Renegotiating or walking away
What should you agree if the seller wants to do the rating 3 repair before completion?
Agree the scope, the standard and what happens if it is not finished, in writing, through the solicitors. A promise to “sort the roof” is not a contract. RICS tells the buyer to get written quotations before legal commitment. It does not supervise the seller’s contractor. A lender’s retention, if there is one, is a further document.
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?
Useful terms say which quote is being followed, who pays, whether you can reinspect, and what sum is held if the work is late. Your solicitor drafts that. The surveyor can say whether a quote appears to match the defect. They do not certify the finished job unless you instruct a reinspection and pay for it. There is no RICS snagging certificate hidden in the rating.
Do not complete on a verbal promise the week the scaffold is late. Do not ask the seller to do work that needs a consent your solicitor has not checked. The rating did not grant consent. If you would rather have the money than the seller’s contractor, say so before exchange. You usually cannot invent that choice afterwards.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the quote you have been shown match the defect you described?
- What could a reinspection actually check?
- What is outside your role once the seller’s contractor starts?
What are the typical next steps?
- Put the scope in the contract before exchange.
- Do not complete against a text message.
- Reinspect only if you have agreed it and it is still your surveyor’s job.
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
If the seller’s roofer is their cousin, does the rating change?
No. Judge the work against the quote and the defect, or hold money. The family relationship is not a specification.
Can you keep the reduction and also have the work done?
Only if the contract says you get both. Assume you get one unless it is written.