Renegotiating or walking away
What goes wrong if you ask for a price reduction and a lender retention for the same repair?
You can count the same work twice. A price reduction changes what you pay the seller. A retention is money the lender does not advance, on the lender’s terms. They are different mechanisms. Using both against one defect, without checking, invents a second pot of money for a single job. Ask your solicitor and the lender which one, if either, this sale is actually using. The survey does not design the deal.
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?
A buyer who ‘wins’ a reduction and then cannot draw the retained slice may find they have less cash, not more. A buyer who spends the reduction in their head and also promises a builder the retention will be released is spending money they may not have. The survey’s job ended at condition and, for rating 3, at the advice to get quotes before commitment.
Pick the tool that matches the problem. If the seller will not move and the lender is holding money back, those are two conversations. Write down which repair each conversation is about. If it is the same repair, say so, and let the solicitor stop the double count.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which findings are condition only, with no recommendation about the mortgage?
- Which quotes are you happy for us to show a lender if they ask?
- Are any items too uncertain to be either a reduction or a retention?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the lender whether a retention is even proposed.
- Ask the solicitor to make one request for one repair.
- Do not promise a builder funds that are still inside the mortgage.
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
Can you choose a retention if the lender never asked for one?
No. A retention is the lender’s mechanism. You cannot award one to yourself. You can still negotiate a price with the seller.
Is a retention paid to the seller?
No. It is money the lender holds back from the advance. It is not an extra payment the seller receives.