Urgent advice needs for surveyor report

[Bloomberg]

We are going to buy a house and just got the surveyor report, it mentioned that the (asbestos contains) garage roof has reached condition that need replacement now. I wonder how “imminent” is this, there is not obvious leaking or cracking.
Also there is a mentioning of inadequate 15cm DPC (damp proof course) around the house , it’s recommended to “lower ground level”.
We are first time homebuyer and don’t know what does it mean, we asked the agent he said we don’t actually need to fix any of these and it seems unlikely they will reduce the price.
I wonder if we should go ahead because we really like the house. We are about to exchange soon, please advice, TIA.

The asbestos is an issue if the surveyor says it needs replacement as this can only be done by a specialist and can be expensive. Find out what that would cost and then it's up to if you want to proceed or not if the seller won't budge on price because at least you know what it will cost you.

If it has asbestos I would want to be getting a professional to check this out and quote for removal and get this reduced to reflect this. I've always been sceptical about the damp report that surveyors show as usually it is just a damp reading.

I personally would get at least the asbestos looked at and quoted on. The estate agent is obv saying this as they don't want the hassle to renegotiate or get their commission reduced.

The asbestos would be a concern for me. At least get a quote for removing it from a specialist company. The DPC is possibly less concerning as removing the earth from around the house would be more straight forward .
Remember the estate agent is not working for you; they want the best price for the house for their client. Given that the market is now less strong than it was I would want a reduction for the asbestos removal at least. If you have time I would have a good think about the situation. Don’t be bullied by the agent or the sellers.

Can you Contact the surveyor that did the report? Explain you are a FTB. Ask him to differentiate what he’s obliged to report on and what needs doing imminently. Did the report not break down categories of work for you? If Asbestos is in the imminent category, it needs doing. This will be the same for all buyers so regardless of what the agent says, every potential purchaser will want to negotiate this point. As a PP said, get a quote for removal and replacement. Ditto the damp proof course. Ignoring reports of damp can be expensive further down the line.

Agree with @Oddbutnotodd the damp might be caused by something simple like the surrounding earth too high up the wall, air bricks covered etc.

The ‘inadequate DPC 15cm’ is just saying the DPC is only 15cm above ground level.
It is not saying there is damp or any issue with the DPC. The ‘standard’ is 15cm, maybe he has mentioned this if the house is surrounded by concrete? In any case, this is nothing to worry about and the vendor won’t reduce the price on this point.
To resolve it, if you wanted to, is simple. Dig a narrow trench around the house and fill with large pebbles if required. 20cm deep by 15cm wide is enough.

As PPs mentioned, get a quote for the garage roof removal, just to know, though again if it’s not leaking, it doesn’t need replacing.

After you get a quote for the asbestos, snd if it does indeed require removal (and really what asbestos removing company will say it doesn't?) the most you will likely get, if anything, is half of the cost. After all you benefit from the removal, not the sellers.
The damp sounds like normal surveyor caution.

If the garage roof is not leaking, you can get a paint that will seal asbestos.

'Asbestos Roof Sealer and Primer is a brush or spray applied, translucent solution formulated to bind, seal and consolidate the surface of old, friable asbestos roof sheets, encapsulating harmful dust and fibres. It also improves the moisture resilience of the surface.'

Thanks all for your useful information! I will do the exchange next week.

Many houses have had drives/patios made a tad too high to be ideal. It doesn't sound any worse than that in this case. It's usually easy to remedy as per a post above.
We have bits that are fine, and bits that are up to brick too high- we had a slope put on the tarmac away from the house when we had the drains there relaid, and we'll deal with it all properly when we dig out and resurface the drive in another year or so's time.