The snagging walk-through: your last real leverage
Before the final payment, walk the job like an inspector: room by room, everything tested, every defect in writing with a date. Builders fix snags that come with money attached; this page is how you keep the money attached.
The money side
A healthy payment schedule keeps leverage for this moment: stage payments during the build (see the budget planner) and a retention agreed in the contract, released only when the snagging list is done. The JCT standard is 5%, half at practical completion, the other half after the rectification period agreed in your contract (the rectification period is set in the contract particulars; a few months is common on domestic work). If the builder will not return, escalate in writing with a reasonable deadline before anything else; a paper trail wins disputes, raised voices do not.
Source: JCT contract retention guidance: Forge Command, Retention in construction contracts (forgecommand.co.uk) and Witan Solicitors, Retention release under JCT contracts (witansolicitors.co.uk), both checked 13 August 2026.
Handover done? Put the signed list, the guarantees and every certificate in your renovation record, so three years from now you still know who did what and which paper proves it.
Quotes still coming in for the next project? The quote check includes the six questions that prevent most snagging fights before they start, payment schedule included.
How the snagging checklist works
An interactive walk-through for handover day: every check ticked off room by room, so nothing gets signed away unseen.
- Walk every room in daylight with the quote next to you and tick each check as you do it.
- Photograph every defect with a date and put it on the snagging list.
- Sign the list with the builder; the retention stays until the list is done.
What you enter: Your ticks; the checklist itself is fixed. What you get: A tracked snagging walk-through, saved on your own device.
Frequently asked questions
What is a snagging list?
A written list of every defect you find at handover: what, where, and the date the builder will fix it by. Signed by both of you, it turns "you never mentioned that" into a document. It does not need legal language; a dated list with two signatures does the job.
How does retention work on a renovation?
A retention holds back a slice of each payment (the JCT standard is 5%) until the work is proven good: half at practical completion, the other half after the rectification period agreed in your contract. Agree it in the contract up front; you cannot invent it at the final invoice.
Can I withhold payment for defects?
Proportionately, yes: hold back an amount that reasonably matches the defects, in writing, until they are fixed. Withholding everything for a scratched socket cover weakens your position; withholding nothing removes the builder's reason to return.
What about defects I find months later?
Report them in writing as soon as you find them, with photos. Defects within the agreed rectification period are the builder's to fix; latent defects that no reasonable inspection could have caught do not disappear with your sign-off. Silence is the only thing that weakens the claim.