Snagging a new-build estate is the list of defects against what you bought. Air conditioning is an alteration, not a snag. Developer covenants often restrict outdoor units, changes to the facade, and work during the early years. The meter position and a full consumer unit are separate. Ask the developer and the warranty provider before anyone drills the fabric. In England, Planning Portal conditions apply even on a new estate. When the paper allows it, use an F-gas certified company.
A condenser written on the snagging list
A snagging list covers incomplete work, leaks, cracks and items that do not match the specification. A condenser on the side wall was not in that specification. Raising it as a snag will not make the developer fit one, and fitting one yourself during snagging can tangle responsibility for any crack you later find in that wall. Keep snagging factual and separate. Deal with air conditioning as its own consent: the transfer, the estate management company, and planning. The developer will not snag an air conditioner onto the house. Snagging is for defects in what they built.
Words in the transfer about the facade
New-build transfers commonly require consent for external alterations, satellite dishes and anything that changes the look of the estate. Some ban air conditioning outdoor units in plain words. Management companies on flats and on managed houses will have a process, and a slow one. Written consent beats a site manager's nod.
- Do not put the outdoor unit on the snagging list.
- Read the transfer for bans on external plant.
- Ask the warranty provider before you drill.
- Find the meter and the consumer unit.
Design codes and an Article 4 on a finished estate
Planning still exists on a new estate. In England, read the Planning Portal conditions. A design code or an Article 4 direction can remove permitted development. The sales brochure will not say so in useful detail. The estate looking finished is not permission to drill. New walls are still controlled.
A full board in the store cupboard
Consumer units in new homes are often in a store or a cupboard, sometimes with little spare space once the house electrics are in. An electrician should confirm a circuit before the air conditioning figure is treated as firm. The warranty provider, such as the cover you were given at completion, should be asked what a new opening does to their cover. Do not assume a hole is invisible to them. Do not assume the cover is untouched, and do not assume it is automatically finished either. Get their answer in writing.
Stop until the paper names a wall you may drill
After those answers, the install is a normal surveyed split: pipe route, condensate, noise, F-gas certification. Energy Saving Trust's air-to-air page is the heating and cooling behaviour, not an estate consent. Stop if consent is only a site manager's nod, or if the transfer bans the outdoor unit. Ask the warranty provider before anyone drills.
Frequently asked questions
Can the developer snag an air conditioner onto the house?
Snagging is for defects in what they built. An outdoor unit is an alteration. Use the covenant and consent route, not the snagging list.
Will a wall hole void the new-build warranty?
Ask the warranty provider before you drill. Do not assume the cover is untouched, and do not assume it is automatically finished either. Get their answer in writing.
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How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.