The Room-by-Room Snagging Checklist for New Homes in Dubai

Key takeaways

• Work room by room and system by system, in good daylight, with power and water connected.
• Test things, do not just look at them: run every tap, switch every light, open every door and window.
• Photograph every snag with something in the frame that shows where it is.
• A visual checklist cannot find hidden moisture, wiring faults or poor air-conditioning performance; that needs instruments.

Before you start

Plan your visit for daylight, and ask the developer to make sure electricity, water and air-conditioning are on. Without them you cannot test the most important systems. Bring:

• Your phone, charged, for photos and notes.
• A torch, to look under sinks, inside cupboards and along tile surfaces at a low angle.
• A small spirit level or a straight edge, for worktops and tiles.
• A phone charger or small lamp, to check that sockets work.
• Painter's tape or sticky notes, if the developer allows you to mark defects.
• A copy of your sale and purchase agreement specification, to check finishes and appliances.

Entrance, living and dining areas

• Main door: opens, closes and locks smoothly; seals all round; no damage to the frame or leaf.
• Walls and ceilings: no cracks, patchy paint, visible joints or damp marks. Shine a torch along the wall at a low angle to show uneven plaster.
• Floors: tiles level with each other, no chips, no hollow sound when tapped with a knuckle, grout complete and even.
• Skirting: fixed tight to the wall, joints filled, no gaps at corners.
• Windows: open, close and lock; seals intact; glass free of scratches; restrictors fitted where needed.
• Light switches and sockets: straight, secure and all working.

Kitchen

• Cabinet doors and drawers aligned, closing softly where specified, with no gaps or damage.
• Worktops level, joints tight and sealed, no chips or scratches; sealant at the wall and around the sink complete.
• Sink: run hot and cold water, check the flow, then look underneath for drips at every joint.
• Appliances: present, matching the specification, and working. Switch on the hob, oven, extractor and any fridge or dishwasher.
• Splashback tiles or panels straight, grouted and sealed.
• Sockets above the worktop working and securely fixed.

Bathrooms and wet areas

Bathrooms are where the most expensive hidden defects start, so take your time here.

• Run the shower for a few minutes. Water should drain quickly and not pool or flow towards the door.
• Check silicone around baths, shower trays, basins and worktops for gaps or poor finishing.
• Look for hollow, cracked or uneven tiles and incomplete grout.
• Flush every toilet and check it refills and stops properly; look for leaks at the base and behind.
• Run every tap, check hot water arrives, and look under basins for drips.
• Check the extractor fan runs and that mirrors, accessories and glass screens are secure.

Bedrooms and wardrobes

• Doors close without rubbing and latch properly; handles and hinges are secure.
• Wardrobe doors aligned, sliding or opening smoothly; internal shelves and rails fixed.
• Walls, ceilings and floors finished to the same standard as the living areas.
• Every light, switch and socket working.
• Air-conditioning grille clean and the room cooling well within a few minutes.

Balconies and terraces

• Pour a little water on the floor: it should run to the drain, away from the door.
• Drain outlets clear and not blocked by tiles or debris.
• Door threshold sealed, and the sliding door locks and closes tightly.
• Balustrades and glass panels firmly fixed with no movement.
• Tiles level, grouted and free of cracks.

Air-conditioning and electrics

• Set each thermostat a few degrees below room temperature and check every room cools.
• Listen for rattles or unusual noise from units and grilles.
• Look for water marks around indoor units and grilles, which can indicate condensate problems.
• Check the distribution board is labelled and its cover fits properly.
• Test every socket with a charger or small lamp, and every light switch.

Simple checks catch obvious faults, but they cannot tell you whether wiring is correct or whether a room is reaching the temperature it should under load. That needs proper testing.

Villas and townhouses: outside

• External walls: cracks, damaged render or paint, and gaps in sealant around windows and pipes.
• Roof terraces: falls to drains, no ponding, drains clear.
• Garden and paving: surfaces fall away from the house, boundary walls and gates sound.
• External lights and sockets working and properly covered.
• Garage door, if fitted, operating safely and smoothly.

For the full exterior scope, see what a professional villa snagging inspection and townhouse snagging inspection cover.

How to record what you find

A snag list is only useful if the developer can find and understand every item. For each defect, write down the room, the exact location and what is wrong, and take a photo that shows both the defect and enough of its surroundings to locate it. Group items by room, give each one a number, and keep a copy of everything you submit.

Our guide to common defects in Dubai homes shows what typical snags look like in photos.

What a checklist cannot catch

A careful buyer with this checklist will find many visible defects. What it will not find are the problems you cannot see: moisture behind tiles and inside walls, incorrect electrical wiring, air-conditioning that underperforms in the summer, missing insulation, and waterproofing that has failed out of sight. These are often the most expensive defects to fix once the developer's responsibility ends.

A professional snagging inspection combines a 500+ point checklist with thermal imaging, moisture meters and electrical and water testing, and delivers a photographed, severity-rated report the same day. If you would like that certainty, book an inspection or read what property snagging involves.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Common defects in Dubai homes
• DIY vs professional snagging
• Apartment snagging in Dubai
• Villa snagging in Dubai