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BluntSnag was founded by Ben Walker, a London builder who spent over a decade constructing the new-build flats that buyers were later paying others to inspect badly.
500+
inspections completed
10+
years building London new-builds
40–90
defects found per flat, on average
24h
report turnaround
I built new-builds for over a decade. I know how they go together — and I know exactly where the shortcuts are taken. Not because I took them. Because I worked alongside the people who did, and watched site managers sign off on work that no sensible builder would accept.
When a friend bought a new flat in Stratford, I walked around it with her the week before completion. We found 61 defects. Her developer's "final inspection" had found three. That was in 2023.
I started BluntSnag because the alternative — what most buyers were getting — was a retired electrician with a clipboard ticking boxes from a checklist written in 2009. That's not what you need when you've spent £400,000 on a flat that might have a mould problem you won't discover for six months.
You need someone who has stood on the other side of the wall. Someone who knows that the dishwasher connection gets skipped because the kitchen sub-contractor left before the plumber finished. Someone who checks the boiler foil connections because they know the painters covered them over and voided the warranty without thinking about it.
These are not theoretical — these are patterns from our inspections across London new-build developments.
Most developers
Disconnected dishwashers. We pull them out at every inspection — roughly one in three is not connected to the water supply.
Boilers
Painted foil connections on the boiler void the manufacturer warranty. We find this in maybe 30% of inspections. Developers never flag it.
Ventilation
Paper test on the MVHR/bathroom vents. If it doesn't stick, the system isn't extracting. This causes mould within months. Extremely common.
Wall-hung toilets
Stand on it. If there's flex in the frame, the concealed fixing is loose. Costs £500+ to fix once tiled. Developers hope you won't notice.
What BluntSnag is not
1
You book
Tell us the property address, size, and your completion date. We confirm availability and arrange access with the developer.
2
We inspect
A BluntSnag inspector attends — typically 2–3 hours for a flat. We test everything: every tap, every socket, every window, every appliance.
3
You get the report
Within 24 hours: a written PDF report with photographs, priority ratings, and repair cost estimates (Money Report and above).