Master Terms of Engagement for New Home Snagging Inspections
Effective 5 November 2026 Version 1.0
Simple overview - These terms cover Block & Beam’s standard pre-completion and post-completion snagging inspections. You tell us about the property and where you are in the buying process; we confirm the appropriate inspection route. The standard fee is £395.
1 Booking and contract
The website, price and booking form invite you to make a booking request. Submitting the form is your offer to instruct Block & Beam Ltd on these terms. A contract is formed only when we send you a written Booking Confirmation.
Your Booking Confirmation will identify the property, inspection route, appointment details and fee. Please tell us promptly if anything is wrong. We may ask for further information before accepting a booking.
We may decline a request before confirmation where the property or requested work falls outside our snagging service, competence, insurance, geographical area or safe access arrangements. Examples include a structural or Level 3 survey, specialist testing, or a property whose size or complexity is unsuitable for the standard service. If we propose a different service or fee, nothing changes unless you agree in writing.
2 The service
A snagging inspection is a visual, non-invasive inspection of reasonably accessible parts of a new home. We use reasonable care and skill to identify apparent defects, omissions, incomplete work and workmanship issues visible on the day.
The inspection normally considers:
internal walls, ceilings, floors, finishes, doors, windows and joinery
kitchens, bathrooms, sanitary fittings and installed appliances where accessible
visible plumbing, heating, ventilation and electrical components using normal user controls
stairs, guarding, accessible roof spaces and other safely accessible areas
external elevations from ground level, garages, paths, driveways, patios, boundaries and visible drainage features
The report records relevant findings in plain English, usually with photographs and locations. It is normally issued within 24 hours of the inspection unless the Booking Confirmation says otherwise.
3 Which inspection route applies
We decide the appropriate route from the information available, including whether you have legally completed, the developer and any applicable consumer code, warranty or checklist. You do not need to identify the technical framework yourself. The route stated in the Booking Confirmation applies.
3.1 Pre-completion inspection
This route applies where the home is inspected before legal completion and access is permitted by the developer. We will follow the applicable developer, warranty-provider or consumer-code framework and any mandatory checklist, including the NHQB pre-completion inspection checklist where it applies.
A pre-completion inspection is limited by the access, timing and checklist rules imposed by the developer or scheme. It does not replace the developer’s quality-control process, Building Control approval or warranty inspections. It does not determine whether the property is legally complete or advise whether you should complete, delay completion or withdraw from the purchase.
3.2 Post-completion inspection
This route applies after legal completion. It is a broader visual snagging inspection of the reasonably accessible parts of the property listed in section 2 and is not restricted to a pre-completion checklist.
Services and controls are operated only in the normal user manner where safe and appropriate. Their operation during the inspection is not a technical test, commissioning check or safety certification.
4 Important limitations
The service is intended to identify visible snagging issues. It is not a building survey, Level 2 or Level 3 survey, structural survey, valuation, warranty, legal opinion or certification of compliance.
We do not:
open up the building, remove fixed panels or floor coverings, move heavy furniture or excavate
inspect concealed, inaccessible or unsafe areas, or areas for which access has not been authorised
carry out drainage cameras, pressure tests, electrical or gas certification, thermal imaging, air or acoustic testing, or specialist mechanical testing unless separately agreed
provide structural calculations, asbestos or environmental advice, fire-risk assessments, legal advice or a determination of liability
guarantee that every defect will be found or predict defects that arise after the inspection
The report describes conditions visible at the date and time of inspection. Weather, stored items, unfinished work, occupation, restricted access and the stage of construction may limit what can be seen. Please tell us before the inspection about known concerns, access restrictions or relevant information from the developer.
The developer, warranty provider or other party may not accept every item or may propose a different remedy. Our report records our professional observations; it does not guarantee the response of another party.
5 The report and who may use it
The report is prepared for the named client for the purpose of raising snagging matters concerning the property. You may give it to the developer, warranty provider or your legal adviser for that purpose.
No other person may rely on the report without our written agreement. The report must be read as a whole and alongside these terms and the Booking Confirmation. It does not include a reinspection or confirmation that remedial work has been completed unless separately agreed.
6 Fee and payment
The standard fee for either inspection route is £395 unless a different fee is stated and agreed in the Booking Confirmation. The fee covers one inspection, the written report and electronic delivery.
Payment is due when the report is ready. The report will be released once cleared payment has been received. A return visit, reinspection, meeting, negotiation, expert-witness work, intrusive investigation, specialist testing or unusually extensive correspondence is outside the standard fee and will be separately agreed before we undertake it.
7 Access appointments and cancellation
You must provide accurate contact and property information and help arrange safe, lawful access. For a pre-completion inspection, access normally depends on the developer’s permission. If access is refused, unsafe or materially restricted, we may stop or rearrange the inspection.
If you cancel or rearrange, the following may be charged to reflect time reserved and reasonable losses:
more than 48 hours before the appointment no charge
between 24 and 48 hours before the appointment up to 50 percent of the fee
less than 24 hours before the appointment, or where access is unavailable on arrival up to 80 percent of the fee
We may reduce or waive a charge where reasonable. If we need to cancel or rearrange, we will offer a new appointment or refund any amount paid for work not carried out. We are not responsible for delay caused by matters reasonably outside our control.
8 Consumer cancellation rights
If you are a consumer and the contract is made online, by telephone or away from our business premises, you will normally have 14 days from the contract date to cancel. You can cancel by giving us a clear written statement.
If you ask us to inspect during that 14-day period, you expressly request that the service begins before the cancellation period ends. If you then cancel after work has begun, you may have to pay a reasonable amount for work carried out up to cancellation. If the service has been fully performed at your express request, the right to cancel may be lost. Your statutory rights are not affected.
9 Professional responsibility and complaints
We will provide the service with reasonable care and skill and maintain appropriate professional indemnity insurance. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where the law does not allow it, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or your statutory consumer rights.
We are not responsible for loss caused by matters outside the agreed scope, by concealed or inaccessible defects, by inaccurate or withheld information, or by another party’s failure to act. We are responsible for foreseeable loss caused by our breach of contract or negligence.
If you are unhappy with the service, please contact us promptly using the details in your Booking Confirmation. Tell us what has happened and what outcome you are seeking. We will acknowledge the complaint and aim to resolve it fairly. Please allow us a reasonable opportunity to review the issue and, where appropriate, inspect the property or relevant work.
10 General terms
If part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest will continue to apply. A delay in enforcing a right does not waive it. We may use suitable employees or subcontractors while remaining responsible for the service.
We use personal information to administer the booking, provide the service, take payment and meet legal or insurance obligations. Further information is available in our website privacy notice.
These terms and the Booking Confirmation form the agreement. If there is a conflict, the Booking Confirmation takes priority for the property, route, appointment and fee. Any change must be agreed in writing.
The agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales. If you are a consumer, this does not remove any mandatory rights you have under the law where you live.
Acceptance through the booking form
By submitting a booking request and ticking the acceptance box, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms and want Block & Beam to review your request. The booking becomes confirmed only when Block & Beam sends the written Booking Confirmation.