What price reduction is reasonable??

[foursquares]

Property originally listed last year (2025) for £520k. Reduced to £475k, didn't sell. On market for 6 months.

Reslisted this year for £450k. One offer in first week, no other offers apart from mine (accepted £435k in 4th month).

I've had a building survey done and needs a new roof (costs £20k approx).

Seller initially did not budge on price, so I withdrew 4 weeks ago, & she relisted. Yesterday, she came back and offered "£3-4k reduction"

I'm thinking minimum 50% of cost. Is this reasonable and how would you negotiate this?

To add I didn't know about roof when I made offer, and just found out if another buyer (not me) triggers a physical bank survey, the lender will likely deem the property unmortgageable or place a massive financial retention on it until it is fixed..this doesn't impact me, as I'm cash buyer.

That’s strange @foursquares . I’ve never heard of an old roof making a house unmortgageable. I’d want to know more about that. Has it got spray foam insulation?
what’s the actual problem with it. i’d ask some questions in writing to see what you hear back.
you’re in a strong position. She basically needs a cash buyer which is hard to come by which is why they came back to you.

How does it compare price wise with other similar nearby houses? It sounds like you've already had the majority of the cost of a new roof factored in when she accepted £15k less than her asking price. You could negotiate her latest £4k reduction up to £5k with the jutisfication that would fully cover the cost of the roof?

Unless the roof makes the house uninhabitable, I can't see it being unmortgageable or causing major issues. The house I'm living in now needed a new roof after we moved in and the house I'm moving to needs half the house reroofing. No issues getting a mortgage either time. I expect roof repairs are one of the most common issues with buying a not new house.

Also I personally don’t think the history of price reductions is relevant. A house is worth what people are prepared to offer today. Not what they offered in spring or what she was asking for last year.

Surveys routinely say the roof needs replacing.
It's unlikely a lender would care - did the surveyor say it would be unmortgageable or is that your surmise?

What matters is what the house is worth to you, bearing in mind the work needed. Offer them that as your final offer. None of these calculations or previous asking prices are 'real' It just boils down to what someone is willing to accept or pay.

Can you copy and paste what the survey says about he roof OP.

I didn't know about it either. Apparently most banks just do a desktop survey and roof issue won't be picked up, but if they do send a surveyor round to undertake physical inspection, the failing roof may be picked up a structural issue, and they may refuse to lend (unlikely) or withhold some of the money (more likely).

The clay tile roof is about 100 years old.
*
The main roof is clad with clay tiles.

• The mortar beddings to the ridge and verge tiles are weathered and some voids were observed along the ridges.

• The front-facing valley blocked with mortar

• Several damaged and broken tiles.

• Number of damaged tiles and hip mortar voids

• The flashing and trims are loose and missing in places

• Visible daylight seen to all accessible slopes.
• Disintegrated torching observed on the boards and purlins

If I was the seller I would not be getting any benefit from the new roof so I would not be keen to subsidise it. If I lived in the property I might pay a little, if it was an inheritance I might knock the full price off depends on circumstances

If it's an original clay tile roof, you'd be better off asking a decent roofer if the damage can be repaired rather than jumping to fully replacing the roof. From what the survey has said, the seller's reduction sounds reasonable. That's a very bog standard surveyor's assessment which is basically saying the roof is old will need some attention in the coming years.

If there was something seriously wrong with the roof which would cause structural issues, then the surveyor would advise you to get a structural engineer's survey prior to buying.

That's very standard for a roof that age, and shouldn't need 20k to fix by a decent roofer. I think their reduction sounds fine, and I'm fairly sure you could get it fixed for that much.

I would not be replacing a clay tile roof unless the beams are rotting.

You don’t need a new roof. Unless anything untoward with the timber structure and insulation, this is at worst new felt, replace tiles (possibly a few new ones), repair.
Matching the tiles perhaps £2-5 per tile as opposed to around £1 for something new and modern.
Your biggest cost is scaffolding not the repairs.
Depending on the size I’d say worst case is £10k, more likely £6k, could be less.

Didn't want to get into this, but had a quote from a reputable roofing company with all options clearly laid out. He comfirmed patch repair isn't recommended.

I bought a house with big holes in roof and I got a mortgage but they retained 30k until I had fixed it and could demonstrate the property was dry.

Appreciate surveyors always take cautious approach, but roofing contractor provided detailed breakdown including "higher moisture readings inside accessible timbers".

There is no 'reasonable' or 'unreasonable' reduction there is just what you are prepared to pay and what the seller is prepared to sell for.

If you knew the seller wasn't going to go lower would you buy at this price? Ie. is this an exercise in minimising the cost of the property (which is perfectly reasonable) or do you genuinely not consider it a viable purchase for you at this price?

I already withdrew a few weeks ago, as I wasn't prepared to pay £435k. I wanted minimum 50% of roofing costs.

She renengaged yesterday, so wondering how to take forward. Maybe you're right, just figure out my max buy price..thats probably easier as I had already walked away previously.

Neither of us are suggesting a patch repair.

You can strip back repair and use a lot of existing materials.

If you replace more than 25% you need building control involved.

the price of the property is the price. Accept the vendors generous offer and buy it or move on and find something else.

If you already have breakdown of the costs, then use that to go back to the buyer to renegotiate. It sounds like you've potentially already done that before you pulled out? It comes down to how much you want to buy the house really. It may be the seller can't afford to reduce any further. All older houses will need money spending on them, unless you're buying one which has just been fully renovated.

If you like the house and are planning on spending many years there, spending £16k on a new roof seems fairly minor in the grand scheme of things (it's less than 4% of the value of the house). If it stops being a viable purchase for you, then you may need to look at less expensive houses, as most places will need a similar amount of money spending on the bones of the house in the early years of living there.

I wouldn't replace the roof in that scenario @foursquares. Imo it sounds like repairing the necessary areas would be all that's required and the roofer that quoted is possibly over egging the condition. If you love the house I'd probably counter offer a reduction of 5k.

Regarding whether the roof condition would render the house unmortgageable or not, in 2017 we were selling a large, detached 165 year old house. Our buyers - who were only borrowing a small percentage of the purchase price until their house was sold - had a valuation of £0 after a physical bank survey suggested there was a small 'bulge' in the front wall.

A structural engineer report was requested. Our buyers, who loved the unique property and were determined to buy regardless, deemed the whole thing nonsense.

The structural engineer's findings, plus some lucky historic photographic evidence, proved that the bulge had been there since a few years after the house was built. The sale went ahead with a small retention due to another issue (a retaining garden boundary wall with huge fig tree undermining the foundations).

Yes, already provided seller with all details before pulling out. She was unwilling to budge. I'm asking this question as she's the one that initiated renegagement.

I already withdrew a few weeks ago, as I wasn't prepared to pay £435k. I wanted minimum 50% of roofing costs.

If this is still your position then stand firm. Either they will agree to it or not but you are not happy to buy at that price then all you can do is say that.

Unless you are dead set on the house then l probably wouldn't get into this and would be exploring other options. At the end of the day then you are in a strong position and it is a bad housing market in many areas right now. The seller sounds a bit hard work and don't sound super realistic to me. The fact you can see daylight through the roof isn't a great sign its safe to say. It also isn't just the cost of the work, then there is the hassle factor as well

Thanks for your input. I would counter that "generous" is a subjective term. She has re-engaged with me, not out of goodwill, but rather because she can't sell property at desired price after relisting.