Detailed Snagging Surveys for New Phuket Homes

The handover of a newly built villa or condominium is the point at which a developer’s obligations are easiest to enforce — and easiest to lose. A snagging survey documents every defect while the developer is still responsible for putting it right. At Anan Property Group, we arrange thorough snagging inspections so that buyers accept their new home on the strength of a report rather than a walkthrough.

Finding the Defects Before You Sign

Snagging is deliberately forensic. The surveyor works room by room recording every departure from the agreed specification and every fault in workmanship: doors and windows that bind or fail to seal, uneven tiling and grouting, paint and plaster defects, chipped stone, misaligned joinery, cupboards and drawers that do not run properly, and sanitaryware that has been fitted but never tested.

The technical elements receive the same attention. Every socket, switch and light circuit is checked, water pressure and drainage are tested at each outlet, air-conditioning units are run and their condensate drains verified, and pool circulation and filtration are put through a full cycle. Externally the survey covers render, roof and gutter details, terraces, drainage falls, gates, and the landscaping that was promised in the contract.

Every item is photographed and located precisely, then set out in a schedule that can be handed straight to the developer. The distinction between cosmetic snags and genuine defects is made clear, so that the important issues are not buried among the trivial ones and the developer knows exactly what is being asked.

Timing, and the Second Inspection Most Buyers Forget

The first inspection should take place before you take handover and before final payment is released, when your leverage is at its strongest. We then re-inspect once the developer reports the work complete, to confirm that each item has genuinely been addressed rather than simply marked off a list.

A second, later inspection is just as valuable and far less common. New buildings are typically covered by a defects liability period, and problems that only emerge after a full monsoon season — water ingress at a junction, a failing seal, movement cracking — frequently appear well after handover. An inspection shortly before that period expires often identifies work worth many times the cost of the survey, while the developer is still obliged to carry it out.

Snagging surveys are carried out by independent surveyors from our network of trusted associates, instructed on your behalf and reporting to you. Anan Property Group arranges access, coordinates the survey around the handover date, presents the schedule to the developer and keeps the pressure on until the list is genuinely closed.

A new home should be delivered finished, not nearly finished. A properly documented snagging survey is the most effective way of making sure it is, and Anan Property Group will arrange one at the point in the process where it carries the most weight.