Renegotiating or walking away

mygov.scot says you can walk away without penalty after reading a Home Report. Does that sentence refund a private Level 3 you also commissioned?

No. If you do not want to buy, mygov.scot says you can walk away at that stage without penalty. That sentence does not automatically refund a private Level 3 you also commissioned. The Home Report is the seller's pack. Your extra report is a separate instruction you paid for. Where items are urgent or need future attention, consider the cost and get estimates. Leaving without a penalty is about the purchase, not that extra 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?

Readers slide from without penalty to everyone gives the money back. The cited page is about the decision to buy after you have seen the Home Report. The pack has three parts: a single survey and valuation, a property questionnaire of 16 categories, and an energy report. The seller or agent must provide it within nine days of being asked, where it is required, or you can go to the council's trading standards. None of that is a promise to repay a Level 3 you ordered privately because you wanted more than the single survey.

Urgent and future attention are the labels in that Scottish report. They are not English condition ratings 3 and 2. If you can face the cost and inconvenience, get estimates before you proceed. If you cannot, you may walk away without penalty. Say clearly to the private firm, and to your solicitor, that the Home Report sentence is not their refund clause. Ask the firm what their own terms say. Do not tell the seller that Scottish marketing rules require them to pay for an English-style Level 3 you chose.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which Home Report items are marked urgent or as needing future attention?
What did the private Level 3 add that the single survey did not say?
Are you treating a Scottish label as an English rating 3?

What are the typical next steps?

Read the Home Report's three parts before you decide.
Get estimates for items marked urgent or for future attention.
Ask the Level 3 firm about its fee. Do not bill the seller under the no-penalty sentence.

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 without penalty mean the seller pays your extra survey?

No. It means you can decide not to buy without a penalty at that stage. It is not a refund of a private report.

Is future attention the same as an English rating 2?

No. Do not rename Scottish labels as English ratings. Read the words the single survey uses.