The Wigan property inspector who finds thousands of faults in new houses

Buying a house is a dream for many, but for some it can quickly turn into a nightmare.
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Buying a house is a dream for many, but for some it can quickly turn into a nightmare.

After years of saving and finally being able to move into their dream house, many homeowners are faced with a catalogue of defects inside their new-build properties.

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It is a disheartening reality facing new owners across the country who has just forked out hundreds of thousands of pounds for their home.

Steven Griffin of Snagsure makes sure the wall is lined up correctly. Photo: Kelvin StuttardSteven Griffin of Snagsure makes sure the wall is lined up correctly. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
Steven Griffin of Snagsure makes sure the wall is lined up correctly. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

Fortunately, help is available from firms such as Snagsure, a property inspection firm.

The business was set up in 2018 by Hawkley Hall resident Steven Griffin, who travels across the North to uncover even the tiniest of faults on newly built properties, before reporting back to the owners about his findings. Snagsure also supports homeowners to make sure that housing developers quickly resolve any issues that are found in the property, no matter how big or small.

Snagsure use drones and thermal imaging along with Steven’s 20 years of industry knowledge and experience, to provide people with a detailed report of every issue within their property.

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To date, Snagsure has reported 50,000 issues that required rectifying by the developers.

Steven Griffin of Snagsure checks the bath to see if it's level. Photo: Kelvin StuttardSteven Griffin of Snagsure checks the bath to see if it's level. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
Steven Griffin of Snagsure checks the bath to see if it's level. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

“I tackle the developers head-on and provide that much needed support against shoddy workmanship that has left people’s dream homes in tatters,” said Steven, 37.

“It’s not been easy and I’ve built this company on my own and I’m standing up to these multi-million pound businesses.”

The idea came to Steven when his daughter became unwell, and he began looking to swap his high-pressure contracts management job for a new opportunity.

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“I was doing really well at my job but it was having a negative impact on my family life,” said Steven.

Steven Griffin of Snagsure. Photo: Kelvin StuttardSteven Griffin of Snagsure. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
Steven Griffin of Snagsure. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

“It just hit me like a ton of bricks. I just felt like I couldn’t do that job anymore, I couldn’t sustain that pressure.

“I just thought the only way is to work for myself and open my own business. She was in Alder Hey for nearly a month, and while she slept, I actually made the business.

“I created all the logos and the social media channels. The idea came right there, at the side of her bed, that I was going to make a big change. I was going to do this.”

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Business was slow, to start with. It took Steven six months to get his first client, and then a further six months to get his second. But from there, business has been booming.

People started sharing us on social media,” said Steven.

“It really started to pick up pace. I was doing inspections on weekends at first and then made the decision that the time was right to start doing it full time. Things have gone from strength to strength.”

He went on: “There’s been a real shortage of really good trades, which is leading to really shoddy workmanship.

“It doesn’t go across the board, but I see the very best and the very worst of housing developments and people take to social media to complain.

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“The people who are happy with their homes don’t tend to go onto the internet and preach about how good their house is. So there is a lot of negative press on that front, however there is a lot of evidence to back it up.

“A large proportion of my reports are quite poor workmanship. Stuff that, if you invited someone into your home to do a job, you would not accept that work, and wouldn’t pay for it.

“Yet these people have been told for many years that this is just the way it is.

“It really frustrates me, because when I worked on the commercial side, nothing other than perfection would do for our clients. But it seems that new build housing developers have their own rules.

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“I think it comes from a lot of greed from the developers, and there are also tradesmen that are just focussed on the next job. With every trade doing that, the quality slowly creeps down.”

Steven generates a lot of attention through social media, particularly Instagram, where he shares pictures and videos of faults he finds during his inspections.

“I like to keep it small and personal, rather than trying to expand and cover the entire country.” he explained.

“That’s the feedback I get from customers, that that’s definitely the charm about the company.”

To find out more, visit mysnagsure.com or instagram.com/snagsure