Punch List vs Snag List: What's the Difference?

Where each term is used

• Snag list / snagging list — UK, Ireland, and most Commonwealth countries. “Snagging” is also used as a verb: we're snagging plot 9 on Friday.
• Punch list — United States and Canada. The name is said to come from the old practice of punching a hole next to each completed item.
• Defects list / schedule of defects — the formal term in UK contracts (JCT, NEC). Worth knowing the distinction: under most UK contracts, snags are picked up before practical completion, while defects are faults that appear afterwards, during the rectification (defects liability) period — typically 6 to 24 months. The paperwork is near-identical; the contractual consequences aren't.

What goes on the list

Whatever you call it, every entry needs the same five things: a precise location, a specific description, the trade or person responsible, the date raised, and its status. One fault per entry. Photos of the fault — and later the fix — turn the list from a to-do into evidence. There's a free snag list template here with all of that laid out, and a complete guide to snagging if you want the full process.

Does the terminology matter?

Only for communication. If you're pricing work for a US firm, say punch list; if a contract says schedule of defects, use its term in correspondence. On site, everyone will know what you mean. The thing that actually matters is that the list is specific, photographed, assigned and dated — a vague list under any name is what causes the arguments.

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