Snagging List Template UK: Copy, Use and Close Out Snags Faster

This is the companion template to our full snagging lists guide. That article covers the when and the how of snagging inspections; this one gives you the format to copy.

The Template

Seven columns. Fewer and snags become untraceable; more and nobody fills it in.

#	Location	Description	Photo	Trade	Deadline	Status
001	Plot 4, bedroom 2					Open
002

• # (snag number): every snag gets one, and it never changes. “Snag 041” survives a phone call; “the door thing” does not.
• Location: plot, room, then position. Specific enough to walk straight to it.
• Description: what is wrong and what right looks like, in one or two sentences.
• Photo: one photo per snag minimum. This is the column that ends the arguments.
• Trade: the company or person responsible for the fix, named.
• Deadline: a date, not “ASAP”. Snags without dates drift to handover day.
• Status: Open, Fixed (awaiting check), or Closed. Only the inspector moves a snag to Closed.

A Worked Example

#	Location	Description	Photo	Trade	Deadline	Status
041	Plot 4, bedroom 2	Paint run on window reveal, north wall. Rub down and repaint reveal.	✔	ABC Decorators	24 Jul	Open
042	Plot 4, kitchen	Cupboard door under sink misaligned, does not close flush. Adjust hinges.	✔	JT Joinery	24 Jul	Fixed
043	Plot 4, hallway	Scratch on laminate flooring by front door, 15cm. Replace board.	✔	JT Joinery	26 Jul	Open
044	Plot 5, bathroom	Mastic bead around bath incomplete on tap end. Complete seal.	✔	ABC Plumbing	24 Jul	Closed

Notice what makes these usable: each one names the exact spot, states the defect and the fix, and belongs to someone with a date. Any trade could pick this list up cold and get to work.

The Rules That Make It Work

1. One snag per row. “Various paint issues, plot 4” is not a snag, it is a future argument. Split everything.
2. Photograph everything at the point you find it. The photo proves the defect existed, and the after photo proves the fix. Geo-tagged and timestamped photos close the “that was not like that when we left” conversation before it starts.
3. Fixed is not Closed. The trade marks a snag Fixed; only the site manager or inspector marks it Closed after checking. Skipping the check is how “finished” snag lists reappear at handover.
4. Review the list at a set rhythm. Twice a week during the snagging period. A snag list nobody reviews is a document, not a process.
5. Never delete a snag. Disputed items get a note, not removal. The list is your handover evidence.

Trade-by-Trade Prompts

Walking a plot with prompts catches far more than walking it cold. The full trade-by-trade checklist is in the main guide, but the short version:

• Decoration: runs, misses, coverage on reveals and behind radiators, filler visible through paint.
• Joinery: door alignment and closing, handle operation, skirting joints, architrave mitres.
• Plumbing: mastic seals complete, taps secure, no weeping joints, toilet flush.
• Electrics: sockets and switches level and working, faceplates unmarked, light fittings secure.
• Flooring: scratches, lifting edges, thresholds, grout consistency.
• Externals: pointing, sealant around frames, gulley covers, garden levels and turf.

Paper, Excel or App?

Paper works for a one-off walk but produces a list nobody else can see, with photos stranded on someone’s phone, disconnected from the numbers.

Excel is the classic, and it is fine right up until you try to attach photos, share it with six trades, or work out on a Friday which of 60 snags are genuinely closed.

An app removes the admin that kills snag lists: in BuildersAI each snag is a task with a geo-tagged, timestamped photo attached, assigned to the trade with a deadline, and visible to everyone as it moves from open to done. The evidence gathers itself, which matters when a client queries the finish months later. 14-day free trial with every feature, works offline on site.

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