Renegotiating or walking away

Why should you not take a standard percentage off the price because of a rating 3?

Because neither the RICS rating definitions nor the “What to do now” note publishes a percentage. A rating 3 on a chimney and a rating 3 on a garden wall are not the same money. Written quotations are the method the Level 3 description actually gives you. A percentage borrowed from a forum is an invented price.

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?

Percentages feel fair because both sides can shout the same number. They are still detached from the repair. One quote might be a morning’s scaffolding. Another might be a partial rebuild. The definition of rating 2 is that the defect is not urgent, so a percentage piled on for every 2 is even further from the text. NI items have no percentage because they were not seen.

If you want a simple negotiation, you may still choose a round figure, but you should know it is a compromise, not a RICS formula. Tell your solicitor that. Attach the quotes you do have. If the seller wants to see the survey, decide with your solicitor whether to disclose it. Disclosure does not oblige them to accept the figure.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which rating 3 items do we have real quotes for?
Which percentages have you not recommended, because you cannot?
What would be misleading if we told the seller “RICS says 10 per cent”?

What are the typical next steps?

Use quotes. If you then round the number, say you rounded it.
Do not cite a percentage as if it were written in the rating definitions.
Keep rating 2, rating 3 and NI in separate lines of the proposal.

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

Is five per cent ever right?

It might coincide with a quote. It is not right because it is five. Show the quote.

Do lenders use a percentage of the rating?

Lenders use their own valuation and retention decisions. Ask them. Do not assume they share your percentage.