How to Get Builder Quotes After a Survey, Before You Exchange

Almost every RICS survey has a version of the same line: get quotations from suitably qualified contractors before you exchange contracts. It's good advice. Your surveyor has told you what's wrong, and before you're legally committed you need to know what putting it right will cost.

The trouble is doing it. You don't own the house, the sale is moving, and builders are busy. I'm Ben, a builder who reviews RICS surveys for buyers. I don't quote for or do any of the work, so this is simply how I'd go about it if it were my purchase.

Not sure which jobs to ask builders to price? My £59 independent survey review puts realistic ranges against the findings and flags which items need a specialist or contractor's visit. You get a personal email from me and a call within 24 hours. It isn't a fixed quote, and it doesn't replace investigations your surveyor recommends. See the example.

Step 1: decide which items actually need a quote

Not everything in the report needs a contractor's visit. Go through it and pull out:

• Every Condition Rating 3, with its section number
• Every "further investigation" recommendation, whatever the rating
• Any Condition Rating 2 that could be expensive: a roof covering, a flat roof, windows, a boiler, an old fuse board

Leave out the small 2s, such as a dripping tap, a sticking door or a loose gutter bracket. They're maintenance, not negotiation, and asking trades to quote for them uses up the time you need for the big items. If you're unsure where to start, prioritise the survey findings first. For an example of how I set out the likely costs and next steps for a client, see what my survey review emails look like.

Step 2: match each item to the right trade

A general builder can price a lot of it, but some items need the specialist who would actually do the work, or a test before anyone can price anything:

• Roof coverings, flashings, chimneys: a roofer. Many will price slates and flashings from photos or a ladder look.
• Wiring: an electrician for an EICR (£180–£350). The EICR tells you what actually needs doing, which is often far less than a rewire.
• Boiler and gas: a Gas Safe engineer for a service and safety check.
• Drains: a CCTV drain survey (£200–£400). The report comes with the findings and usually a price for any repair. See drain survey findings and costs.
• Cracking or movement: a structural engineer first if your surveyor recommends one, then a builder to price what the engineer says. See what a structural engineer's report costs.
• Damp and timber: an independent damp surveyor rather than a free survey from a company that sells the treatment.

Step 3: get access through the agent

You need the seller's permission to bring anyone in, and it goes through the estate agent. Ask once, in writing, for a single visit and book everyone on the same morning if you can: the roofer at 9, the electrician at 10, the builder at 11. One visit is far easier for a seller to agree to than five.

Tell the agent exactly why: "Our survey recommends quotations for the items below before we exchange. We'd like to arrange one visit next week." Most sellers say yes, because the alternative is a buyer who stalls.

Step 4: ask for the right kind of quote

You don't need a full tender. You need a written figure you can rely on, with:

• The scope: what the price includes and what it doesn't
• Whether it's a quote or an estimate: ask whether the figure is a quotation for a defined scope or an estimate, and check the terms, exclusions and treatment of additional work
• VAT: included or on top
• Scaffolding and access, which can be a big part of any roof or chimney job
• The contractor's name, address and date

That piece of paper is what your negotiation rests on. A verbal "about two grand" from a builder on the drive won't stand up when the seller pushes back.

Step 5: when trades won't come out

This is where most buyers get stuck. Good trades are busy, and quoting for work on a house you might not buy is low on their list. Some won't come at all. If that happens:

• Ask for a price from photos and the survey extract. Roofers and drainage firms often will.
• Use the specialist reports. An EICR or drain survey identifies defects and can help define the repair scope. Ask whether the provider also supplies a separate price for remedial work; the inspection report is not automatically a repair quotation.
• Get a builder's costed review of the whole report. It won't replace a contractor's quote for the biggest item, but it tells you realistic ranges for everything, so you know which one or two items are worth chasing a site visit for. Can a builder quote without a site visit? explains what a report lets a builder price, and what it doesn't.

And tell your solicitor early if the quotes will take longer than the planned exchange date. A week's delay to get a roof priced is normal. Exchanging without knowing is how buyers end up with a £15,000 surprise.

Step 6: use the figures

Once you have the numbers, you have three choices, all open until exchange in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

• Go ahead if the costs fit your budget
• Renegotiate with a short list of the urgent items and their quotes. How much you can negotiate off after a survey covers the wording, and the survey renegotiation calculator gives you a fair figure.
• Walk away if something can't be priced in time or the numbers don't work. See should I pull out after a bad survey?

If the seller won't move, your five options when a seller refuses to reduce the price picks up from there.

In Scotland

The order is reversed. The seller provides the Home Report before you offer, so the time to get estimates is before your offer goes in, not before exchange. See what to do with a Category 3 in a Home Report.