Renegotiating or walking away
What should you put in writing if you want a price change after a survey?
The defect in the surveyor’s words, the quote or investigation you rely on, the change you want, and the date you need a reply. Leave out adjectives. A price change is a contract change. Your solicitor should send it or approve it. The surveyor does not negotiate for you.
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?
Attach the page of the report and the contractor’s figure, if you have one. Ask for a price reduction, or for the seller to do specified work, not both in a muddle. RICS’s “What to do now” note is about understanding serious defects before commitment. It is not a formula that turns a rating 3 into a percentage of the price. Anyone who gives you that percentage is inventing it.
Keep the tone factual. The seller can say no. You can then proceed, revise the ask, or withdraw if you are not yet bound. Ask the solicitor which of those is open. Do not threaten. A clear letter is not a dark pattern. It is how the other side sees the same pages you saw.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which sentences should I quote, and which would overstate your finding?
- Is this a repair with a quote, or still an investigation?
- What should I not claim you said about value? You may not have valued the house at all.
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor to send the request.
- Attach the evidence. Do not attach a forum printout.
- Agree a reply date that fits the contract timetable.
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
Should you ask for the full quote off the price?
You can ask. The seller may offer part, or the work, or nothing. A quote is not an entitlement. New work also has a betterment argument the seller may make. Listen to it.
Can you renegotiate rating 2s?
You can try. They are real repairs and they are not urgent by definition. A seller may treat them as the ordinary condition you viewed. Be ready for that answer.