Renegotiating or walking away
Does a condition rating 3 mean RICS has told you to walk away?
No. It means the element is serious or urgent, or both, and that you should get written quotations before you are legally committed. You may still buy, if you understand the cost and want the home. You may walk away if you are not yet bound and you do not want it. The surveyor does not decide. The lender does not decide for you either, though the lender can refuse the mortgage.
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?
The “what to do now” note is advice to the reader of the report. It is not a notice to the seller and not a term of your contract. In Scotland, mygov says you can walk away without penalty at the Home Report stage if you do not want the home after reading urgent or future-attention repairs. That is a different sentence. Do not use it in England, and do not use the English rating as if it were that page.
If you walk away, you lose the survey fee and any other costs you agreed. That is not a penalty invented by RICS. It is money you have spent. There is no refund scheme in the condition rating. Tell your solicitor before you tell the agent, so you do not withdraw from a contract you have already made.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are you advising me to withdraw? Please state that you are not.
- Which items need quotes so I can decide?
- What remains not inspected if I walk or if I stay?
What are the typical next steps?
- Decide with the quotes and the solicitor, not with the digit alone.
- If you stay, know what you are taking on.
- If you go, stop negotiating. Do not keep the seller hanging.
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 several rating 2s add up to a reason to leave?
They can, for you, if the total work is more than you want. The definitions do not add them into a rating 3.
Does the agent have to release you?
The contract does. Before exchange in England you are often free. Confirm it. Do not take the agent’s word against the solicitor’s.