It was the day Georgina and Charles Barnes had waited three years for - collecting the keys to their first home. But when the brand new property was inspected just days later by a Welsh snagging company - the final quality check by independent inspectors - they identified 150 defects, including incorrectly installed fire barriers, signs of a previous leak and what they called "exceptionally poor" workmanship. Swansea-based New Home Quality Control was set up by John Cooper after he became fed up of being asked to hide things from customers on building sites.
It is the responsibility of developers to make sure new-builds meet regulations, according to the National House Building Council, external (NHBC). The couple are far from alone when it comes to issues with new houses. Written evidence submitted by the New Homes Ombudsman Service said the Home Builders Federation national new homes customer satisfaction survey, published in March 2025, showed 93.7% of new-build buyers reporting defects or snags to their developer after moving in, external.
Just over a quarter of buyers also found more than 15 problems in their new-build home. "We just wouldn't have known," said Georgina. "If there had been a fire, that's one thing that could have happened and been very detrimental." Georgina, 36, and her husband saved for three years to buy a house, before falling in love with the development in south Leicestershire.
As moving day approached, social media began serving her a steady stream of new-build horror stories After paying £299,995 for the house, she said getting it snagged was "non-negotiable". "It just felt unbelievable that we'd finally done it," she added. "We actually finally got our own place.
This is ours to do what we want with. It just felt great." But the report also identified improperly roofing defects, low water pressure and what inspectors described as "exceptionally poor" installation of the gas meter cabinet and gas pipe. More than a dozen of additional cosmetic and finishing defects were also recorded throughout the property As they had a two-year warranty from the developer, it meant they fixed the issues.
"I would say for any new-build buyer, 100% no doubt, I recommend a snagger," Georgina said. Vistry, responsible for the housing developer Countryside, which built Charles and Georgina's house, said it supported "appropriately conducted independent inspections as an additional source of reassurance about build quality". It said each home is checked by its teams and independent inspections take place and, two to three weeks after customers move in, the build team meets to discuss and agree any snagging work.
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