A survey report can read like a list of disasters: ratings, warnings and “further investigation” on every other page. Most of it is routine. The job is to turn it into a short list of real costs, with evidence, that the other side can check rather than argue with.
Can you renegotiate after a survey?
Yes, in England and Wales, right up to exchange. GOV.UK explains that an offer made “subject to contract” means the price can still be negotiated, for example if a survey finds a problem. The government’s How to sell a home guide tells sellers to expect it: if the buyer’s survey uncovers significant issues, the buyer might ask the seller to pay to have them fixed, renegotiate their offer to reflect the cost of the work, or withdraw altogether.
Reading the report
RICS describes three levels of home survey. A Level 1 survey (formerly the Condition Report) describes condition, risks and potential legal issues and highlights urgent defects, generally without advice on repairs. Level 2 (formerly the HomeBuyer Report) adds advice on defects and the repairs or maintenance needed. Level 3 (formerly the Building Survey) is for large, older, run-down or altered homes, with in-depth analysis.
RICS template reports use a traffic-light condition rating; read the key at the front of your own report, because firms can use their own method. Where the report recommends further investigation, the surveyor couldn’t fully assess that part, and should say when it should be done and by whom. A price based on a guess invites a guess back, so get that investigation done first, by the specialist the report names.
What RICS says to do
RICS’s advice to buyers is specific. If the survey shows repairs are needed, “get quotes from at least two experienced contractors before you make a legal commitment”, get them in writing, check whether Building Regulations approval or planning permission is needed, and “then approach the seller to negotiate the purchase price” (RICS consumer guide).
Building a figure both sides can check
- Leave out what was already known. Anything visible at the viewing, stated in the listing, or disclosed on the seller’s TA6 Property Information Form was arguably reflected in the offer.
- Quote the same job twice. At least two written quotes per item, for the same written scope of work, so they can be compared.
- Take off betterment. If a repair leaves you with something newer than you paid for, such as a new roof on an old one, claiming the full cost overstates your loss.
- Don’t count the same work twice. A rewire quote often includes a new consumer unit, so check each quote’s scope.
- Offer an alternative. The seller could do the work before exchange and pass on the invoices and guarantees, or your conveyancer may suggest holding back part of the price until it is done. Ask them.
Published cost ranges
Ranges don’t replace quotes, but they are a useful sense-check: a quote far above the range needs an explanation, and one far below may be missing work. Some examples from Which? Trusted Traders’ price surveys (prices gathered November 2025, labour and materials, excluding VAT, likely to be at the upper end in London and the South East):
| Work | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical installation condition report | £100 to £330 | Which?, electricians |
| Full rewire, 3-bed semi | £4,000 to £18,000 | Which?, electricians |
| Replace 1 to 6 roof tiles | £75 to £400 | Which?, roofers |
| New tiled roof, average 3-bed house | £7,000 to £21,000 | Which?, roofers |
| Replace a hot-water tank (labour only) | £350 to £1,000 | Which?, plumbers |
For damp, boilers, cracks or movement, drains and Japanese knotweed there is no free published range we could verify. Costs depend on the cause, so get the investigation done by the right specialist first (an independent damp and timber surveyor rather than only a firm selling treatment; a Gas Safe registered engineer; a chartered structural engineer), then two written quotes.
How much should you reduce your offer after a survey?
There is no percentage rule. A defensible reduction is the evidence-based cost of the items that weren’t already priced in, after betterment and without double counting, and it is easier for a seller to agree a figure they can see the workings for than to split an unexplained one. Name the figure, show the sum, and say when you could exchange if it is agreed. “About £10,000 off” invites “no”.
If you’re the seller
Use the same method on the buyer’s request. Ask for the relevant report pages and the quotes, get your own quote for the largest item, and answer item by item: agree what is evidenced, question what was already known or double counted, and offer the alternative of doing the work before exchange. Then decide whether the figure left is cheaper than starting again with a new buyer, who may commission a survey that finds the same things.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Buying a home, “Making an offer”
- MHCLG: How to sell a home (guidance, last updated September 2019)
- RICS: House surveys consumer guide
- RICS: Home survey standard
- Which? Trusted Traders: How much do electricians cost?
- Which? Trusted Traders: How much do roofers cost?
- Which? Trusted Traders: How much do plumbers cost?
- GOV.UK: Selling a home, “Offers and negotiations”