What is snagging?
Snagging is checking finished work for defects and getting each one put right before a building, or part of it, is handed over.
What a snag is
A snag is a defect or unfinished item that falls short of the drawings, the specification or an acceptable standard of workmanship. Most snags are small: a scuffed wall, a door that sticks, a missing socket cover, silicone that needs redoing. Some are bigger, such as a leak, a failed seal or a missing fire stopping detail.
What makes something a snag is that it needs fixing before the work can be accepted. Snags are usually recorded as a list, often called a snag list or punch list.
When snagging happens
Snagging happens at several points on a job, not just at the end:
- As work finishes in an area. Checking each room, floor or package as the trade finishes means fewer surprises later, and the trade is still on site to fix it.
- Before handover. The main contractor checks the whole building before the client inspects it.
- At the client's inspection. The client, their project manager or their consultants walk the building and add their own snags.
- After handover. Defects found once the building is in use are reported and fixed during the defects period set out in the contract.
Who does it
On most projects the site manager or a dedicated quality or snagging team does the main contractor's checks. Subcontractors are expected to check their own work first. Clients, employer's agents, architects and clerks of works often carry out their own inspections, and their findings go on the same list.
Whoever finds them, each snag needs one owner: the company or person who will fix it.
How a snag is closed
- Record it. Describe the defect, say exactly where it is, and take a photo.
- Assign it. Give it to the trade responsible, with a date to fix it by.
- Fix it. The trade puts it right and says it's done, ideally with a photo.
- Check it. Someone from the main contractor, or the person who raised it, checks the fix.
- Close it. The snag is closed, and the record shows who did what and when.
Keeping that record matters. It shows what was found, what was done and when it was accepted, which helps if a question comes up later.
Why it's worth doing well
A clear snagging process means fewer return visits, a smoother handover, and a client who can see the work was checked. A vague list, spread across emails, photos and spreadsheets, is where snags get missed.
Next: the snagging checklist, and how to write a good snag.