New build - completion process

[ADT]

Hi All!

We recently bought a new build which is due for completion this coming Friday.

It’s our first time and I just wanted to get some tips on what to expect/do on completion day.

I went to see the property last Saturday. It was in a good state but still requires some cosmetic work (especially the bathrooms). Part of the flooring wasn’t complete yet too (apparently scheduled to be completed throughout Monday to Wednesday).

Initially we had the home demo booked in for today but I asked them to reschedule that as there was no point of me coming in when the property is still incomplete.

We agreed with the developer to have the demo done on Friday (same day as completion).

When I was there on Saturday I made a small list of snags that noticed. Naturally as soon as I pointed some of these out to the site manager I was told that they will be sorted once the flooring is done and the decorators have come in.

I’m a bit worried about Friday so wanted to get some advice in regarding snags and what to do if they still exist on the day of completion.

My question is: what should I do if I find any snags during the demo on Friday? Should I report these to the site manager straight away or do I list them all in one document. I’ve heard some horror stories about how some properties still have snags even after 6 months of reporting.

Is there anything I can do to ensure that any snags will be rectified in a timely manner? Would reporting these snags quickly before I sign for the keys make any difference?

In regards to the keys, how many copies should I expect? The developer is adamant that they only need to provide 2 copies of the front and rear door keys and one master key for all the windows in the house.

Apologies for the long essay and thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Skillmister]

Check your contract. Quotes from one on my desk at the moment:

"The Buyer is not entitled to delay Completion on account of minor defects or outstanding works which can reasonably and properly be dealt with after Completion by the Seller"

"In the event that there are any works required to remedy defects in the Property following Completion the Buyer will co-operate with the Seller to allow access to the Property and the Seller will carry out the works within a reasonable period of time and to the reasonable satisfaction of the Buyer".

Report them while you have the demo and follow them up in writing/email asking for an estimated timescale for them to be sorted.

 

[Rotty]

I’ve heard some horror stories about how some properties still have snags even after 6 months of reporting.

!

I think you can safely expect to still have a few longer than that

I think we got 2 keys for each of main doors but absolutely loads of window keys

 

[Kemik]

Do yourself a favour, look online for as many snag lists as you can find and combine them. Then spend as much time as you need walking round the property checking everything. Take photos where snags need fixing, even little ones! Then send them to the site manager and customer services. Record when you sent them and tick them off as they are done. Chase, chase, chase to have them done asap.

 

[blueboy2001]

You won't spot all the snags on your demo visit, and nor should you be expected to. However, you want to make sure that everything you require to make the place habitable is working and that there are no catastrophic errors that could cause significant damage once you've move in. Doing this on completion day is far from ideal, and on the Friday before Christmas when site will close at lunchtime makes matters even worse.

Put everything in writing. Our site manager was good and sorted most things verbally, but site managers frequently change.

If I was buying a new build again it would on the condition I can conduct a full inspection 14 days before legal completion. I would try and move the demo forward even if it means some cosmetic items are not complete.

I would ensure that the central heating and hot water are working - check they turn on and off and the thermostats work correctly. Our heating was stuck on.
Ensure all windows are doors open and close correctly.
Check all plumbing items for leaks. Run a decent amount of water down every sink/bath/shower. Flush all the toilets a few times. Check the surrounding areas for leaks. We had the length of pipe between the shower trap and the waste pipe coming up from the floor missing - I had a shower on the night we moved it and the water ended up on the hallway floor through the ceiling. We needed new flooring and redecoration which was disruptive.
Check all the electrics. I'd buy a socket tester from Screwfix for a few quid.
Check all the kitchen appliances are fitted properly and work.

The biggest issue we had was the plastering was crap. It looked like I imagine it would look if I'd done it - it just wasn't smooth. We had in excess of 100 patches skimmed over on the walls and ceilings and redecorated and it made a right mess.

My GF was on the verge of a breakdown with all the trades and repair visits coming in and making a mess. A lot of these people aren't used to working in occupied houses and cleaning up after themselves. The developer was very apologetic, sent the cleaners in a few times who weren't much good and caused us more disruption!

 

[ADT]

Check your contract. Quotes from one on my desk at the moment:

"The Buyer is not entitled to delay Completion on account of minor defects or outstanding works which can reasonably and properly be dealt with after Completion by the Seller"

"In the event that there are any works required to remedy defects in the Property following Completion the Buyer will co-operate with the Seller to allow access to the Property and the Seller will carry out the works within a reasonable period of time and to the reasonable satisfaction of the Buyer".

Report them while you have the demo and follow them up in writing/email asking for an estimated timescale for them to be sorted.

So I’ve had a look at the contract again last night and there is a similar clause to the one you mentioned!

I think you can safely expect to still have a few longer than that

I think we got 2 keys for each of main doors but absolutely loads of window keys

I can imagine with all the horror stories I’m reading on the internet.

I think I’ll go ahead and ask for more window keys and see what they say!

Do yourself a favour, look online for as many snag lists as you can find and combine them. Then spend as much time as you need walking round the property checking everything. Take photos where snags need fixing, even little ones! Then send them to the site manager and customer services. Record when you sent them and tick them off as they are done. Chase, chase, chase to have them done asap.

Thanks for this. I have looked online and found two snag lists which are quite comprehensive. I’ll take them with me on the day. I’m also going to take my old man as he’s good a very good eye for detail!

You won't spot all the snags on your demo visit, and nor should you be expected to. However, you want to make sure that everything you require to make the place habitable is working and that there are no catastrophic errors that could cause significant damage once you've move in. Doing this on completion day is far from ideal, and on the Friday before Christmas when site will close at lunchtime makes matters even worse.

Put everything in writing. Our site manager was good and sorted most things verbally, but site managers frequently change.

If I was buying a new build again it would on the condition I can conduct a full inspection 14 days before legal completion. I would try and move the demo forward even if it means some cosmetic items are not complete.

I would ensure that the central heating and hot water are working - check they turn on and off and the thermostats work correctly. Our heating was stuck on.
Ensure all windows are doors open and close correctly.
Check all plumbing items for leaks. Run a decent amount of water down every sink/bath/shower. Flush all the toilets a few times. Check the surrounding areas for leaks. We had the length of pipe between the shower trap and the waste pipe coming up from the floor missing - I had a shower on the night we moved it and the water ended up on the hallway floor through the ceiling. We needed new flooring and redecoration which was disruptive.
Check all the electrics. I'd buy a socket tester from Screwfix for a few quid.
Check all the kitchen appliances are fitted properly and work.

The biggest issue we had was the plastering was crap. It looked like I imagine it would look if I'd done it - it just wasn't smooth. We had in excess of 100 patches skimmed over on the walls and ceilings and redecorated and it made a right mess.

My GF was on the verge of a breakdown with all the trades and repair visits coming in and making a mess. A lot of these people aren't used to working in occupied houses and cleaning up after themselves. The developer was very apologetic, sent the cleaners in a few times who weren't much good and caused us more disruption!

The reason I moved the date is because when I visited the property on Saturday I didn’t see anything catastrophic, just cosmetic items. They had the heating on when I visited and I checked all the radiators were working.

I will go ahead and check the water etc just like you suggested, thanks.

It sounds like you didn’t have a very good experience. I really hope I won’t have to go through the same!

I was thinking of taking my wife’s hairdryer to test the sockets but if I a socket tester exists I’ll just go ahead and buy one of those instead

Many thanks for your help everyone!

 

[Kemik]

I was thinking of taking my wife’s hairdryer to test the sockets but if I a socket tester exists I’ll just go ahead and buy one of those instead

Just take a desk light? Don't forget to check all of the taps, turning hot and cold!

 

[Syla5]

I think you can safely expect to still have a few longer than that

I think we got 2 keys for each of main doors but absolutely loads of window keys

You know window keys are often generic and so while you have loads 1 should work for all??

 

[ADT]

Just take a desk light? Don't forget to check all of the taps, turning hot and cold!

I was under the impression that something that draws quite a bit of current is required!

Yep, taps definitely on the list. When I tried to test them on Saturday the supply was disconnected so I couldn’t do so.

You know window keys are often generic and so while you have loads 1 should work for all??

Yes I am aware but these keys are tiny so can be lost easily so I was hoping for a couple of sets at least!

 

[Syla5]

Yes I am aware but these keys are tiny so can be lost easily so I was hoping for a couple of sets at least!

So in case you lose the keys for every one of your windows, that all have their own copy of the key that works for all of them, you want more?! I would have thought 6-10 copies of a key should be enough!

 

[ADT]

So in case you lose the keys for every one of your windows, that all have their own copy of the key that works for all of them, you want more?! I would have thought 6-10 copies of a key should be enough!

Well I wouldn’t be asking about this if they actually gave me 6-10 copies!! .

They are only giving me 1 copy.

 

[Syla5]

Well I wouldn’t be asking about this if they actually gave me 6-10 copies!! .

They are only giving me 1 copy.

So they are giving you 1 key for all of your windows? just 1 singular key?

If that's the case then sure ask where the hell are the others. We got 1 key for each lock, many of our windows have 2 openings, so 2 locks, and 2 keys.

 

[ADT]

So they are giving you 1 key for all of your windows? just 1 singular key?

If that's the case then sure ask where the hell are the others. We got 1 key for each lock, many of our windows have 2 openings, so 2 locks, and 2 keys.

Yep, literally a single key. I’ll raise it with them and see how it goes.

 

[gord]

Yep, literally a single key. I’ll raise it with them and see how it goes.

That is bonkers. Not so much of an issue now, but when summer rolls around you're not going to be wanting to go around with 1 key to open windows in different parts of your house. Each of my windows came with a key. Definitely query it, I'd hope it's just a miscommunication.

As for snagging, my builders have been pretty good. I've done 2 rounds, one about 3 months in and one about 6. As the new build expands/contracts with the weather you'll find new cracks etc. Obviously, if you have any items that are broken or a more immediate impact to your quality of living there then raise those as necessary. Your original post reads like you want it to be perfect when you get the keys, which is a nice idea, but not really feasible.

Quite an extreme example, but when I walked into my new house for the first time after getting the keys they had laid the wrong flooring throughout the downstairs. I'm sure your first day will go better

 

[Rotty]

You know window keys are often generic and so while you have loads 1 should work for all??

yes they are all identical, there was just 1 in each lock

 

[Rotty]

As for snagging, my builders have been pretty good. I've done 2 rounds, one about 3 months in and one about 6. As the new build expands/contracts with the weather you'll find new cracks etc.

Many builders will not cover shrinkage cracks unless very large, getting a £1 coin in is often used as a measure

 

[ADT]

That is bonkers. Not so much of an issue now, but when summer rolls around you're not going to be wanting to go around with 1 key to open windows in different parts of your house. Each of my windows came with a key. Definitely query it, I'd hope it's just a miscommunication.

As for snagging, my builders have been pretty good. I've done 2 rounds, one about 3 months in and one about 6. As the new build expands/contracts with the weather you'll find new cracks etc. Obviously, if you have any items that are broken or a more immediate impact to your quality of living there then raise those as necessary. Your original post reads like you want it to be perfect when you get the keys, which is a nice idea, but not really feasible.

Quite an extreme example, but when I walked into my new house for the first time after getting the keys they had laid the wrong flooring throughout the downstairs. I'm sure your first day will go better

In regards to the windows that’s exactly my thinking!

I’m not expecting it to be perfect but I don’t want to go there to find water leaks etc. Specially at this time of the year!

And wow! What did you end up doing in your situation?

 

[gord]

And wow! What did you end up doing in your situation?

Spent 5 minutes looking at the floor wondering how this happened, contemplating whether I could live with it, got angry and calmed down again. Then I rang my builder/developer, they came out to the house 15 minutes later, looked at the floor, agreed that it wasn't the right flooring and said they'd arrange the new flooring. A few weeks later the fitters came back, took up all the "old" floor and put down the right colour. The main pain was having to shift everything upstairs so the floor could be re-done.

 

[MR_Punk]

We are a month into our new build since moving in. The whole process has been really easy. The site manager has been brilliant. Yes we've had a few issues but the response times have been extremely quick. I'm guessing that because the site is still active that its easier as most of the contractors are about. Issues we've had so far are:

Small leak under sink - from outside tap fixed within 24 hours
Radiator in lounge - not working - fixed within 24 hours
Scratch on sink - replaced that day

Decorator has already been back round to tart up a few cosmetic marks (which we definitely didn't do when moving furniture in (yes, yes we did ))

Lets see what the next few weeks brings.

 

[Richie]

There's always going to be loads of horror stories for anything as complex as a house with so many individual parts. I have been in mine around 2 months now and had very few snags albeit I might be not as picky as some people can be. Is there a couple of very minor paintwork flaws? Sure but nothing that a touchup wont remedy and its really nothing to worry about until the settling has been done as you may have to fill and paint then anyway.

Absolutely no point in worrying about minor shrinkage cracks... They are almost guaranteed to happen hence the 2 year "warranty" from the builder. General opinion is it will take 12-18 months for new buildings to settle and to deal with them all then. If they are wider than the edge of a £1 coin, then get them dealt with at the time.

Regarding snags - Just remember older houses had snags when they were new, they've just had decades to be fixed..... And decades of previous owner DIY projects done to them as well which may be snags in themselves!!!

Ultimately, it depends on the builder and the site manager as to the quality control of the new home.... Some builders are better than others.


Final advice - dont ruin the day by concentrating on looking for flaws past any obvious ones and missing out on enjoying it... You have time after the first day to contact the builder for stuff....