NHBC Chapters 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 and 9.4, BS 7671, Approved Documents F, M and P · 31 checks · proplot.co.uk
Doors, skirting and architrave, sanitaryware, kitchens, sockets and switches, radiators, testing and commissioning — the stage the customer actually sees and touches.
31 checks · Reviewed by the ProPlot site team · How we write these guides
In short
The second fix inspection covers everything installed after plastering: internal doors and ironmongery, skirting and architrave, kitchens and sanitaryware, sockets, switches and lighting, radiators and controls, and the testing and commissioning records that release the plot for handover.
Second fix is the first stage the customer will judge you on directly. Nobody at a handover looks at your cavity trays; everyone runs a hand along a skirting joint, opens every door and turns on every tap.
It is also the stage where the plot is at its most vulnerable. Finished floors, fitted kitchens and freshly painted walls share the plot with people carrying ladders and radiators. Most snags raised at handover are damage caused during second fix rather than defective installation.
Two things separate a plot that sails through pre-handover from one that comes back three times: sequencing the trades so nobody works over finished work, and inspecting each element the day it is installed rather than in one sweep at the end.
When it happens
After plastering has dried and decoration has started, running through to the pre-handover inspection. Usually the longest and most congested stage in the plot programme.
Who inspects
Site manager plot by plot, with the customer care team joining the final pass so the handover snag list is agreed internally before the customer sees it.
If it fails
Second fix defects are visible defects. They go straight onto the customer’s snag list, delay legal completion, and cost more in customer care time than they ever cost to fix on site.
Concealed work cannot be re-photographed later. Take these before the element is covered and file them against the plot.
A Reportable Item (RI) is a defect the inspector records against the plot. NHBC weigh each one by its Damage Potential, and the score feeds your site's Construction Quality Review. These are the ones raised most often here:
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Check every internal door opens, closes and latches cleanly with even gaps to the frame (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5Verify fire door leaves, hinges, intumescent seals and closers match the fire door schedule (AD B)
AD BConfirm gaps around fire doors are within the tested tolerance on all four edges (AD B)
AD BCheck skirting and architrave joints are tight, scribed where required and fixed without visible fixings (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5Verify stair handrails, balustrades and spindles are secure with the correct gap limits (AD K)
AD KConfirm ironmongery and door furniture matches the schedule and operates as intended (AD M)
AD MCheck all accessories are fitted square, flush and at a consistent height throughout the plot (BS 7671)
BS 7671Verify the installation has been tested and the certificate with schedule of results is on file (BS 7671)
BS 7671Confirm smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted, interlinked and tested (AD B)
AD BCheck bathroom accessories and lighting suit the zone they are installed in (BS 7671)
BS 7671Verify the consumer unit is labelled clearly and circuit identification matches the schedule (BS 7671)
BS 7671Confirm external lighting, sockets and EV charge point are installed and weatherproof (AD S)
AD SCheck sanitaryware is secure, level and sealed, with no movement in wall-hung units (NHBC 8.3)
NHBC 8.3Verify all traps are fitted, sealed and accessible, and that every appliance runs away freely (AD H)
AD HConfirm radiators are level, correctly positioned, on the design flow and fitted with working controls (AD L)
AD LCheck the heating system has been flushed, filled with inhibitor and balanced, with the record on file (NHBC 8.1)
NHBC 8.1Verify the hot water system has been commissioned, including discharge pipework where unvented (AD G)
AD GConfirm hot water delivery temperature and any thermostatic protection meets the requirement (AD G)
AD GCheck kitchen units are level, scribed to the wall and securely fixed to the noggins provided (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5Verify worktop joints are tight, sealed and supported, with cut edges sealed against moisture (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5Confirm tiling and waterproofing behind baths and inside showers is continuous with no gaps at junctions (NHBC 8.3)
NHBC 8.3Check sealant lines are continuous, of consistent width and tooled to a clean finish (NHBC 8.3)
NHBC 8.3Verify appliance services are correct and appliances have been run and left working (NHBC 8.1)
NHBC 8.1Check every extract and supply terminal is fitted, unobstructed and correctly oriented (AD F)
AD FVerify measured airflow rates meet or exceed the design rates and the commissioning sheet is complete (AD F)
AD FConfirm trickle vents are fitted and operable where the design relies on them (AD F)
AD FCheck the MVHR unit is accessible for filter changes and the user has instructions (AD F)
AD FCheck decorated surfaces are free of defects visible in normal daylight from a normal viewing distance (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5Verify accessible switch and socket heights, door widths and threshold detail meet the access requirements (AD M)
AD MConfirm floor finishes are laid, protected and free of damage, with movement gaps left at perimeters (NHBC 8.6)
NHBC 8.6Check all protection is still in place on completed work and that the plot is secure (NHBC 8.5)
NHBC 8.5The compliance items are the easy part. These are the habits that decide whether a plot hands over clean. No inspector will fail the visit on these — they are the difference between a plot that passes and a plot that hands over clean.
Keep floor and stair protection down until the day of the clean
Every scratch in a new floor at this stage is a customer care visit. Protection is the cheapest insurance on the plot.
When: From the start of second fix to the final clean.
Inspect and photograph each room the day it is completed
Damage found a week later belongs to nobody. Damage found the same day belongs to whoever was in the room.
When: Daily, as rooms complete.
Check every door in the plot opens, closes, latches and does not bind
Doors are the single most common handover snag, and most are a hinge adjustment that takes two minutes before the paint hardens.
When: As soon as ironmongery is fitted.
Fill and test every appliance and outlet yourself before the customer does
Run the shower, fill the bath, flush every WC, run the dishwasher point. A customer finding an airlock is a complaint; you finding it is a job.
When: Before pre-handover.
Photograph the commissioning readings, not just the certificate
A picture of the anemometer reading at the terminal settles any later question about whether the system was ever balanced.
When: At commissioning.
Cut sealant lines to a single consistent width and tool them properly
A ragged sealant line at a bath is the detail every customer photographs, and it reads as poor work everywhere else in the house.
When: At sanitaryware and worktop completion.
Leave the plot locked with a controlled key issue once it is complete
An unsecured completed plot becomes a store, a tea room and a route through. Controlled access is what keeps the plot in the state you signed off.
When: The moment the plot is finished.
97 inspection points that apply at the second fix stage, each written in our own words from openly published guidance, with how to check it on site and what counts as acceptable. Use the checklist above on the day and this register when you need to settle a detail.
Fire doors with the wrong gaps or missing seals
The leaf was trimmed on site or the ironmongery does not match the tested specification. It fails building control and is not a snag you can argue about.
Reportable and blocks the completion certificate.
Ventilation rates failing at commissioning
Almost always caused by first fix ducting — flexible runs, kinks or crushed sections — but it is discovered here, when the ceiling is finished.
Fails Part F and delays handover.
Damage to finished work by following trades
Chipped skirting, scratched floors, marked walls. Individually small, collectively the single largest source of handover snags.
Sealant applied badly at baths and worktops
Uneven width, dirty tooling, or applied before the bath was filled so it splits the first time it is used.
Radiators fitted level to the floor rather than level
Obvious against a horizontal skirting line, and awkward to correct once the wall is decorated and the system is filled.
ProPlot's audit tool includes these second fix checks as interactive helpers — tick items off, attach GPS-stamped photos, and share the report with your inspector in one tap. Free while in beta.
The key stage inspection sequence on a typical UK housing plot.
Excavation & foundations
21 checks →
Drainage
20 checks →
Basement / lower ground
28 checks →
Ground Floor & Slab
19 checks →
Superstructure
22 checks →
Timber Frame Erection
21 checks →
Roof
22 checks →
Windows and External Doors
24 checks →
Insulation & Airtightness
23 checks →
First Fix
28 checks →
Fire Stopping
22 checks →
Pre-Plaster
21 checks →
External Works & Pre-Handover
23 checks →
Pre-handover
22 checks →
General Quality
20 checks →
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