Writing a Snag List the Developer Will Actually Act On

Long lists of complaints get ignored; specific, located, evidenced items get fixed. How buyers write themselves out of a remedy at handover.

A snag list is a working document for people who have to fix things, and buyers write it as an expression of disappointment. The lists that get actioned name a location, describe an observable condition, reference the specification or standard they fail against and attach a photograph. The lists that get ignored say that the paintwork is poor and the bathroom feels unfinished. Same unit, different outcome.

Why these keep happening

The failure is treating the snag list as an argument rather than as an instruction. A developer handing over dozens of units works from lists: each item is assigned to a trade, scheduled and signed off. An item that cannot be assigned to a trade or verified as complete will sit at the bottom of the list forever, not out of bad faith but because nobody can act on it. Buyers also undermine themselves by signing acceptance documents unconditionally and then submitting the list.

1. Describing feelings instead of conditions

The buyer is reacting to a unit that does not match what they imagined.

• Avoid it by: Write each item as a location, an observable condition and the standard or specification it fails against.
• Proof it is closed: Every line can be read by a trade supervisor and acted on without calling you.

What it costs you: Items such as poor finish or unacceptable quality cannot be verified or closed, so they are either disputed or quietly dropped. Meanwhile the genuine defects buried in the same list lose credibility by association, and the whole document is treated as a negotiation rather than a schedule of work.

2. No location reference on each item

The buyer walks the unit in sequence and writes as they go.

• Avoid it by: Number the rooms, mark walls by direction, and reference each item to a room and a position.
• Proof it is closed: A marked-up floor plan accompanying the list, with numbered items.

What it costs you: A list that says the skirting is damaged gives a contractor nothing to find. Items without a room, a wall and a height get skipped, and then the buyer is told the work is done when the defect is still there, which turns into a second round of inspection and another month of delay.

3. Photographs that do not show the defect

The buyer takes close-up photographs that look obvious at the time.

• Avoid it by: Take one context photograph and one close-up for each item, with the item number visible or recorded alongside.
• Proof it is closed: A photograph pair for every numbered item in the list.

What it costs you: A tight crop of a scratch could be anywhere in the building. Without a context shot, the contractor cannot locate it and the developer can reasonably ask for clarification, which costs weeks. Photographs taken in poor light or at an angle also fail to show hairline cracks and tile lippage, the two things most often disputed.

4. Mixing specification failures with personal preferences

Both feel like defects to someone seeing the unit for the first time.

• Avoid it by: Split the document into contractual defects and items you are willing to pay to change.
• Proof it is closed: Two separate schedules, each clearly labelled.

What it costs you: A request to change a tile colour has no contractual basis, and including it invites the developer to treat the whole list as wishes. Preferences are legitimate as work you may choose to pay for, but they belong in a separate conversation, not in a list of items the developer is obliged to remedy.

5. Testing nothing and inspecting only surfaces

A handover walk-through is short and the visible finishes dominate attention.

• Avoid it by: Operate every system, outlet, window and door during the inspection, and record the result against each.
• Proof it is closed: A systems checklist completed on site with results noted item by item.

What it costs you: Cooling that does not reach a bedroom, a bathroom extract that does not run, a socket with no power, a window that does not seal, a drain that backs up: these are the items that matter and they only appear when operated. Found a year later, they are a warranty argument rather than a snag.

6. Signing acceptance before the list is resolved

Keys are being offered and the paperwork is presented as a formality.

• Avoid it by: Record in writing that acceptance is subject to the attached list, and keep a signed copy acknowledging receipt of it.
• Proof it is closed: A dated acknowledgement from the developer that the list was received at handover.

What it costs you: Unconditional acceptance removes the leverage you had thirty seconds earlier. The outstanding work becomes a request rather than a condition, and anything you failed to record is now your own cost. Buyers who have waited two years for a unit are the most likely to sign anything to get the keys.

7. No re-inspection after the works

The developer reports completion and the buyer wants to move in.

• Avoid it by: Re-inspect against the numbered list, close each item in writing, and only then release anything you held back.
• Proof it is closed: A closed list with each item marked complete and verified on a date.

What it costs you: Items are closed on paper that were never done, done badly, or done in a way that created a new defect. Without a re-inspection and a written closure of each numbered item, the record ends in ambiguity, which is exactly where warranty disputes live.

A short check before you sign

• Is every item numbered, located and described as an observable condition?
• Does each item reference a specification, a drawing or a recognised standard?
• Are there two photographs per item, one for context and one for detail?
• Are preferences separated from contractual defects in a different schedule?
• Did you operate every system, window, door and outlet and record the result?
• Is your acceptance qualified in writing by reference to the list?

If it has already happened

If you have already accepted the unit and the list went nowhere, rebuild the document properly: renumber, locate and photograph each remaining item, and separate the ones that are specification failures from the ones that are wear or preference. Submit it formally with a response date, and keep every reply. Where the items fall inside whatever defect liability or warranty arrangement applies to your unit, say so explicitly and ask for the work to be scheduled under it. Where a developer has disengaged, a licensed Saudi adviser can tell you what your contract and the applicable rules actually give you, which depends on the documents and on the regulations in force when you act. Price the remaining items and make a deliberate decision about which to pursue and which to absorb, because a year of argument over minor finishes has its own cost.

Domira handles the property side of a Saudi transaction end to end: inspecting the unit, reading the documents, valuing what is in front of you and managing the asset after handover. Tell Domira what you are buying, selling or letting and you will get a plain answer on what it is worth doing.