Renegotiating or walking away
What does mygov.scot say you can do if you do not want to buy after reading urgent repairs in a Home Report?
It says that if repairs are marked urgent or as needing future attention, you should consider whether you can cope, get estimates if you still want to proceed, and that if you do not want to buy you can walk away at that stage without penalty. That is the Scottish Home Report stage. It is not an English exchange, and it does not define a RICS condition rating 3.
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?
mygov.scot splits the Home Report into a single survey and valuation, a property questionnaire and an energy report. The repair marks live in the single survey. Walking away without penalty is what that page says about this stage. It is not a promise about a later missive. Your Scottish solicitor tells you when you become bound. Do not paste this sentence into an English purchase that has not exchanged.
Estimates are the page’s word, not a tariff. There is no RICS national repair price. A purchaser relying on the Home Report, which RICS distinguishes from a private English survey, still has to read the actual paragraphs. Reliance does not price the gutter.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which repairs are marked urgent, and which are future attention?
- Are you using English ratings? This report may not.
- What did you not inspect?
What are the typical next steps?
- If you will not buy, tell your Scottish solicitor before you tell the internet.
- If you will buy, get estimates before you proceed, as the page says.
- Do not use this walk-away sentence on an English 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 “without penalty” cancel your costs?
The page says you can walk away without penalty at that stage. It does not refund a private extra report you chose to buy. Ask the solicitor what you have already committed to.
Is future attention the same as urgent?
The page names both, and tells you to think about cost and inconvenience for both. It does not say they are the same urgency.