Snagging & Final Cost Report, protect your final payment
A Snagging & Final Cost Report is an independent inspection and cost review at practical completion of your home project. We identify defective and incomplete work, attach a realistic cost to put each item right, and tell you how much should fairly be retained from the final payment until snagging is closed out. Most UK builders quietly accept a properly evidenced retention, and the fee is recovered many times over.
- Independent inspection at practical completion.
- Photographic defect schedule with a cost against each item.
- Realistic retention recommendation, defensible if challenged.
- Optional return visit to close out at end of defects period.
- Typical UK fee: £550–£950 for a single dwelling.
1. Site inspection
A 2–4 hour walk-through of the completed works, room by room and trade by trade, against the original drawings and specification.
2. Defect schedule
A written schedule of every defect and unfinished item, photographed, located on plan and described in language the builder can act on.
3. Cost against each item
Each defect is priced, either as a contra-charge (if the builder won't return) or as a fair retention while they put it right.
4. Final payment recommendation
A one-page recommendation showing how much should be paid now and how much fairly retained until the defects period ends, usually 6 months.
Why this matters more than people think
Final payments are when leverage flips. Once the builder has been paid, getting them back to fix the cracked tile, the wobbly socket and the door that doesn't close is a different conversation. An evidenced retention, small enough to be fair, large enough to be felt, is the cheapest insurance for a clean close-out.
Frequently asked
How much should I retain at the end of a domestic build?
There is no statutory rate for domestic work, it's whatever your contract says, and most simple your build contract Homeowner Contracts default to 2.5%. In practice, the right number is whatever fairly covers the cost of putting any outstanding defects right, with a small margin for items that surface during the defects period. Our report sets that figure with evidence.
What if the builder refuses to accept the retention?
A properly evidenced defect schedule, photographs, locations, costs, almost always shifts the conversation. Builders push back on opinion, not evidence. If the dispute escalates, the schedule is the document a mediator or adjudicator will use; it's already in the right form.
Do you come back to close out at the end of the defects period?
Yes, as an optional second visit, usually 6 months after practical completion. We re-inspect, confirm what has been remedied, and recommend release of the retention. Fee is typically £350–£500 for the return visit.
Know what your project should cost. Before you build it.
One UK working day response. Fixed-fee proposal, VAT inclusive. No retainer. No obligation.