Your RICS Survey Flagged Problems But No Costs. Here's How to Price Them.

Your survey has landed, and now you have a list of things to worry about but no clear repair budget. The useful next step is to work out what each finding means for this house: what needs checking, what needs fixing, what it may cost and what can wait.

Want me to work through your actual report? My £59 independent survey review gives you a written explanation of the findings, realistic repair-cost ranges, priorities and the questions to ask next, followed by a call within 24 hours. I don't quote for the work or take referral fees. See what my review emails look like.

Upload your survey or paste its link in the booking form, add your details, then pay securely. If you haven't got the file handy, choose to send it after payment.

If you only want a rough starting budget, the free survey repair cost calculator can help. It uses standard assumptions; it doesn't read your report or decide which repair your house needs.

What my survey review emails look like

Every review I do is a personal email, written by me for that client's survey. There's no template, program or spreadsheet. The client sends me their full survey, I read it, take notes on each item the surveyor flagged, then write back with what each one is likely to cost to fix and what to do next.

"I've put this together as if you had asked me to quote for the needed works from the survey." That's how I start a lot of these emails. It's still independent advice, not a contractor's quote.

The excerpts below are anonymised and come from separate clients' emails, so they don't describe one property. The figures are blanked out to protect clients' privacy.

• A damaged ceiling. "Get any loose material made safe first. It has a textured coating, so find out whether there's asbestos in it before anyone disturbs it. Boarding over and skimming is a different job from taking a failed ceiling down, and I've priced them separately: ██████."
• Electrics without a recent test. "Get an EICR from a qualified electrician. An old-looking board on its own doesn't tell you whether the wiring needs replacing, so price any remedial work after the test rather than assuming a full rewire. For the test I'd allow ██████."
• Cracks already assessed by an engineer. "I'd work from the engineer's diagnosis and the repair they recommend, rather than assume every crack means failing foundations or lintels. For the repair they specified, including access, I'd allow ██████. Any extra stitching would be on top."
• An ageing heating system. "Keep the safety checks, any specialist removal work and the replacement separate, rather than hiding them in one vague 'new boiler' figure. For the replacement as described I'd allow ██████. Any asbestos testing or removal would be extra."

"All of that can be priced and fixed" was how I put it to one client. It wasn't a promise that nothing serious was wrong: some findings still needed an electrician, roofer or structural engineer to look at them. Knowing which question to ask next is part of the value.

Why the biggest number in the survey isn't always the repair budget

For one client, an existing engineer's letter changed how the cracking should be understood. The survey had included a provisional allowance for opening up and replacing lintels. Reading the engineer's findings alongside the survey supported a different repair approach.

The budget I gave for the necessary works on that house depended on the crack repair method and the gas and electrical checks (figures blanked out). An area the surveyor couldn't inspect was left out, and a contingency was still needed.

This is not a claimed saving or a confirmed final bill. It shows why checking the evidence matters before turning a provisional sum into a negotiation demand. A builder's review does not overrule an engineer or remove the need for an inspection.

Read more excerpts from my review emails, including the order I'd do things in and the questions I'd put to the seller.

What I cover for each finding

When I write back about each item, I cover:

• What the survey actually says, and any limits on what was inspected.
• The likely work, or the investigation needed before anyone can specify it.
• A realistic cost range, with what it includes and leaves out.
• When to deal with it, and who should do it.
• Whether it is a necessary repair, ordinary maintenance or an improvement you would choose yourself.

Don't add every worst-case figure together. Don't price alternative repairs as if you need both. And don't put a firm number against an unknown structural problem just to make the sums look complete.

If you are still sorting the report, start with what to do after your survey, in order. For a comparison of common defects, use survey red flags ranked by repair cost.

Using the review to discuss the price

A short, evidenced list of necessary repairs gives you a clearer starting point than forwarding a whole report with a worried note. Separate problems you hadn't reasonably understood when offering from improvements you already wanted to make.

The seller may agree, disagree, offer a different figure or ask for a contractor's quote. There is no reliable percentage of repair costs you can expect to recover, and a review cannot guarantee a reduction. It may help you proceed, negotiate, investigate further or decide the costs don't fit your budget.

For the practical next step, see getting contractor quotes before exchange and discussing the price after a survey. Ask your solicitor about your contractual position and deadlines; the buying process differs across the UK.

What I can and can't tell you remotely

I can read the survey, photos and any specialist reports together, explain the findings and give realistic cost ranges for the work described. I can also tell you where there isn't enough information to price it responsibly.

I can't see concealed defects, inspect the house remotely, provide structural certification or give a fixed contractor's quote. Where your surveyor recommends further investigation, get that answered by the appropriate specialist before relying on a repair budget.

Get your own survey costed

You don't have to learn how to price building work in the middle of buying a house. Book a £59 independent survey review: a personal email from me and a call within 24 hours, covering priorities, likely costs and what to ask next. See the example first if you'd like to know what comes back.

Upload your survey or paste its link, add your details, then pay. You can also choose to send the report after payment.