GUIDE · SEVERITY
Snag severity: minor, major and critical
Grade a snag by what it does, not how it looks. Minor snags are cosmetic and don't affect use, safety or durability. Major snags affect function, durability or water-tightness, or are clearly unacceptable, but aren't an immediate danger. Critical snags are a hazard to safety or health, risk serious damage, or stop the space being used.
Why grade snags at all?
A typical snag list mixes paint touch-ups with leaking traps and the occasional exposed wire. Without a grade, every item looks equally urgent, and the contractor tends to fix the easy ones first. Severity tells everyone what matters: the developer sends critical items to the right trade straight away, contractors plan their visits, and the buyer can decide which open items they would accept at handover and which they would not. It also makes reports comparable. If every inspector in a firm grades the same defect the same way, clients learn to trust the summary on the cover. That only works with a written scale that is applied consistently, which is why SnagOwl uses the same three definitions in the app’s suggestions, in its report check and on this page.
What are the three severity levels?
These are the definitions SnagOwl uses, word for word:
| Severity | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | a cosmetic or small finishing defect with no effect on use, safety or durability | paint touch-up, light scratch, grout gap, uneven sealant, loose or misaligned faceplate, missing door stopper |
| Major | affects function, durability or water-tightness, or is clearly visible and unacceptable to the occupant, but is not an immediate danger | leaking tap or trap, door that does not close or lock, cracked tile, extract fan or AC not working, damp patch, missing sealant at a wet area, incomplete works |
| Critical | a hazard to safety or health, a risk of serious damage, or it stops the space being used or handed over | exposed live wiring, missing fire stopping or fire door closer, active leak onto electrics, structural crack, missing balustrade or handrail, gas smell, blocked escape route |
How do you decide which level applies?
Ask the questions in order and stop at the first “yes”:
| Question | If yes |
|---|---|
| Could it hurt someone, damage the building seriously, or stop the space being used or handed over? | Critical |
| Does it stop something working, let water in, or shorten the life of a finish or fitting? | Major |
| Is it clearly visible and something an occupant would reasonably not accept, even though it works? | Major |
| Is it cosmetic or a small finishing issue that affects none of the above? | Minor |
When you are unsure between two levels, choose the higher one and say why in the description. A grade can be lowered at re-inspection with a note; an under-graded hazard that nobody fixes is much harder to explain.
Why can the same defect be minor in one place and major in another?
Because severity follows what the defect does, and that depends on where it is. A grout gap is listed as minor in the definitions: on a living-room floor it is a finishing issue. The same gap in the joint behind a bathroom vanity, where water from the basin runs down the wall, lets water reach the substrate behind the tiles. That affects water-tightness and durability, so it is major. A grout gap at the joint between wall and floor tiles in a dry part of the room, like the one in our example report, stays minor. The same logic applies elsewhere:
| Defect | Where | Severity | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grout gap | Living-room floor | Minor | Cosmetic, dry area |
| Grout gap | Behind a vanity or in a shower | Major | Water can get behind the tiles |
| Missing sealant | Around a wardrobe | Minor | Finishing only |
| Missing sealant | Around a sink or shower tray | Major | “missing sealant at a wet area” |
| Hairline crack | In paint on a ceiling | Minor | Finish only, if it isn’t growing |
| Crack | Through a structural element | Critical | “structural crack” |
| Loose faceplate | On a socket, wiring covered | Minor | “loose or misaligned faceplate” |
| Missing faceplate | Live wiring exposed | Critical | “exposed live wiring” |
| Door rubs | Still closes and latches | Minor | Works, finishing issue |
| Door | Does not close or lock | Major | “door that does not close or lock” |
What are the most common grading mistakes?
- Grading by how it looks. A large paint stain is still minor; a small gap in a shower seal is major.
- Safety issues marked minor. Exposed wiring, a loose balustrade or a missing fire door closer must be critical, however small they look. SnagOwl’s report check flags these before a report is issued.
- Everything critical. If every snag is critical, the developer stops reading the grade. Keep critical for real hazards and blockers.
- No reason given. For anything major or critical, the description should say why: “water can reach the wall behind the tiles”, not just “grout gap”.
- Grades that change silently. If a grade changes at re-inspection, note why, so the history stays clear.
How does severity affect what happens next?
The grade does not change the contract, but it shapes the work. Report critical items to the developer straight away rather than waiting for the full report, and think carefully before accepting handover while one is still open. Major items are the core of the fix list and the re-inspection. Minor items are often batched for a finishing team. Which items must be fixed before handover, and which can be fixed afterwards, depends on your sale and purchase agreement (SPA) and the developer’s handover notice, so check both. For how severity fits into the full report, see what a snagging report contains, and for the whole process, property snagging in Dubai.