A snag list has two jobs. It gets defects fixed, and it proves what was wrong and when. Most snag lists do neither, because they live in a WhatsApp group where a photo of a chipped laminate sits between a payment query and a good-morning forward.
What a snag item needs
Six fields. Fewer and it is not actionable; more and nobody fills it in.
| Field | Why it exists |
|---|---|
| Location | Room and element. "Master bedroom — wardrobe shutter 3", not "bedroom" |
| Description | What is wrong, in one line |
| Photo | Non-negotiable. A snag without a photo will be disputed |
| Responsible party | The specific contractor, not "carpenter" |
| Severity | Blocks handover / fix before handover / cosmetic |
| Raised date | Starts the clock, and evidences it was raised before handover |
Then exactly three states: open, fixed, verified. Not "in progress" — a snag is either done or it is not, and "in progress" is where items go to die.
The critical one is verified, and it must be a different person from the one who marked it fixed. A contractor marking their own work complete is not a quality process.
Severity, defined properly
Vague severity means everything becomes "high" within two weeks.
- Blocks handover — the client cannot reasonably take possession. Non-functioning electricals, water ingress, a door that does not close, missing safety fittings.
- Fix before handover — visible defects that a paying client will legitimately object to. Finish damage, misaligned shutters, paint bleed, visible gaps.
- Cosmetic — genuinely minor, agreed in writing to be handled in the defect liability period.
Write those definitions into the contractor agreement. Severity you can point to is severity that gets respected.
Start at 80%, not 100%
The most common mistake is one big walkthrough on the final day.
By then the contractor has demobilised, their team is on the next site, retention is the only leverage you have left, and every fix requires remobilisation that someone has to pay for. You will either eat the cost or delay the handover.
Snag from 80% completion, in rolling passes. Items get fixed while the relevant trade is still on site. The final walkthrough should be a confirmation, not a discovery.
Room-by-room, in a fixed order
Walk the same route every time — clockwise from the entry, floor to ceiling in each room. A fixed route means you notice the thing that is different rather than re-noticing the thing that is obvious, and two people walking separately produce comparable lists.
Per room, check in this order:
- Floor — level, finish, skirting, transitions between materials
- Walls — paint finish, corners, switch plate alignment
- Ceiling — level, light fittings, cutouts, cornice joints
- Joinery — shutter alignment, gaps, hardware, soft-close, internal fittings
- Services — every switch, socket, tap, drain, appliance actually operated
- Glass and mirrors — chips, edges, fixing
- Cleaning — the one clients notice first and studios list last
Blocking handover on open snags
The rule worth enforcing: a project cannot be marked complete while snags of severity "blocks handover" remain open.
This sounds obvious and is routinely ignored, because the client wants to move in and everyone wants the final payment. What happens instead is the project is "complete", the retention is released, and the remaining items become free work for you.
If completion is gated on the snag list, the incentive lands where it belongs — on the contractor, while you still hold their retention.
The dispute test
The real measure of a snag list is what happens six months later when the client says a defect was never fixed.
If you can produce the item, its photo, the date it was raised, the date it was marked fixed, who verified it and when — the conversation is thirty seconds. If your evidence is a WhatsApp scroll, it is an afternoon and a discount.
Related: the five phases of an interior design project and site visit reports that actually get read.