Help Needed: How Much Should I Negotiate After Survey Findings?

[Gabaru]

Hi everyone,
I’m a first-time buyer, and our offer on a property (1930 Single owner) has been accepted. The conveyancing process is nearly complete, and we’re approaching the contract exchange stage. However, we recently had a Level 2 Survey carried out, which flagged several issues requiring urgent attention.
Key Issues Identified in the Survey

1. Chimney Stack
2. The mortar between the bricks (pointing) has eroded in places and requires repointing.
3. Roof and Outhouse Roof
4. The flat roof covering the rear bay is worn and nearing the end of its life. Replacement is recommended to prevent imminent leaking.
5. Tiles to the outhouse roof are damaged and need replacement, and mortar bedding on certain hip tiles needs repointing to prevent water ingress.
6. Windows
7. The property has single-glazed timber windows on either side of the front door, which could be replaced for better insulation.
8. The double glazing in the kitchen and outhouse side door has failed ("blown") and is misted over, requiring replacement.
9. Outhouse side Doors
10. The outhouse timber door is in poor condition and needs replacing.
11. Loft and Insulation
12. Loft insulation fibre has been laid between the ceiling joists to the floor of the loft, and is laid to the required, minimum thickness of 270mm in places, but not throughout the loft. This results in lower energy efficiency and therefore higher energy bills. We would recommend a thickness of insulation is increased to ensure that it meets the required thickness throughout the loft space. .
13. Woodwork
14. The door between the porch and hallway has glazing that does not meet modern safety standards and poses a hazard. Replacement is recommended.
15. Electricity
16. Switches, sockets, and fittings are dated, and modernisation, including rewiring, is likely necessary.
17. Gas/Oil
18. A gas-fired back boiler may be present in the chimney breast, and if so, it should be removed.
19. Certificates for the gas system and fittings were not provided, and an inspection is recommended.

Questions

1. How much of a reduction would be reasonable to ask for based on these findings?
2. Are there any specific issues (e.g., electricity rewiring or gas boiler removal) that might warrant higher negotiation?
3. Is it common to negotiate a price reduction this close to the exchange of contracts?

I’d love to hear your advice or experiences on how best to approach this negotiation. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

@Gabaru really you should have picked up on most of this when you viewed, I do understand it’s a lot to learn for a FTB but that’s not the vendors problem. I would also assume most people would be able to make an educated guess about whether a house needs rewiring from the state of the plugs/ switches / consumer unit so would factor this in as well. Same for heating/ boilers.

Gas and electric certificates are a reasonable thing to request, along with boiler service history. The rest sounds pretty much to be expected - if the roof isn’t actively leaking or about to fall off then it’s just upkeep and not something to discount. As a seller I’d be pretty annoyed to be on the verge of exchanging then have the buyer come back wanting to negotiate price on things they would’ve seen on viewing. It could slow things down massively. When I bought my current house the vendor wasn’t budging on anything from the survey - I treated it as a tick list and over 11 years got through most of it.

These were likely flagged as the surveyor will be unqualified to comment on them so they are covering themselves. This happens in most surveys for older houses. Get the gas and electric tests done and go from there. However, as I think someone else pointed out, you can get an indication of the electrics from the fuse box / consumer unit and sockets, which you should have checked during the viewing and adjusted your offer price accordingly. Similar with the boiler.

Welcome to home ownership I'm afraid. Make sure you have a constant float to deal with the next problem coming down the pipe 😭.

All sounds standard for a 1930s house. Some issues are to be expected and as others have already said all of the issues raised would have been obvious during viewing.

OP assuming you want this house I wouldn't consider renegotiating. If I was the seller I would be frustrated if my buyer quibbled on the basis of any of the issues raised.

However, if you aren't sure you want it, then I guess you've nothing to loose by trying.

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