CML Inspection Checklist UK: Pre-Handover Plot Checks

A CML inspection is the pre-handover inspection: a pass/fail check on safety and habitability so the lender can release funds. It is not a snagging inspection. This checklist covers what to fix before the inspector arrives. It is one walk of the plot plus a paperwork check. NHBC needs at least 24 hours' notice for any inspection, and LABC usually asks for 48 hours.

Lenders generally will not release mortgage funds on a new build until the buyer's conveyancer has the cover note, so a failed plot holds up completion.

Log the plot defects first. Photograph each one in the AI snag writer or log them in the snag list template. For a full room-by-room quality check, use the new build snagging checklist. This page is about the lender sign-off, not finish quality.

What the inspector checks and what they ignore

There is no single published tick list. LABC's test is outcome-based. A failure is a risk to health and safety, a significant disruption to the occupier, or a potential warranty claim. One guide says the inspector is not required to thoroughly snag the property and does not withhold the certificate for quality issues. It adds that minor "green" items are noted, while major "red" items stop the certificate.

The table below is site practice built on those tests. It is not an official list.

Area	Likely fail: fix before the inspector	Cosmetic: note it, fix after handover
Electrics	Consumer unit cover missing, circuits unlabelled, socket not working	Loose faceplate cover, paint on a socket
Fire safety	Smoke alarm silent on test or missing	Alarm slightly off-centre on the ceiling
Water and heating	No hot water, boiler not running, leak, WC will not flush	Tap finish marked, radiator paint chip
Access	Unsafe or blocked route, step at the entrance, open excavation	Patchy turf, path edging not yet tidy
Loft	Insulation missing or incomplete, hatch unsafe	Insulation untidy but continuous
Paperwork	Certificates not supplied or uploaded	Handover pack cover missing
Finishes	Water ingress or damage to a wet area	Scuffs, hairline paint cracks, 3mm door gaps

Plot-readiness checklist

LABC's guidance for at least 48 hours before the final inspection: close open conditions, finish engineering and design reviews, upload completion documents, and book both the warranty surveyor and building control. NHBC issues its confirmation only when all defects and technical conditions are resolved and certification is supplied. Use that as your order of work.

Access and site segregation

• A clear, safe route from the road to the front door, with no plant, stacked materials or open trenches. Good looks like a visitor could walk it in the dark.
• The plot is separated from live work with fencing or hoarding, and the route does not pass through a working area.
• Hard surfaces and paths are laid, and drain covers are seated and level.

Services working

• Every tap runs, hot water arrives, and the boiler fires and heats every radiator.
• Every WC flushes and every waste drains freely, with no leaks under basins or the bath.
• Every socket and light works. Test sockets with a plug-in tester.

Consumer unit and meter boxes

• The consumer unit cover is fitted, circuits are labelled and the RCD trips on test.
• Electricity, gas and water meter boxes are closed, labelled and reachable.
• Meter readings are recorded and the supplies are live where the buyer needs them.

Smoke alarms

• Alarms are in the positions shown on the approved drawings.
• Each one sounds on test, and linked alarms all sound together.

Loft and groundworks

• Loft insulation is laid to the specified depth, continuous over every ceiling, with no bare patches.
• The loft hatch opens and closes safely.
• Final levels are formed, nothing is left open in the garden, and drainage runs are not exposed.

Certificates

• Gas, electrical, ventilation and heating commissioning certificates are complete and uploaded.
• Open technical conditions and reportable items from earlier inspections are closed with evidence.

Part M tick-list

Part M is Approved Document M, Volume 1, for dwellings in England. M4(2) and M4(3) only apply if planning permission imposes them. Otherwise M4(1), visitable dwellings, applies. Check your plot's planning condition first. Typical M4(1) figures are below. Check them against your approved drawings.

• Approach to the front door is level or gently sloping, as drawn and passed by building control.
• Threshold upstand is no more than 15mm, chamfered or rounded.
• Entrance door clear opening is at least 775mm. Measure it with the door open at 90 degrees.
• Doors to habitable rooms and the WC on the entrance level give at least 750mm clear with a straight-on approach, and more from an angled approach.
• Entrance-level WC is reachable and usable.
• Switches, sockets and controls sit between 450mm and 1200mm above finished floor.

Part L tick-list

Part L is Approved Document L, Volume 1. For England, the edition in force today is the 2021 edition incorporating 2023 amendments. A 2026 edition was published on 24 March 2026 and applies from 24 March 2027, with transitional rules, so check which edition your plot's building control application falls under. Most of the evidence is paperwork, so check the file before the inspector does.

• Insulation, glazing and doors match the as-built specification.
• The air permeability test result and system commissioning records are on file. The document requires both.
• The Energy Performance Certificate is ready for the buyer.
• Photo evidence is taken per plot. Appendix B schedules the photos required per dwelling as compliance evidence.

Naming notes: CML, UK Finance Logic Test and warranty release confirmation

Term	What it means now
CML	The old name, from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. NHBC removed the reference because the external body has been UK Finance since 2017.
UK Finance Logic Test	The new name for the CML Logic Test. Fail it and LABC Warranty cannot issue a cover note.
NHBC warranty release confirmation	Formerly the CML cover note. It says cover has not started yet but can begin from completion of sale.
LABC cover note	LABC's version. It confirms a surveyor carried out a satisfactory final inspection.
Premier Guarantee	After the final site inspection you get a Certificate of Insurance, which shows lenders the development is covered.
Professional consultant's certificate (PCC)	Different again. It may be required where there is no formal warranty such as NHBC or Premier Guarantee.

Worked sample: fail or fix later

Here are three entries as they might look in a log. The first two columns are what a good snag entry holds. The verdict is your judgement as the site team.

Snag	Trade and location	Verdict
Landing smoke alarm does not sound on test. Linked alarms downstairs are silent. Check wiring and interlink.	Electrical, first-floor landing	Fail the logic test. Health and safety risk. Fix and retest before booking.
Front door threshold upstand measures about 40mm against a 15mm maximum, so there is no step-free entry.	Joinery, front entrance	Treat as a fail. Part M compliance. Raise it with building control and fix first.
Bath sealant has a 4mm gap along the side wall. No leak, and the floor below is dry.	Plumbing, main bathroom	Cosmetic, fix after handover. Not a logic test fail. It still goes on the list for the buyer's own inspection.

The same bath sealant becomes a fail if water is getting through to the ceiling below. That is water ingress, which is a potential warranty claim. Log it with a photo and a note on whether it leaks.

Snag AI writes the description and tags the trade, location and severity when you photograph the defect. It can also find other snags in the same photo and add them as extra entries. It works offline on site and uploads when signal returns. Try it with a 14-day free trial on iPhone, then £19.99 a month, and there is a web app at web.snagai.uk.

What to do with the findings

1. Sort the log into two piles. Fails and likely fails go first. Cosmetic items go on a second list.
2. Fix and photograph the fails. Retest the alarm, the RCD and the hot water. Keep the after photo with the before.
3. Close paperwork gaps. Upload certificates and clear open conditions.
4. Book the inspection once the fails are closed, with the notice period above.
5. Hand the cosmetic list on. It feeds the buyer's pre-completion inspection and the developer's two-year defects period. See how long you have to report snags on a new build.
6. Pass the confirmation to the conveyancer. The inspection feeds the lender sign-off, not the buyer's quality checks.

For services plots, the MEP snagging checklist goes deeper on mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

If you run plot logs from your phone, Snag AI turns a project's snags into a client-ready PDF report with an editable Word copy. You can try it with the 14-day free trial on iPhone, then £19.99 a month.