The Wok Buffet

We have now carried out the our first 2 snagging inspections for one customer an Albatros and a Green on M13 and continuing our normal policy we now have sample reports available to buyers on this development and this post is designed to provide feedback for buyers and people doing their own snagging

The results of the inspections absolutely suggest that you should always carry out the inspection prior to completion and the reaction form the MASA staff was interesting, their own comments were that they were not used to such a detailed check and the time that it takes for the inspection

The first issue is that the snagging list you produce onsite is the only one that is accepted by MASA  nad is hand writted in Spanish and you are then expected to sign the list and our advice remains that you must make your own list and at the end of the inspection get the MASA to read the list back to you for checking

Please note that under Spanish Law you do have 1 year in which to find any additional defects and have them repaired

Also make sure that you have your specifcation with you as there was some confusion because the buyer did not bring this and we were querying the number of lights included as they were not fitted on the stairwells

The properties had received a good builders clean but as we expected there was no water or electricity connected so make sure that you take good battery type lights with you

As often develeps like MASA use different building companys and there is a different foreman it is normal to see differencies between the quality of construction and here the build quality of the Green was better than the Albatros, especially externally where a different external finish is used

Albatros

Because of the construction technique used in these tyoes of properties, pre-cast concrete slabs you can normally expect the same type of defects and most issues with the property were external.

Security wise the quality of the font and rear door was poor with a single lock and no shots bolts which lock the door into the frame. The windows will be easily opened as again there are no locks just the simple catches. We would strongly recommend the fitting grills and additional locks on doors and windows

Internally we saw some defects with finish on walls and ceilings, especially in the recesses between the coving and the walls, and as is normal at all of te edges of the electrical access panels that just really need filling around the edges but the finish of the kitchen tiles around the boiler and all sockets was unaceptable with large gaps. We had 3 badly fitted doors athat were scraping on the floor

It was in the bathroom where we saw one design issue where the door, when opened hit the bidet and the most amusing item, a hole in the ceiling above the bath and when the builder was asked he advised that it was correct as it was for ventilation. I would expect at least a cover but on looking at the venting there should have been an an aluminium type trunking connected to the vent but, unlike UK building regulations an electric extractor is not mandatory but you should always fit one in bathromms that have no windows. Having the lights we found some cracked tiles and a missing bath plug

Defects on stairs included chips on the edges of the marbles stairs and the top bannister rail not secured and dangerous but again amusing what the fact that 2 windows on the top stairs had been fitted the wrong way around, with acess catches on the outside of the building allowing easy access for any burgular

The underbuild of the property seemed in good condition, no obvious smell of damp, no high humidity reading or evidence of water damage but we found 2 windows that did not lcok and again security here will be an issue as there is no secure door between the underbuild and the main house

The outside of the property gave most concern with the walls on the top solarium, by the doors cracking and evidence of crazing which normally results feom he mix being wrong on the rendering material or where it has been allowed to dry out too quickly, and there was lots of general setlement cracking and the grouting on the floor ties was poor

The finish on the walls on the front of the property was poor with large gaps where the concrete beams for the pergola have large gaps where they meet the wall and every window anmd door had vertical cracking around the windows and doors on the reveals and lintels and I will be monitoring how they repair these areas when we carry out the 2nd inspection

One vital piece of equipment when inspecting is a good spirit level as we found 2 areas where water would collect and there was no slope to the drain and these will have to be raised and corrected

A common problem with Spanish properties is vertical cracking on surrounding walls because they do not install an expansion joint that can move as the wall expands and contracts doe to the excesses oh heat and cold so although these will be repaired they will crack again

As far as the ground is concerned there were some areas where the top soil had large holes at the edges and the builder states that they will not do anything about this

The Green

Far fewer defects both internally and externally only 17 on the list, including some wall and ceiling damage, and filling around the electrical access panels. On the lights fitted make sure you look above and around the lights to see that they are fitted flush and that the ceiling has not been damaged.

Bathroom only filling gaps around the pipes and check that the bidet and toilet are secured to the floor by shaking them and a design issue here in that the door, when fully opened catches the toilet seat.

The small bedroom was a problem as it was furnished with 2 single beds which do not fit in and allow you to open the door or get to the wardrobe but I have noticed that the property plan on the MASA site shows only 1 single bed in this room

Finally same problem with the external wallsI could not get a straight answer form the staff regaring the Certificate of Habitation

If anybody requires sample reports or advice please e-mail sierraguides@inspectahomespain.com or use the Uk or Spanish contact numbers on the website

Do you not find with most properties the locks and windows especially are never up tio the standards that we ae use to in the uk? Hence the ammount of grills on properties. 

 Just a note for when buying grills or gettig a couple of valuations try and get the three point locking mech as the single one is easier to pop, the grills should fit as snug as possible with minimum gaps, I was amazed with our property there were such large gaps between the wall and the grill you could easy get something in the pull them off. Also another thing to check s the countersunk bolts etc so they are not as easy to cut. lock shields etc. Just a few things that I have picked up on whil been here, remember the cheapest is not always teh best and may cost you mor ein the long run so get a couple of quotes and see what advice they offer to you, Powder coated or gavanised are always a better option as they are mor ehardareing hence less painting saving time and money in the long run.

The hole in the ceiling for ventilation you have to laugh about,  Then again these are not as bad as some you have seen are they? always good to get soemone in like inspecta homes to check out the property as he is fully aware of the general roblems but always looks in more detail then you woudl yourself, very particular about his work.

There are good quality doors and windows however this is an area where the builder can save a lot of money if you consider how many properties they are building

In the UK we would not typically use sliding aluminium windows and doors and windows all normally have locking handles and shot bolts that secure into the frame

One good option for the doors is a sliding bolt that locks using an external key

You can very easy to modify the windows and at places like Leroy Merlin buy good quality window and door locks

With any new developement most of the break in`s happen in the early days when there are not many people moved and lots of buiders vans onsite and what they are interested in is disposal items such as TV, DVD and of course money and credit cards and they will watch the propertues for people to arrive.

Always change your locks as the keys have been through so many different people

Simple security measues which make it more difficult are best like PIR lights outside, or fitting bulbs with built in sensors that come on at night, especially at the rear doors to properties

Always lock your gates when in or out of the property

Consider fitting internal door locks, especially on the door into any underbuild, good for slowing the intruder down

Install a safe but make sure that it is well secured into the floor and wall

Finally don´t forget personal safety, a couple of smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the kitchen

Good advice indeed.

I have bought an Eagle on M16, could you PM me ref snagging please.

Chris

We have now inspected our first OPEN on the site and I am just producing the report which will be available for anybody doing their own inspections and gives a good indication of what to look for, with photographs

I can report that, for this property where they have completed, I have seen the offical Certificate of Habitation and services were permantely connected and metered

I was very unimpressed with the build quality, especially with the large number of snagging defects again considering that the customer completed 3-4 weeks ago, and many of them were very obvious

The person sent by MASA claim to be their translator and did not argue about anything but was determined to fit everything on one form, no change and she advused that it was not the worst property that she had listed.and one comment was that she could not understand why the property had not been checked as the defects were obvious

Just some of the defects I have listed included , serious damp around door, woth the skirting tiles coming away for the walls. Very poor finish around all windows in all rooms

All of the pre-installation internally was full of builders waste and none of them had the textured cover fitted, just rough square holes in each room

Poor finish on ceiling especially at the edgs behind coving where large areas had not been painted, and lots of settlemen cracking , especially in the corners of rooms

In the kitchen the top decorative edge had not been secured

the arch ares and side walls into the kitchen had not been sprayed with textured finish, the communication box not secured to the wall

Bathrooms large holes around the water inlet pipes, 2 cracked tiles and the quality of the grout was very poor, especially in the corners, good test is to run your hand down the corner and see if the grout beaks away, behind the basin and around the bath and shower tray

An ugly concrete grill has for some reason been fitted in the shower room which restricts the light and was not painted internally

Outside on the top solarium and around the property we had lits of crazing, small cracks where the rendering had been allowed to dry out too quickly, and areas that had been repaired and painted resulting in 20  different shades of brown paint, plus a few cracked tiles and poor grouting. There were also some cracked tiles

Probably the worst fix I have seen is the white metal bars that have been fitted between the gaps on the ballustrade in the rear steps which they have done as an after though to comply with building regulations. They have made the gaps between the ballustrade posts too large and these are badly fitted and not attractive, a poor bodge to solve a problem

Look carefully at the concrete pergola on the front as we had 2 that were fitted as an angle and not properly secured flush to the wall

2 items of furniture were damaged

You certainly will need grills on doors and windows as it will be easy to force entry given the quality of locks

I know that they don´t provide a garden howvever if would be good if the builder at least leveled the area and removed their rubbish

Again for the record you should NEVER complete on a property before you have inspected it for defects

For a sample report please mail sgopen@inspectahomespain.com