Finishing and handover · High risk
What counts as finished?
Agree the snagging process and what money is held until snags are cleared.
- When it lands
- Before you make the final payment.
- What it costs to get wrong
- Once the final payment is made, snags get slower. Retention is the only practical incentive you have left.
Finished is a defined moment, not a feeling. It is worth being precise about it, because the leverage you have to get small things fixed disappears the day you pay in full.
Snag before final payment, not after
Delighted to be finished, a homeowner paid the final invoice in full and listed the snags afterwards. Eleven items — including a leaking shower tray — were never returned to. There was nothing left to hold, and no realistic remedy short of a claim.
The order matters more than the list.
Room by room, in daylight
Take one room at a time with the lights off and the curtains open. Check doors and drawers open and close, sockets and switches work, sealant lines, paint coverage on edges, tile alignment, floor levels, and every tap and drain under load.
Run water for several minutes and come back to look underneath. Most plumbing snags are only visible after use.
One list, one date
Issue a single written list with photographs and a date for completion, rather than a stream of texts. Agree what is a snag and what is a variation before the work starts, so the conversation is about fixing rather than defining.
Practical completion, in writing
A short statement recording the date of practical completion, the agreed snag list, the amount retained and when the defects period ends. It is half a page and it is the anchor for everything that follows.
Why this one matters
Handover is a moment, not a drift. A written list, a date to clear it by, and an agreed sum held back turns the ending into something both sides can see.
Do this week
- Book the snagging walk before agreeing the final payment date.
- Prepare the room-by-room checklist.
- Confirm the retention amount that will be held.
The realistic choices
Homeowner snagging list
Free. Room by room, in daylight, written down with photos.
Independent snagging survey
A few hundred pounds. Finds what an untrained eye misses.
What good looks like
- A dated written list agreed by both sides
- An agreed retention released only once the list is cleared
Questions worth asking
- What is on your list that is not on mine?
- When will these be finished by?
From real projects
Paid in full on the last day
Delighted to be finished, a homeowner paid the final invoice in full and listed the snags afterwards. Eleven items — including a leaking shower tray — were never returned for. Independent repair cost £5,600.
The lesson: Snag first, pay second. Retention is the only thing that reliably brings a builder back.
Putting it into practice
What this decision should leave behind
The steps to work through, the paperwork worth keeping and the questions to send your builder today.
- · Snag before final payment, not after
- · Do it room by room, in daylight
- · Issue one written list with a date
- · Template: Snag list and practical completion
- · Paperwork: Agreed snag list, signed by both parties
- · Paperwork: Practical completion statement
Next decision
What paperwork must you end up holding?