People Are Highlighting Everything Wrong With New Builds - And It's A Lot

With many offices now ditching the commute entirely and asking their employees to work from home for the foreseeable, many of us are thinking about swapping our rentals for somewhere a little more permanent.

The UK government previously implemented a series of measures to help keeping the housing market active during the coronavirus pandemic, making the dream of owning a house in reach for those with enough capital.

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But if you're flicking through RightMove trying to find the place you want to dub your forever home, you might want to give new builds a miss.

Why? Well, there's a new trend on TikTok which sees skilled builders do 'snagging' tests on new builds, or just people who live in new builds, and pointing out the numerous problems they may have.

For those of you not familiar with property lingo, a 'snag' is a small defect or problem that remains in your property after the building work has been completed. It is typically something that is damaged or broken; not fitted properly or looks unfinished.

And it's enough to make you not shell out thousands on a deposit.

In TikTok account @snagsure, which sees builders inspect houses once the development is finished, one video shows how one property's electricity had not been installed - a major failing.

Incorrectly placed firedoors, loosely fitted bannisters, and shaky taps were all common errors - and that's just throughout one property.

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In another video, one user with the handle @siobhanjessicatidy displayed the numerous irritating faults in her flat, including a lockable cupboard (which just doesn't lock), a plug hole that doesn't drain properly, a window that can't stay open and an overall poor finish on decorations.

But while some snags are just minor inconveniences, some can result in dangerous and potentially even fatal accidents.

In a TikTok from @newhomequalitycontrol, two concrete pillars were not properly fixed to the wall, and had come loose.

The voiceover says: "If this were to fall and to hit a child, it could be fatal."

For those of you who are considering moving into a newbuild property, remember to have a snagging survey done before your solicitor completes the sale and before handing over any money. This way, you have much more leverage in getting the defects corrected.

If that's not possible, just order the snagging report as soon as possible after you've received the keys.

Happy house hunting!

Topics: Home, Life, Property, TikTok

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley