Renegotiating or walking away

A Home Report item is marked as needing future attention. What does mygov.scot tell you to obtain before you proceed, and why is that label not an English rating 2?

Obtain estimates. mygov.scot says that if repairs need future attention you should consider the cost and the inconvenience and get estimates before you proceed. That label is not an English condition rating 2. England's scale says rating 2 work is needed but is not serious or urgent. The single survey does not use that sentence. If you do not want the house, you can walk away without penalty. That exit does not repay a private report.

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?

Buyers who know the English numbers try to translate the pack overnight. A Home Report has three parts: the single survey and valuation, a property questionnaire covering 16 categories, and the energy report. The single survey is a visual inspection. When it flags future attention, the cited page tells you to think about cost and inconvenience and to get estimates if you still mean to proceed. It does not say the item is a rating 2, and it does not say you may ignore it because the word urgent was not used.

Urgent is the other label, and it is not automatically an English rating 3 either. Keep both words as they are printed. Get the estimates from people who have seen the element, and show them to your solicitor with the paragraph. If the estimates are more than you will take on, walking away without penalty is the route the page describes. Do not invent a Scottish numeric scale to make the email to the seller sound like an English renegotiation. The seller can read the same Home Report. They do not need a translated rating.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which item is marked for future attention, and what did the surveyor see?
What estimate would you want before you decide to proceed?
Are you about to call this label a rating 2 in a message to the seller?

What are the typical next steps?

Get estimates for the future-attention item before you proceed.
Keep the Scottish label. Do not rename it as rating 2.
If you do not want to buy, tell the solicitor you are walking away.

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 you ignore future attention because it is not the word urgent?

No. The page tells you to consider cost and inconvenience and to get estimates before you proceed.

Does walking away without penalty refund every report you bought?

No. It does not automatically refund a private extra report. Ask that firm about its own fee.