After the survey
A question flow: renegotiate, wait, or walk away?
This flow asks whether the report flags urgent repair or investigation, whether you can get a quote before you are committed, and whether you would buy without that answer. It replies in sentences. It is not a score, not a percentage off the price, and not advice to withdraw.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless a source says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
Three questions, no score
Answers stay on this page. They are not a lead and not advice.
Answer all three. There is no running total.
Why does this flow refuse to score the survey?
A score would pretend that five rating 2s and one rating 3 are a sum. RICS does not add them. A percentage off the price would be a number we do not have. The sentences point you at a quote, a specialist, your solicitor, or a decision you were already free to make.
What can the questions not know?
They cannot know the house, the contract, or the seller. If you answer ‘I do not know whether I am committed’, the only honest result is to ask your solicitor. The flow will not guess from the type of sale you think you are in.
What should you do with the paragraph it gives you?
If it says get a quote, instruct the quote and keep the survey sentence next to it. If it says the items are maintenance, do not dress them up as a rating 3. If it says speak to your solicitor, do that before you tell the agent you are withdrawing. Then read the longer guides, which carry the sources.
Common questions
Will the flow tell you how much to ask off?
No. A discount without a quote is a made-up number. The renegotiation guide says the same thing at more length. Come back when you have a quotation, and even then the seller does not have to accept it.
Can the result tell you that you must withdraw?
No. Leaving a purchase is your decision, and only if you are still free to leave. The flow’s strongest sentence is that RICS wants quotations before commitment, or that you should ask your solicitor whether commitment has already happened.
You only have rating 2s. Does the flow still run?
Yes. It should steer you away from treating ordinary repairs as urgent. A long list can still be a lot of money. Add it up from quotes if you want a total. The colours will not add it up for you.
The thing you care about is NI, not a 3.
Answer the investigation questions as if the unseen part is the issue. NI is a gap. If you would not buy while it stays a gap, and you cannot get it opened, that is the walking-away guide, not a hidden rating.
The seller has already offered a reduction. Do you still use this?
You can. An offer is not a diagnosis. If you do not yet know the work, a reduction might be generous or nowhere near. The flow will not compare the offer with a price it does not have.
Does the flow work for a new-build snag list?
Only for the condition points. Cosmetic snags are the new-build guide and the warranty, not a rating 3 by default. A structural worry is the same ‘get advice before commitment’ idea, if you are not yet committed.
Are your answers saved?
No. They stay in the browser while the page is open. We do not want a record of your decision, and we do not use it as a lead. The quote buttons elsewhere on the site are a different, separate form.
How is this different from the renegotiation guide?
The guide is the sourced article, including a real step-by-step. This page is the same ideas as questions, so you can see which branch you are on. If they ever seem to disagree, the guide and the RICS wording win.
Sources
Key facts
- No score
- The flow does not add ratings, and it does not produce a percentage.
- Rating 3
- RICS: obtain written quotations before legal commitment. That is a pause for a price of the work, not an order to leave.
- Commitment
- Whether you can still withdraw is a question for your solicitor. Auctions, exchange and reservation agreements are not the same moment.