first says how to walk the area: ceiling, walls, floor, then doors, windows and fittings, opening and testing everything. The second says how to write a snag: where it is, what is wrong and how big, one per line, and to report anything unsafe straight away. Every snag list is written the same way, whoever walks round.

In practice: A school business manager asks the caretaker to snag the summer works before the term starts. He has never done one. He reads the panels, walks each classroom ceiling to floor, and writes "Room 4, radiator valve leaking onto floor, small puddle". He rings the contractor about the leak there and then.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. How to walk the area, in the same order each time
2. How to describe a snag so the trade can find it
3. What to do when something is unsafe

Why it works: The panels put the method in front of the person at the moment they need it. A caretaker, a store manager and a client all write snags the contractor can find without a phone call.

The usual problem is vague lines. "Paint" or "door not right" tells nobody where to go or what to bring. The second panel asks for the room, the spot, what is wrong and how big it is. It also separates snags from emergencies. The New Homes Quality Code's snagging guide says a leak or electrical fault is not a snag and should be dealt with within hours, so the panel tells the person to report it at once as well as writing it down.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance panel (how to walk the area)
• 1 guidance panel (how to write a snag)
• The five steps from #1

When to upgrade: When the contractor needs to see each snag (#3).

#3 - With photos of each snag

Who it's for: Clients and managers who send snag lists to contractors off site.

What it is: The guided snag list, with a photo step straight after the checks. The person takes a photo of every snag, close enough to see the problem and wide enough to see where it is. The photos sit on the same record as the list and the count. The contractor sees each snag before they arrive.

In practice: A retailer has refitted a store. The area manager snags it on a Sunday and photographs 11 snags, including a cracked floor tile by the till and a shelf bracket fitted upside down. The shopfitter looks at the photos on Monday and brings the right tile and the right bracket the first time.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A photo of every snag
2. The location in the shot, not only the fault
3. Proof of the condition on the day of the walk

Why it works: A line of text says the tile is cracked. A photo shows which tile and how bad. The trade can order parts before the visit, and there is less argument about whether a mark was there before.

Take two kinds of photo. One close shot shows the fault clearly. One wider shot shows where it is, with a door, window or fitting in the frame. If a snag is small, put a finger or a tape measure next to it. Take the photos during the walk, not afterwards, so each one is on the list it belongs to and carries the date. When the snag is fixed, the same shot taken again shows the fix.

Steps included:

• The guided snag list from #2
• 1 photo (each snag)

When to upgrade: When the contractor has to accept the list (#4).

#4 - With signatures from both sides

Who it's for: Jobs where the contractor must accept the snag list before handover.

What it is: The photo snag list, with two signatures at the end. The person who did the walk signs that every area was checked and the list is complete. The contractor or site manager signs that they have received it. Nobody can say they never saw the list.

In practice: A hotel refurbishes a floor of bedrooms. The housekeeping manager snags each room with the contractor's site manager beside her. At the end of each room, she signs, he reads the list and signs, and they move on. By lunchtime the contractor has a signed list for every room.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A signature from the person who did the walk
2. A signature from the person who will fix the snags
3. A clear moment when the list was handed over

Why it works: An unsigned list can be argued with. A signed one is a list both sides have seen, on the date it was signed. That matters most when money is held back until the snags are cleared.

Pick the second signer with care. The inspector signs for the walk. The second signature should be someone who can commit the contractor, usually their site manager, not a labourer who happens to be there. Walk the area together if you can, so any argument about a snag happens on the spot rather than by email. If the contractor will not sign, write that in the snag list and why, and send it anyway. Keep a copy, because the signed list is what you check the fixes against.

Steps included:

• The photo snag list from #3
• 1 signature (inspected by)
• 1 signature (received by the contractor or site manager)

When to upgrade: When you check the same area again after the fixes (#5).

#5 - With the last snag list on screen

Who it's for: Teams that walk the same area again once the snags are fixed.

What it is: The signed snag list, with a Pilla briefing on the "what is being inspected" step. Pilla looks up the last snag list for the same property, unit or area. It says when it was done, how many snags there were, which were marked as fixed and which are still open. The second walk starts with the open snags from the first.

In practice: A developer's customer care manager does a second walk at a new house two weeks after the first. Pilla tells her the first list had nine snags and three were not marked fixed: the back door lock, a cracked tile and a missing extractor cover. She checks those three first and finds the tile still cracked.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. The last snag list for this area, before the walk
2. Which snags are still open
3. The date of the last walk, to check against agreed fix times

Why it works: Most snag lists need a second walk. Without the first list in front of you, it is easy to miss the one snag that was never fixed, or to write it down as new.

The briefing also keeps the timeline honest. For developers registered with it, the New Homes Quality Code expects most snags to be put right within 30 days of being reported. With the date of the first list on screen, you can see straight away whether the open snags are inside that time or past it. For a refit or refurbishment the same check works against whatever date the contract or the job sheet agreed.

Steps included:

• The signed snag list from #4
• 1 Pilla briefing of the last snag list, on the "what is being inspected" step

When to upgrade: When every snag needs an owner and a date (#6).

#6 - With more detail when snags are found

Who it's for: Jobs where every snag needs a named person and a date.

What it is: The same snag list, with a Pilla rule on the snag list step. If the person lists any snag, defect, leak or unfinished work, the next step opens. It asks who will fix each snag, the date it will be done, and whether it has to be fixed before handover. If there are no snags, the step stays out of the way. Every snag leaves the walk with an owner and a date.

In practice: A facilities manager snags a new office kitchen. She lists four snags. The follow-up opens, and she writes that the plumber fixes the leaking waste on Thursday, the electrician fits the missing socket cover on Friday, and the two paint snags can wait until after the team moves in.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A follow-up that opens only when there are snags
2. Who fixes each one, and by when
3. Which snags must be fixed before handover

Why it works: "Four snags" is a list. "Plumber Thursday, electrician Friday, paint after move in" is a plan. The follow-up gets that plan while the people are still on site.

Asking about handover saves the most argument. Some snags stop a room being used, such as a leak or a door that will not lock. Others are cosmetic and can be fixed later. Deciding which is which at the walk, and writing it down, means nobody holds up a move for a scuffed skirting board, and nobody moves in with a door that will not lock.

Steps included:

• The snag list with the last list on screen, from #5
• 1 Pilla rule on the snag list step
• 1 follow-up step in the chain (who fixes each snag and by when)

When to upgrade: When the person running the job should hear about snags straight away (#7).

#7 - With a direct message about the snags

Who it's for: The person who set the snag list up.

What it is: When the follow-up step is filled in, Pilla sends a direct message to the person who set the automation up. It says what was inspected, who did the work, how many snags there are, and who fixes them by when. A walk with no snags sends nothing. You hear about the snags while the contractor is still on site.

In practice: A property manager looks after 30 student flats being refurbished over the summer. She gets a direct message when the flat 12 snag list is done, with six snags and dates against each. A snag that stops handover is on the list, so she moves that flat's key collection back a day.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A direct message after the follow-up step
2. What was inspected, how many snags, and who fixes them
3. Nothing sent when there are no snags

Why it works: The person who walks round is often not the person who pays the contractor or plans the move in. The message joins the two up, and only when there is something to act on.

It also helps with money. Many jobs hold back part of the payment until the snags are cleared. With every snag list and its dates arriving in one place, the person who approves payment can see what is still open before signing anything off. Set the snag list up as that person, because the message goes to whoever set it up. If two people need it, such as a property manager and a finance lead, the property manager can pass it on with the dates already in it.

Steps included:

• The follow-up snag list from #6
• 1 direct message, sent when the follow-up is completed

When to upgrade: When the bigger risk is a walk round that never happens (#8).

#8 - With a chase if it is late

Who it's for: Teams with a fixed handover or move in date.

What it is: The same snag list, plus a chase if it is not finished by the deadline. Pilla messages you, the person who set it up, to get the inspection done. A snag list finished on time does not trigger one. A missed walk round is chased before the handover date.

In practice: A housing association has twelve empty homes refurbished before new tenants move in on Monday. Each snag list is due by Thursday. On Thursday evening, two are not finished. You get a message for each and send someone round on Friday morning.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A deadline on the snag list
2. A chase when the deadline passes and it is unfinished
3. No message when it was done on time

Why it works: The rest of the list only helps if someone does the walk. When a job runs late, the snagging is often the step that gets squeezed, and the first anyone hears of a snag is from the person who moves in.

Set the deadline far enough before the handover to leave time to fix things. A snag list finished the evening before the move in leaves no time for the contractor to come back. Two or three working days is a sensible gap for most jobs. Snag lists finished on time send nothing, so the chases you get are a list of walks still to do.

Steps included:

• The snag list from #7, including the direct message when there are snags
• 1 chase if the snag list is not finished by the deadline

When to upgrade: This is the full route. Use an earlier version if you do not want the message or the chase.

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know the product to choose. You need to know who does the walk, what the contractor needs, and how firm your handover date is.

Is it just you, or does someone else do the walk?

If you snag your own jobs, #1 is enough. Once a caretaker, store manager or assistant does it, put the method above the checks: #2.

Does the contractor need to see the snags?

If they walk round with you, ticks and lines are enough. If they are off site or you send the list later, add the photos: #3.

Does the contractor have to accept the list?

If payment or handover depends on the list, add the signatures: #4.

After that, the choice is about the second walk and who hears about it. If you check the same area again after the fixes, use #5. If every snag needs a name and a date, use #6. If you want a direct message when there are snags, use #7. If the real risk is a walk that never happens before handover, use #8.

Related workflows

• Job completion signoff - confirming a job is finished and accepted
• Defect reporting - logging a fault found after handover
• Maintenance fault report - logging a repair that needs doing
• Damage report - recording damage when it is found
• Workplace safety walk - a regular walk round to spot hazards

Conclusion

A snag list is the record of what is not finished or not right before you accept the work, with each snag written so the person fixing it can find it. Start with the eight checks, add photos and signatures when the contractor needs proof, and add Pilla when you walk the same area again or need every snag to have an owner and a date. Open any version in the playground and use it on the next job you sign off.