Free Template
Free Snagging List Template UK
A snagging list template for UK builders and trades. Defects logged by location with an owner, a priority and a sign off, so handover closes on a defined list rather than an open ended one.
- Job Ref
- JOB-2440
- Handover
- 24 July 2026
- Open items
- 3 of 4
| # | Location | Defect | Trade | Priority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Kitchen, north wall | Silicone bead to worktop uneven, 400mm run | Joiner | High | Open |
| 02 | Hall | Socket faceplate proud of plaster line | Electrician | High | Done |
| 03 | Bedroom 2 | Chip to architrave, right hand side | Decorator | Low | Open |
| 04 | Bathroom | Extractor not running on humidistat | Electrician | High | Open |
Why the Snagging List Decides Whether You Get Paid
On most jobs the final payment and any retention are tied to practical completion, and practical completion is tied to the snag list being closed. Whoever controls the list controls the timeline for your money.
The trade that turns up on handover day with its own list, written and photographed, is in a completely different position to the one that waits for the client to produce one. The first is closing a defined set of items. The second is agreeing to an open ended list somebody else keeps adding to.
What to Include on a Snagging List
- Item number. So both sides can talk about item 14 rather than the thing in the back bedroom.
- Location. Room and, where it matters, the wall or elevation. Vague locations create second visits.
- Description of the defect. Factual and specific. Chipped paint to architrave, not poor decoration.
- Photograph. The single most useful column. A photograph ends the argument about whether it was there at handover.
- Responsible trade. On a multi trade job, who owns it. Unassigned items drift.
- Priority. Separate the things that stop handover from the things that are cosmetic.
- Target date. An item without a date is a wish.
- Status and sign off. Open, done, or rejected with a reason, and a signature when the client accepts it.
Snags Versus Variations, and Why It Matters
A snag is something you agreed to do that is not right yet. A variation is something the client has asked for that was never in the scope. Snags come out of your margin. Variations get paid for.
The reason this matters at handover is that clients, entirely reasonably and often without meaning anything by it, add both to the same list. If you work through it without separating them, you have quietly agreed to do the extras for nothing.
Keep a separate column or a separate list for anything you consider a variation, price it, and send it as a variation rather than arguing about it on the day. Nobody minds paying for extra work. Everybody minds being told about it at the end.
Running the List So It Actually Closes
- Walk the job yourself before the client does, and raise your own snags first. It changes the tone of the whole handover.
- Photograph every item as you log it, and photograph it again when it is fixed. The before and after pair is what releases retention.
- Agree the list is closed at a point in time. New items after that date are a new instruction, not a continuation.
- Give each item an owner and a date, then chase by exception rather than rereading the whole list every week.
- Get a signature at completion. An unsigned list is not evidence that anything was accepted.
Retention and the Defects Liability Period
On contracts with retention, typically a percentage is held at practical completion and released at the end of the defects liability period, which commonly runs six or twelve months. That money is yours, it is being held against defects, and it is remarkably easy to forget about.
Two habits get it back. Close the snag list properly with signatures and photographs at handover, and diarise the retention release date the day the contract is signed rather than hoping somebody reminds you a year later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a snagging list?
A snagging list records defects and unfinished items found at or before handover, with a location, description, owner and status for each one. It defines what still has to be put right before a job is accepted as complete, and it usually governs when final payment and retention are released.
Who produces the snagging list, the builder or the client?
Either can, and on most jobs both do. It is strongly in the contractor interest to walk the job and produce a list first, because it defines the scope of remaining work rather than leaving it open to whatever the client notices on the day.
What is the difference between a snag and a variation?
A snag is work already within your scope that is not right yet, and you fix it at your own cost. A variation is additional work the client has asked for that was not in the original scope, and it should be priced and charged. Keeping them separate on the list is what stops extras being absorbed for free.
How long does a client have to raise snags?
That depends on the contract. Snagging at handover is usually a defined exercise closed on a set date, after which the defects liability period runs, commonly six or twelve months, during which genuine defects can still be raised. Agree the cut off in writing rather than leaving it open ended.
Should photographs go on the snagging list?
Always. A dated photograph of a defect and a matching one of the repair is the strongest evidence you can hold, and it is what makes releasing retention straightforward rather than a negotiation.
Photograph the snag, fix it, prove it, get paid
Traddie keeps photos, notes and sign offs against the job, so closing a snag list and releasing retention is a matter of opening the job rather than searching your camera roll.
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