Renegotiating or walking away
If the seller offers an indemnity policy instead of repairing a rating 3, what have they not done?
They have not repaired it. An indemnity policy, if one is offered, is an insurance product your solicitor explains. It is often aimed at a legal risk, such as missing consent, not at a crack or a leaking roof. A condition rating 3 still means serious or urgent. A policy does not replace the written quotation RICS tells you to get before you commit.
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?
Read what the policy actually covers and what it excludes. Many do nothing if you tell the council, or if you already knew the full history. The surveyor should not be asked to bless the policy. The premium is not a RICS figure and is not stated here. A roof that needs work still needs a roofer. A missing certificate still needs the solicitor’s view of the policy.
Do not accept a policy for a structural defect and call the rating closed. Do not refuse a policy that genuinely covers a paperwork gap you understand. They are different problems. Do not assume an English indemnity policy sits inside a different country’s sale pack. Ask the solicitor there.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is your rating about condition or about missing papers?
- Would a policy change the physical defect? It would not.
- What quote would still be needed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the quote for the rating 3 defect anyway if you might buy.
- Give any policy to the solicitor. Do not sign it on the doorstep.
- Do not let a premium replace a repair in your spreadsheet.
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 a cheap policy mean the defect is small?
No. Premiums are not the cost of the works. Ask what is covered.
Can you claim on it for a new roof?
Only if the wording says so. Assume it does not until you have read it.