Condition ratings
Why does RICS talk about quotations before legal commitment when an element is rating 3?
Because after exchange, and certainly after completion, you have usually lost the chance to renegotiate or to walk away. The Level 3 definition of rating 3 says written quotations for repairs should be obtained prior to legal commitment to purchase. Leaving a rating 3 until you have the keys means you have accepted the cost and the risk.
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?
Legal commitment in England and Wales is exchange of contracts, not the day you first viewed. A rating 3 found on a survey done after exchange is a problem you own, unless the contract says otherwise, which standard contracts usually do not. Your solicitor is the person who tells you whether you are committed. The surveyor does not unwind the contract.
Get the quote or the specialist report the rating calls for, then decide: proceed, renegotiate, or withdraw. A quote is not an instruction to demand that sum. It is the figure the definition told you to obtain so the decision is informed. There is no RICS percentage to deduct. The quote is the evidence.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which rating 3 items still have no quotation?
- What specialist investigation is still outstanding?
- Did you intend those to be resolved before exchange?
What are the typical next steps?
- List the rating 3 items that are still unpriced.
- Do not exchange in order to “sort it out afterwards” unless you have decided to accept that risk.
- Ask your solicitor what “committed” means on your sale. Do not ask the surveyor to advise on the contract.
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 this apply in Scotland?
The process is different. The Home Report is provided before offers, and mygov.scot tells buyers to weigh urgent repairs before they commit. Do not copy the English exchange rule onto a Scottish offer without Scottish advice.
What if the seller will not allow the specialist in?
Then you decide without that quote. The definition cannot be met. Your choices are to proceed blind, renegotiate on the limit, or not proceed. The surveyor cannot force access.