Buyer wants a price reduction after survey

[HouseDrama2026]

i ve named changed for this

We accepted an offer on our house earlier this year and took it off the market. The house had been listed for a while - it s a large family home in a more expensive price bracket, so not attracting tens of viewings.

They’ve now come back after their survey wanting a price reduction. I do understand surveys can throw up things, but I’m honestly frustrated because the property was priced with the age and condition in mind.

There are issues mentioned (roof, leaks, electric, and the survey feels quite heavy-handed in the context of what is, in reality, an older 1970s house.

We think they’re overreacting and trying it on. I m feel like we should walk away, but so much time invested already. If we relist, there is no guarantee that the same think wont happen again. Everything is taking forever and it s absolutely depressing. I feel so angry that it s also maybe clouding my judgement.

Surveyors always cover their backs and recommend, structural surveys, electrical surveys, roof inspections, etc, etc, the buyers may have actually been frightened by all of this or really know it's all just stuff you expect in an older house and knew that when they made their initial offer, either way do you want to wait another year or more or can you afford to take a bit of a hit to get the deal across the line? Think pragmatically, it's not personal.

If you have all the detailed surveys done that will cost quite a bit and they are sure to show some issues like old wiring (which is probably perfectly fine (not in any way dangerous) but not up to current building regs for new builds. Gutters probably do need some work, I doubt they would find any structural problems, but you never know. I wouldn't go that route, and once you know for sure about any problems you will have to declare them upfront to any new potential buyer.

I don't think you have said what the repairs are so how can anyone know if they are reasonable? Does it need a new roof or a few tiles or membrane, does it need a rewire or just a new panel board? That's a big difference and I would not take my sellers survey over my own.

My house is slightly older than yours but it is well maintained. It has had a new roof, it has been rewired, walls have been pointed with new cavity wall insulation over the years. Our buyers got no surprises with the survey.

10% is also subjective, how much are the repairs and how much is 10%? The difference between the cost of a new panel board and a rewire is significant.

Years ago when we bought ours it needed re-wiring of the whole house and a new roof. Yes the property was older but in our opinion wasn’t priced for about £10k worth of work that we were quoted. The electrics were considered unsafe. We negotiated and got about half of the cost off the works off the price.

If you knew these works needed doing your EA should have put in a line to the effect of priced according to the updating that is needed or you could have had the works done yourself prior to putting on the market and put it on for a higher price. It is fairly standard practice to renegotiate after the survey. You could try and meet the buyers in the middle if you don’t want to risk them waking away.

Ours showed roof repair and I didn't want to press the issue too much (as a buyer) now I feel stupid and wish I had pressed as the roof is leaking. So look at it also from the buyers perspective

Are they FTB? They tend to be jittery and less realistic. I had some FTBs last year who tried to mess me around when I was seeking bc a flat. I told theagent that unless we exchanged and completed on X date I would pull out of the sale and re/list with another agent in the spring.
Unsurprisingly they complied.

This will be the issue. If it has been valued at a lower figure, then you’re expecting someone to pay more than it’s worth.

I wouldn't get your own survey, buyers won't be able to rely on it and your own survey will probably contain the same nonsense as theirs. I'd get opinions from professionals who actually do the work e.g. if they say the roof is dodgy, get a roof company to quote you for any remedial works they think are actually required. Assuming you have time for that. But tbh you'll probably just waste energy on the process and in the context of a house purchase a small reduction is not worth loosing sleep over. Why not just push back with a counter offer? Make it conditional on exchange by X date / final enquiries to be submitted by X date or whatever.

Prices are falling OP. This may explain the lower valuation. Could it be better to accept the value is lower than the offer which was made months ago. you might want to take the money and run unless you can’t get the onward purchase.

Otherwise maybe get quotes for remedial works and offer those. A counter survey won’t help much and may come back showing different issues which you’d then have to disclose. Good luck!

Depends on what a “dodgy “ roof is doesn’t it? A few tiles missing or sagging beams? Roofing companies don’t know more than a qualified surveyor. I’d take the sale but try and negotiate upwards.

Sorry I didn’t realise in the estate agents advert they mentioned the house will possibly require a new roof and rewiring.

When we sold our previous house, the survey threw up a lot of possible issues. The buyer was pretty meticulous and asked to send a range of professionals to the house to assess and quote (asbestos checks, roofer etc.). It was a pain but allowed them to sort through the back covering and the real problems.

The only issue that was deemed a genuine problem was the roof, which was said to be in need of replacement ‘within the next 3 years’. The buyer initially wanted 15k off which we simply couldn’t afford and still make our onward purchase. We told him this and asked him to come back with his best offer or walk away. He said he’d accept 10k off. We still couldn’t really afford it, so we went cap in hand to the sellers of the house we were buying and asked for 5k off our purchase to keep the chain alive. We’d been no trouble up to that point and so they accepted but we felt bad about it.

It was hard to feel cross at the time, because we’d have done the exact same in his shoes with a new roof needed. We moved 4 years ago though and having regularly driven past, they still haven’t done the roof!

@dadtoateen I think earlier it was “renovation”. Nothing explicit. Are they ever?

It’s one of the great things about our system. Even before it was the law, we used to get a survey done before we sold a house.

@HouseDrama2026 Having a reds are not standard issues. You might think “heavy handed”, but surveyors have a code of conduct. They don’t add things to a report “to cover themselves” because actually a surveyor’s liability is very low. They have to be seriously neglectful in order to lose a case and even then, they have PI insurance to cover any loss. If a surveyor was to frequently flag up issues that weren’t really issues, they would go out of business. But people like to accuse them of being shit because their job is to give advice that nobody ever wants to hear.

If your electrics haven’t been updated since the 1970s, that’s a major safety issue. If your roof is leaking, that’s a major issue. You might be happy to live with that risk, but people aren’t buying houses for a few years, they are buying the largest single purchase in their lifetime, want to know it is value for money, and that they won’t have to shell out significantly in the next 30 years. You can stand your ground and wait for a new buyer, or get quotes for the work and negotiate. But ask yourself this, if you were buying your house at the price you were offered, would you be happy to do so with the survey you have?

I disagree with this. Roofing companies are well placed to advise. Of course, they have an interest in upselling, but they know a dodgy roof when they see one.

Just decline and put the house back on the market.

The house purchase system in England and Wales is a disgrace. Sorry you are suffering because of this.

Tbh OP seems to have these issues because, like surprising mumber of people, think that house leaks etc are just standard in older than new build houses.
They are not... I wouldn't be keepimg tp full price either.

Lots of people overestimate value of property that needs wowk. I saw it on local house market njmber of times. Houses for full refurb priced 20k under done up ones as if tradies charge like it's 1995....lots of them we saw ended up in auctions going same or few even for less than we offered. 🤷

As pp said, it's usually the biggest purchase of life. People wouldn't accept these things when buying a car for fraction of house price, so why should they accept it when spending hundreds of thousands.

Just to add that system needs to change, but subject to survey is reasonable

Everyone ends up shelling out though with houses and it is usually reflected in the selling price, even new builds can be problematic

Cavity wall insulation may be a big no no for buyers, it has been a bad idea so often, costing huge amounts to rectify.

And surveyors will still suggest all sorts of potential problems, gutters, damp, structural problems and problems with cavity insulation will be high on the list and how long ago was the roof and wiring done? Wiring regs get updated really often.

There may not be any repairs necessary at this moment, it's just an older house that may need repairs in the future, the op doesn't have a list of things that need doing.

we have decided to not move on the agreed price, and will relist if they do not come up. Their offer is above valuation but still a long way from agreed price.

i have not idea how much the repairs would cost, or whether our list price was so wrong - our estate agent was confident, but as others said, it was pre-hormuz...

You need to be more specific on the ‘roof, leaks, electrics’, OP. As multiple people have said – it makes a big difference and it’s difficult to give advice without knowing.

What is the issue with the roof?
Where are the leaks?
What is the issue with the electrics?

I think you are insane to be relisting. Its a tough market out there. You will have the same issue all over

Buyers must be in very good supply in the OP’s area. Rare at the moment. The next buyer will also see the issues. As op won’t say what they are, we are just guessing but I always say - bird in the hand……. The op doesn’t really want to move enough to do the work or negotiate.