Negotiating after survey

[Skyandseaholidays]

Hello! How would you go about negotiating price after survey? We did a full survey which flagged a few things but the most costly was the roof which we didn't expect work to be done on. The surveyor has said we should get it asap and will cost probably more than £30k. I would like to negotiate but do we do it just using the survey or do we ask for quotes as well, in which we will need to ask for access to the house?

You just start with the survey.

What exactly has the surveyor flagged up?
Because if they are just being over cautious, then the seller may just reject any argument. If it’s an actual here and now issue, then the seller will face this issue with any further prospective purchasers, so may as well negotiate with you.

The surveyor has said there is water ingress and the roof is really at the endof its life, with no insulation currently in place. He's said that it should get done over the next few months before the rainy weather comes in. We had a call afterwards and it didn't sound like he was being overcautious

Insulation is neither here nor there, a few hundred quid. Don’t even bother mentioning it.
Leaking roof is the main meal. Where is it leaking? Has it got through to the ceilings? Is it a complicated roof with valleys? How many chimneys?
If it’s end of life, the tiles/slates should be knackered and it will have already been repaired and patched before. The owner will know about this already. What does the guttering and facias look like?

You are right to be cautious, but like all negotiating you need to have a compelling argument and evidence to support this. Hopefully the survey has the issues clearly documented.

A roof can have a couple of £k spent on it and be good for another 10 years or longer.

Did he say the water ingress was bad? As if it's only a small leak surely a repair would suffice for a while. Also £30k for a new roof?! Seems very expensive unless it's a huge house!