The difference between a Snag List and a Property Survey.
A question that often arises when surveying property is “what is the difference between a Snag List and a Property Survey?”. In general, a ‘Snag List’ is undertaken on NEW property and is only for NEW BUILDS. A ‘Property Survey’ is for second-hand homes.
What is a Snag List?
A ‘Snag List’ can also be referred to as a “Snag Survey”, but they are the same thing. A Snag List is a list of superficial defects, prepared by your Engineer, that is given to your Builder. It is undertaken before you move in to your new home. Snags are common in new house builds and generally include cosmetic defects or superficial compliance items. Your builder will tend to these items before you move in to your new home.
The “rule of thumb” with a snag list is that the shorter the list is, the better the house! Our basic snag list can be anything from 4 - 6 pages, depending on the number of defects found, but this does vary with the number of rooms and size of the property. Typically, a standard 3-bedroom semi-detached house can have 80 to 100 snags in total (or an average of 4-6 snags per room).
A Snag list is NOT a structural or planning survey and it does not assess the structural integrity of the construction. As an example, if you are buying a new car you wouldn’t get a mechanic to give it a once-over, as the car is new and sold with a warranty. It is the same logic for a dwelling. A new dwelling is sold as a certified building by the ‘Assigned Certifier’ and you usually have a defects indemnity period from the builder (typically 6 - 12 months). So a Snag List is just needed for superficial cosmetic defects.
mypropertysurvey.ie undertake Snag Lists in Galway and Mayo and you can get a quote online today from the website.
What is a Property Survey?
A “Property Survey” can also be called a Pre-Purchase Report, Pre-Sale Report, Engineer’s Report or Structural Survey, but they are generally the same thing. It is a visual survey undertaken by an Engineer or Surveyor on a Second-hand home. They are prepared when you are either buying or selling a second-hand home and are used to give you and your Solicitor the full picture of the property and its current state.
‘Caveat Emptor’, Buyer Beware! There are many pitfalls when buying a second hand house. There could be structural defects, map problems, boundary discrepancies, planning problems or issues of non-compliance. These need to be checked. Your Solicitor may also insist that you have an independent survey before you purchase the property, for the simple reason of ‘Caveat Emptor’.
You have probably read about the different type of survey ‘levels’? These levels describe how the assessment of your property is undertaken. The 3 types are listed below:
Type 1: Basic, walk-over survey. This would not be adequate to assess the full extents of a property as the level of investigation is much too basic, in our opinion.
Type 2: Full inspection, non-invasive. This survey is a full inspection of the property, attics, roof, drains, plumbing and electrical etc, and is the recommended survey choice.
Type 3: Full Inspection & Invasive works. This survey is generally not permissible at pre-purchase stage as it requires invasive inspection, which would not be permitted usually, and would require legal consent in most cases. Such inspection is reserved for specific defect inspection (like a leak or timber rot etc).
We undertake a ‘Type 2’ survey, as it is a full inspection of the property, attics, roof, drains, plumbing and electrical etc. However, at mypropertysurvey.ie we go further with our report and also include planning searches, map/boundary checks, thermal imaging and telescopic drone photography, as standard.
mypropertysurvey.ie undertake Snag Lists in Galway and Mayo and you can get a quote online today from the website.
Getting a survey quote in Galway / Mayo:
If you are buying a new home, then your can get a quote for a ‘Snag List’ directly from our website. They cost anywhere between €395 - €495 including VAT, depending on the location and distance from the My Engineer Ltd office in Tuam.
If you are buying a second-hand home, you can get a quote for a ‘Pre-Purchase Survey’ directly from our website. They cost anywhere between €495 - €895 including VAT, depending on the location and distance from the My Engineer Ltd office in Tuam.
