Renegotiating or walking away
Why is a condition rating not a contractor’s invoice you can deduct from the price?
Because the rating classifies urgency. RICS says a rating 3 means you should obtain written quotations before legal commitment. Those quotations are the money. The rating is the reason you asked. Deducting a round figure because a box says 3 is not what the definition tells you to do.
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 rating 2 needs repair and is not urgent. You may still decide it changes what you will pay, if a quote shows the work is large, but you should not describe it as an emergency the definition has already refused. NI items have no price because nobody has seen them. Further investigation means you do not yet know the scope, so you cannot yet know the cost.
RICS’s “What to do now” note is the bridge between the report and your decision. The decision to change the price is yours, sent through your solicitor, not a line the surveyor sends the seller. If you cannot get quotes in time, say so and decide whether to proceed without them. Inventing a quote is worse than waiting.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which items are urgent enough that the definition says to get quotes before commitment?
- Which items have no price because they were NI or need investigation?
- What wording should we avoid when we speak to the seller?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get written quotes for rating 3 work before you propose a figure.
- Label rating 2 costs honestly if you include them.
- Send any proposal through your solicitor.
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 deduct the survey fee as well as the repairs?
Only if the seller agrees. There is no RICS rule that they must. The fee bought your information.
If the quote is higher than the rating “feels”, which wins?
The quote is the cost. The rating was the urgency. Use both for what they are.