Down-valuation toolkit

Your six options

1. 1. Renegotiate the price

   The most common outcome. The valuation is independent evidence — sellers renegotiate far more often than buyers expect, because their next buyer's lender will likely say the same thing.

2. 2. Challenge the valuation

   Lenders accept appeals with strong comparable evidence — recent sold prices for genuinely similar properties. Success rates are modest, so build the best pack you can (below) and keep expectations realistic.

3. 3. Increase your deposit

   Cover the gap yourself if you have the funds and believe in the price. Ask honestly: do you know something the valuer doesn't?

4. 4. Switch lender

   Different lenders use different surveyors. A second application takes 2-4 weeks — weigh the delay against the gap.

5. 5. Split the difference

   Meet the seller halfway. Everyone loses a little; the deal survives. Often the pragmatic outcome.

6. 6. Walk away

   If the gap is large and the seller won't move, the market is telling you something. Losing survey fees hurts less than overpaying by five figures.