Renegotiating or walking away
Should the survey fee be added again if you are also asking for a price reduction?
No. The fee bought the report. It is not a defect in the house. RICS “what to do now” is about quotations for rating 3 repairs before you commit, not about invoicing the seller for your decision to be informed. Adding the fee on top of a roof quote double-counts your caution.
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?
You always spend the fee, whether the house is perfect or you walk away. That is the cost of the advice. A seller who is asked to refund it as well as cut the price by the full repair is being asked to pay you to have looked. They will usually say no, and the rating does not make them wrong. If you walk away, the fee is one of the costs you do not get back. Plan for that.
In Scotland the seller has already paid for the Home Report. Asking them to pay for your extra private survey as well is a different request. mygov does not require it. There is no RICS rule that the losing side pays the survey. Keep the repair quote, if you have one, as the only figure in the negotiation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which repair quotes are you relying on, excluding your own fee?
- Are you advising the seller to refund the survey? You should not.
- What would still be unknown if there is no reduction?
What are the typical next steps?
- Negotiate the defect, not the invoice for the report.
- If you will walk away, accept the fee as spent.
- Do not add VAT on the survey, the valuation and the roofer into one unexplained total.
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
Can a bad report be refunded by the surveyor?
Only if they failed their own terms. A gloomy but competent report is what you paid for. A refund is not the seller’s job.
If the seller volunteers to pay for the survey, can you accept?
Yes, if your solicitor is content and you are still the client. A gift is not a reason to add it twice.