Renegotiating or walking away
How is renegotiating a new-build reservation different from a private sale before exchange?
A reservation agreement can restrict what you can do before the building contract, and the builder’s contract may not let you reopen the price because a snagging list exists. A private sale before exchange is usually a negotiation with no binding contract yet. Read the reservation before you assume the two are the same. NHBC Buildmark, if it applies, is a warranty with its own sections. It is not a right to a discount.
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?
Snagging and a RICS survey still help. They give you a list to notify under the contract and the warranty. They do not, by themselves, reduce the price. The early Buildmark years, where that policy applies, put defects that breach NHBC requirements onto the builder. Use that route for a defect. Use a price talk only if the contract allows it and your solicitor agrees it is wise.
If the reservation fee is refundable only in some cases, know those cases before you pay for a survey the builder will not let you act on. Ask the solicitor to read the reservation and the build contract together. Do not serve an English private-sale “price reduction” email on a site office and call it negotiation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which findings are defects to notify the builder about, rather than chips off the price?
- What could you not inspect because the plot was unfinished?
- What should the solicitor check in the reservation before we ask for money off?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the reservation with your solicitor before you spend money on reports you cannot use.
- Notify defects in the form the contract and the warranty require.
- Do not withhold completion money unless your solicitor says the contract allows it.
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 snagging list equal a rating 3?
No. Snagging is not the RICS scale. A formal survey may also rate elements. Use the document you actually have when you write to the builder.
If the builder offers a cheque instead of a repair, should you take it?
Only with advice. A cheque can be less than the work, and it can affect the warranty if you alter the item. Ask before you accept.