Sadly, a very common situation: a young couple, full of excitement, commit to 30 “mortgage” years of dutifully paying the bank a far from cheap price for a home in a new residential area, which looked magnificent on the plans and brochures, and they buy it with all the enthusiasm in the world.
During the courtesy visit, which the developer allowed them so they could see the property before completion of the purchase deed, they were not able to inspect the whole home as carefully as they would have liked (especially as the home was not yet connected to the electricity supply), but even so they noticed a number of minor defects and drew up the following snagging list:
Snagging list for a new home.
- Wardrobe sliding door off its track.
- Tap handle incorrectly installed.
- Broken skirting board pieces.
- Small hairline cracks in a door frame.
- Telephone junction box without a cover.
- General failure to clean up after the works, with cement residue left behind and very dirty tile joints in the bathroom and kitchen.
Through the newly formed homeowners’ association (made up mostly of young owners), another snagging list of defects detected in the communal areas was also sent to the developer, including:
Snagging list for communal areas
- Replacement of landscaping and repair of an area prone to flooding.
- Broken kerbstones.
- Drains of differing quality.
- Cracked flooring in communal areas.
- Padel court net incorrectly installed.
- Poorly installed toilet in the communal area washroom.
- Lack of signs marking the exit and other fire safety elements that appear not to comply with regulations.
- General failure to clean up after the works, with cement and mortar residue still present throughout the development.
Unfortunately, the building contractor repaired less than half of that list. Once the deed was signed and they had moved in, both the couple and the homeowners’ association contacted the after-sales department, which dealt with them more and more reluctantly, in some cases delaying repairs, claiming that items had already been repaired (they were only “patches”) or even that they were the owners’ responsibility due to misuse or lack of maintenance. What they are also trying to do is wear the owners down and let the legal time limits run out.
Moreover, as the months go by, the first more serious problems begin to appear, because unfortunately a development built trying to cut costs, shortening schedules to make up for delays, and poorly executed and supervised, will not only have the small snagging lists; but later, a series of major defects will appear that seriously impair the habitability of the homes:
Condensation, hairline cracks in door frames, draughts through windows, poor sound insulation, faulty ventilation “shunts”, problems with the electrical and domestic hot water installations, water ingress into the garages from flooded landscaped areas, problems with the communal washroom, etc.
That is why, when the building contractor or developer refuses, after the homes have been handed over, to repair the items on the initial snagging list, it is very important to seek professional advice so that a specialist expert can produce a comprehensive expert report, with the appropriate repair proposal and the compensation in lieu, so that the claim can be brought against those responsible within the time limit. Ask us for a no-obligation quote. DPcon Reclamaciones Daños Constructivos.
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