Seller-side surveys
Does a condition rating, by itself, force the seller to pay for the repair?
No. The rating is the surveyor’s opinion for the person who instructed the survey, or, in a Scottish Home Report, part of the pack a purchaser can rely on. It does not create a debt. In England and Wales, what the seller pays is a matter for the contract your solicitors are negotiating. In Scotland the offer and the missives are the solicitor’s work. The rating tells you the urgency. It does not send an invoice.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
RICS says a rating 3 should have written quotations before legal commitment. Those quotes inform a conversation. They do not, by themselves, amend the price. A rating 2 is maintenance that is not serious or urgent. It is an even weaker candidate for a demand that the seller ‘must’ pay. Sellers can refuse. Buyers can walk away if they are still free to. The rating is an input.
If you are the seller, do not ignore a rating 3, and do not treat it as a bill you are obliged to meet in full by Saturday. Ask your solicitor what to offer, if anything. If you are the buyer, do not tell the agent the surveyor has ‘ordered’ the seller to pay. The surveyor has not.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which items are urgent enough that the definition says to get quotes before commitment?
- Which items are maintenance rather than a point for the contract?
- What wording should we avoid when we speak to the other side?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask your solicitor to frame any request. Do not frame it as a debt the rating created.
- Get quotes for rating 3 items before you name a figure.
- If you cannot agree, ask the solicitor whether you can still withdraw.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a Home Report rating bind the Scottish seller to repair?
No. The single survey is relied on as a report. The missives decide what the seller must do. Ask your solicitor.
Can the buyer insist on a repair after exchange?
Only if the contract they have already exchanged says so. The rating does not reopen a contract by itself.