Renegotiating or walking away
The seller says the roofer has been and the rating 3 is finished. What should you ask to see before you treat that element as closed?
Ask to see, in writing, what was done, which part of the roof was touched, and any invoice or description the roofer left. A sentence from the seller that the rating 3 is finished is not a new inspection and not a new rating. The survey recorded what was seen on the day. What to do now advises you and does not bill the seller. Do not close the element until the solicitor has those papers.
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?
Repairs and ratings are easy to collapse into one story. Rating 3 meant the element was serious and/or urgent, and that you should obtain written quotations before legal commitment. If the seller has already had a roofer attend, you are entitled to ask what that roofer was asked to do and what they say they did. You are not entitled to pretend the surveyor has returned and awarded a rating 1. Rating 1 would mean no repair is currently needed, beyond normal maintenance, and nobody in this scene has re-inspected on that basis.
Show the solicitor the roofer's note beside the original paragraph. If the note covers a different slope, or only a temporary cover, the element is not closed. What to do now is advice to the buyer. It does not invoice the seller for a second visit, and it does not require the original surveyor to come back unless someone instructs that further visit. If you need the condition checked again, that is a new request, not a free extra hidden in the first report. Until then, keep the rating open in your own notes.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which part of the roof did the rating 3 describe?
- What paper would show that this is the part the roofer treated?
- Are you being asked to treat a verbal finished as a rating 1?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask for the roofer's description or invoice before you close the item.
- Compare that paper with the survey paragraph.
- Tell the solicitor if the work described is not the element that was rated.
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 the seller's say-so delete a rating?
No. The rating stays unless a proper later inspection replaces it. A conversation does not do that.
Must the original surveyor return for free?
No. A further visit is a further instruction. What to do now does not invoice the seller for one.