Renegotiating or walking away
Two contractors' quotes cover different work. What has to be lined up before the agent is given one figure?
The scope of each quotation has to be lined up, line by line, before the agent is given one figure. Two contractors who priced different work cannot be added, averaged or picked as if they had priced the same repair. What to do now advises you and does not bill the seller. Give the agent a single number only after the solicitor can see which quotation covers which sentence in the report. Until then, send no blended total.
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?
Different work hides in similar totals. One contractor may have included scaffold and making good. The other may have priced a patch. One may have named the flat roof and the other the pitched slope. Rating 3 means the element is serious and/or urgent. The quotation you rely on should describe that element. Lining the quotes up means a short table: what is included, what is excluded, and which survey sentence each line answers. Without that table, one figure is a muddle the seller can accept or reject for reasons that have nothing to do with the defect.
What to do now is advice to the buyer. It does not invoice the seller, it does not average the two totals, and it does not tell you to withdraw because the quotes disagree. Disagreement about scope is a reason to clarify, not a reason to invent a mid-point. If neither quotation matches the report, say that you do not yet have a usable figure. The agent does not need a number on the day they ask. They need a number you can explain. Wait until the scopes match, then let the solicitor send one coherent request.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which survey sentence is each quotation supposed to price?
- Where do the two scopes part company?
- What would you need on paper before one figure was safe to send?
What are the typical next steps?
- Make a line-by-line comparison of the two quotations.
- Do not give the agent an average or a blended total.
- Ask the solicitor to send a figure only when one scope matches the report.
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
Should you pick the lower quote because it is lower?
Only if it prices the same work. A cheaper total for different work is not the better answer.
Does the rating contain a figure you can send today?
No. The rating is not a price. Obtain written quotations that describe the element.