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?

Agreed, also the price is clearly not the price given it's already changed multiple times!

So the seller resisted a month ago and has now come back to you to try and negotiate. That means only one of two things - she is not getting any interest in the house or she has only had offers lower than yours.
So its black and white to me - you need to stick to full cost of new roof being taken off your previous 435k offer. She would not be coming back to you if anyone else could do better and has realised the market is likley to tank next year. Hold firm. Looks likely you can get it at what you want to pay.

walk away then. It really doesn't sound like the right property for you.

It's clearly older and going to need ongoing work, which you don't seem comfortable with.

I had our house surveyed and the roof was obviously failing - there was a huge bulge in the top bedroom ceiling. It was no problem with the mortgage and we didn’t reduce our offer as it was obvious that it would need repair.
Usually if something that big (and I’d want a specific roof report on it) the half is the MAX you would expect the seller to reduce. After all YOU are getting the benefit of the new roof. Or they could come back and say they’d get it repaired before exchange. And ultimately as PP says, how much do you want the house? The house is old. There’s going to be something wrong with it.

@foursquares ”Disintegrated torching observed on the boards and purlins”

What does that mean?

What has the roofer recommended? I’m presuming strip the tiles and battens, fit a membrane, new battens, existing tiles.
What about facias, soffits and guttering? May as well get it all done in one.

With older properties they didn't use a breathable membrane as second layer of defence against water coming in, they used torching (mix of lime mortar and animal hair). Over time this disintegrates, so all you have tile protecting you from water coming in. Once tiles start to slip, you will effectively have water coming in. Already happening in few places.

Yes guttering needs doing too, I I knew that when I made offer.

That's what I'm thinking, she hasn't had any further offers. She's already been on market nearly 6 months, after not being able to sell in 2025. Additionally, the mortgage market will also get tougher next year.

Would you just say "happy for you to get your own quotes, but I expect majority to come of asking price"?

Let's us simpler example. I'm selling car for £10k. After AA inspection, engine has oil leak (£1k to repair)..so I can say to buyer "I'm only taking off £500, as you'll gonna be the one driving it!"

Yeah because he’d sooner do a new one

Unlikely, as he clearly understood this wasn't my house and simply a paid roof inspection.

So with that torching now shot, you’ll be patching forever more, may as well do it properly.
50% of the cost seems a reasonable, especially as that cost will creep up. You will obviously benefit from the security of the new roof, and the salability in the future.
What’s the market like? If you are still interested it doesn’t sound like there’s that many alternatives out there.

I think it’s a question of how much you want it. you’re a pretty good option and presumably can move quickly so if I was her I’d bite your hand off in this market. But I guess she may not be able to come down further.

how do you feel about paying half? Does that feel like too much?

I imagine there'll be a number of new properties coming onto market in new year. Won't overpay or buy wrong property..

It's a tough one, but I'll probably be ok(ish) splitting costs, but it does kind of feel like "the thing you're selling is broken, why am I paying to fix it?!"

You don't sound as if you love the house and you're bothered about repairs, so probably best to withdraw.

if you’re not over the moon excited just say your offer stands (ie the reduced offer where you take the cost of the roof into account). She may come back to you next year when she’s still not found anyone

FWIW I think splitting the cost seems reasonable if it wasn’t immediately obvious to a buyer that it needed doing but also taking into account that surveys can be uber cautious.

At the end of the day they’ll accept your offer if they do’t have a better one and they don’t want to risk waiting. Based on what you’ve said about your appetite for the house, I’d sit tight.

Are we talking "needs a new roof" as in roof's so dodgy that no mortgage lender in their right mind would give someone a mortgage? Or are we talking "will need a new roof in the next few years"? I mean I would be expecting to negotiate them paying 50% if it's something they SHOULD have done, but nothing if it's just long term repairs.

They should have changed roof in last 5 years, the accessible timbers have elevated moisture readings. I understand why they haven't, as it's costly and disruptive.

Daylight through the slopes and the torching gone, that's not a patch job, your roofer's right. So you're arguing about a real number, which is a better place to be than most people negotiating after a survey.

There's no 50% rule, people just say it. What actually matters is whether anyone else can buy this house with that roof. If a lender's surveyor sees it they'll likely stick a retention on the mortgage, so most of her other buyers are going to hit the same wall. That's why she came back to you.

I'd put it to the agent in writing, short and calm. The bit of the survey about the roof, the roofer's quote with the options, and one line saying what you'll pay. Then say nothing. Her £3-4k is an opening bid, not a final answer.

Should say I run a buying agency, homebuyer.agency, so this is my day job. If you want to ping me the survey bit and the quote I'll tell you what I'd send the agent and where I'd stop. No charge, I'm not after anything. If it helps, just tell other buyers this sort of help exists, that's genuinely all I want out of it.

Daylight through the slopes and the torching gone, that's not a patch job, your roofer's right. So you're arguing about a real number, which is a better place to be than most people negotiating after a survey.

There's no 50% rule, people just say it. What actually matters is whether anyone else can buy this house with that roof. If a lender's surveyor sees it they'll likely stick a retention on the mortgage, so most of her other buyers are going to hit the same wall. That's why she came back to you.

I'd put it to the agent in writing, short and calm. The bit of the survey about the roof, the roofer's quote with the options, and one line saying what you'll pay. Then say nothing. Her £3-4k is an opening bid, not a final answer.

Should say I run a buying agency, homebuyer.agency, so this is my day job. If you want to ping me the survey bit and the quote I'll tell you what I'd send the agent and where I'd stop. No charge, I'm not after anything. If it helps, just tell other buyers this sort of help exists, that's genuinely all I want out of it.

If the roofer used a moisture monitor they will nearly always show "damp" or similar and they are nearly always wrong.

A roofer of course is going to say you need a new roof instead of some new mortar and a few new tiles.

Working with an existing roof is always better than having a new one.

So I think the offer of the vendor is a good one and I would accept.

True, our buyers surveyor said same and we had only had it checked and "repaired" 2 years before by very reputable company and work was under guarantee. He also said there were no airbricks. Dozy bugger must have needed glasses as there were 2 at front and 2 at back. Also an "invasive plant" in front, it was a clematis!!!🙄