Most advice tells you how to snag. Just as important is when. The same defect is far easier to get fixed before you complete than a year after you’ve moved in — and there are two moments in your first year that, as of 2026, carry more weight than most buyers realise. Here’s the timeline that turns the calendar into leverage.
This is your single strongest moment — before the builder has your money. Under the New Homes Quality Code you must be given the chance to inspect the finished home before legal completion. Do it with the free, official NHQB Pre-Completion Inspection checklist (separate house and apartment versions). Ask for the inspection in writing, and get anything you find on the record before you exchange final funds — your leverage is never higher than it is right now.
On the day you collect the keys, do a slow, methodical walk-through. Test every switch, tap, window and door, and take dated photos of everything — even the small stuff. A strong day-one record is gold if anything is ever disputed later.
If the builder wouldn’t let you inspect before completion, book a professional snagging survey as soon as possible after moving in — ideally within the first fortnight. A qualified inspector goes far deeper than the eye can, and writes each defect against the standard it breaches. See our complete snagging guide.
About eight weeks in, the National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey lands in your inbox. It’s the industry’s own health-check — and, as of 2026, it counts (see below). It’s also a natural moment for you to re-snag: two months of actually living in the home surfaces things a first walk-through never could.
A second survey arrives at around nine months — and this is well chosen. By then your home has been through its first heating season, when settlement cracks, damp and condensation, and heating that won’t balance tend to show themselves. Treat it as a proper second sweep, not just a form to fill in.
The builder is responsible for putting right defects you report in your first two years. Well before that window closes, do a final thorough sweep and report anything outstanding in writing. After two years, cover narrows to major structural issues under your warranty — and the cost of smaller fixes can quietly shift to you.
The Home Builders Federation runs a national survey that produces the HBF star ratings you see builders advertise. It asks two things — how satisfied you are with the quality of your home and the service you received — each scored from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).
Here’s what changed: for the first time in 2026, both the 8-week and the 9-month surveys count toward the rating. That’s four scores in total, averaged together — and a builder needs roughly 4.15 out of 5 to hold a 5-star rating. It used to be that a broadly sound home could paper over months of unresolved snags by the time the deciding survey came round. Now both moments feed the number.
You don’t need to treat this as a threat — just answer honestly, while your snags are still open. Your genuine experience now carries real weight in a number the builder cares about, which is exactly as it should be.
If you take one thing from this: your bargaining power is highest before you complete, and it quietly drains away from there. A snag logged at the pre-completion inspection is the builder’s problem to solve before they get paid. The identical snag raised eighteen months later is a favour you’re asking. Inspect early, report in writing, and keep every date.
A star rating tells you how a builder scored on average. A review tells the next buyer what actually happened — when snags were reported, how long they took, and how the builder responded. When you review your builder on Rate My New Build you build a dated record alongside the rating: free, anonymous, and the most useful thing to have if you ever need to escalate. If you’re unsure of your options, our guide on who can actually help walks you through them.
Whether they fixed things fast or dragged it out — put it on the record. Free, anonymous, a few minutes.
Review your builderGeneral information, not legal advice, and it doesn’t override your warranty terms or contract. Survey timings, the star-rating methodology and code timeframes depend on your builder’s registration and can change — check the current New Homes Quality Board and Home Builders Federation guidance, or take professional advice if in doubt.