61% of new-build home buyers find snagging issues after purchase

The latest research by West Midlands and Newcastle-based property developer, StripeHomes, reveals that 61% of new-build homebuyers have found snagging issues after purchasing their home as Britain’s big housebuilders struggle to deliver perfect properties.

The UK is in the midst of a housing crisis, a situation that has been made more severe by surging demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent government interventions on the buying process. As such, all eyes are turning to new-build developers as they are set to play a central role in increasing supply and relieving the long-standing crisis.

Despite this responsibility and opportunity to deliver the homes the country so badly needs, 61% of recent new-build home buyers were sold homes in a substandard condition, with just 39% stating their new home came with no snagging issues.

When it comes to the issues discovered, 51% said they found minor snags such as blocked guttering, poorly fitted doors, and shoddy paintwork in their new home. However, for 10% the issues were more serious, stating they found major snags such as a leaking roof, inadequate brickwork pointing, and damaged roof trusses.

When asked who was then responsible for paying to fix the snags, 63% said they had to pay for it themselves, 28% said the developer paid, and 9% stated the problems they discovered still haven’t been rectified.

When asked if, in hindsight, they would have bought a less expensive home if it was guaranteed to be finished to the expected perfect standard, 34% said yes, they would.

When asked if, in hindsight, they would have bought a home in a completely different area if it meant the home was finished to the expected standard, 27% said yes.

And when asked if they would have bought a smaller home if it meant the standard would be higher, 17% said yes.

Managing Director of StripeHomes, James Forrester, commented:

“Snags, be they major or minor, can be time-consuming, frustrating and expensive to remedy. Even something simple like repainting rooms to a more satisfactory standard can end up costing hundreds of pounds.

Housebuilders have been handed a vital job over the coming years and the job of providing enough homes is one you would hope they take immense pride in doing. But if 61% of homes are going to market with snags, major or minor, there is something seriously wrong with the quality control process.

This is unfortunately the reality of many big housebuilders placing an emphasis on the cost and time of delivering new homes, rather than placing quality and the consumer at the forefront of their operations.

There are a number of smaller enterprises across the nation doing their best to turn this tide, focussing on the quality of the finished product, the benefit brought to the surrounding area and the overall impact of what they deliver, not just the size of their profit margin.

However, until more is done to give new-build homebuyers more power to fight against below-par output from the industry’s big names, snagging will continue to be a widespread issue across the industry.”

Survey of 2,372 recent UK new-build homebuyers carried out by StripeHomes via consumer research platform Find Out Now (20th August 2021).