Both parties need to agree on an allowance to be taken off the selling price. If you can't then you'll have to let the purchase fall through. Sad, I know, unless you want to fork out the extra cash.

Perhaps if you got a quote from an NHBC-registered builder that might help?

Hi everyoneI've been browsing the forum for ages and I've finally plucked up the courage to ask all you highly experienced folks out there for some advice!

We are in the process of moving house - all going fine, mortgage offer received but a special condition of the offer is that we get some specialist reports for the roof and the wall ties.

Wall ties, easy - they need replacing at a cost of about £900. We instructed a builder to look at the roof and he has recommended that the whole thing is replaced at a cost of £6000-£8000. When we told the vendor's agent, he didn't believe this report and has subsequently got another builder in who says it's simple repair job for a few hundred pounds.

Now we don't know who to believe - the agent probably doesn't want us to start asking for a price reduction and we don't want to be faced with a bill for a new roof a few months down the line.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks (in anticipation)