selling
Down valuation: your buyer's lender has valued your house below the agreed price, so what can you do?
A down valuation means the buyer's lender values your home below the agreed price. Your options, who carries the gap and how sold prices can help.
- 3 min read
- Last reviewed 4 November 2026
- By Your Property Check team
Key answer
Part 1 of 6
What a down valuation is
General information, not advice. When a buyer applies for a mortgage, the lender has the property valued. Citizens Advice says the lender may decide that the property is worth less than the amount the buyer has agreed to pay, and will then lend less than the buyer asked for. That is a down valuation. We read the pages named below on 4 November 2026.
The valuation is for the lender. Citizens Advice says it is not a survey, is done on behalf of the lender and is to make sure the lender could get the loan back if repayments stop. The RICS consumer guide agrees that a mortgage valuation is for the benefit of the lender, not the buyer or owner. It is a limited check, so it is not a statement of what your home is worth to every buyer.
Part 2 of 6
Your options
| Option | What you need | Who carries the gap |
|---|---|---|
| Accept a lower price | The buyer's request in writing and your agreement | The seller |
| Share the gap | A figure both sides can accept | Both |
| Buyer pays the difference | The buyer needs extra deposit or other funds | The buyer |
| Buyer tries another lender | A new application and valuation | Depends on the second valuation |
| Provide evidence for a review | Recent sold prices of similar homes nearby | Nobody, if the lender revises the figure |
| Hold your price and wait or relist | Your decision | The seller, in time and risk |
An accepted offer is not binding. GOV.UK says an offer is not legally binding in England and Wales until contracts are exchanged. That cuts both ways: the buyer can withdraw, and you can too.
Part 3 of 6
What Citizens Advice says the buyer can do
Its pages for buyers say a buyer may try to negotiate a lower price with the seller, and that if the seller will not drop the price, the buyer may have to borrow the difference elsewhere or find the extra money. It also says the buyer could check whether another lender would value the house higher. If a buyer borrows more than a certain share of the valuation, usually 75 to 80%, the lender may require extra insurance. Those points help a seller see what the buyer is weighing up.
Part 4 of 6
Using comparables
Evidence is the useful lever. A valuer will look at what similar homes have sold for, so recent sold prices for similar homes close by are the natural thing to show. HM Land Registry's Price Paid Data covers sales for value in England and Wales that were lodged for registration. It is updated monthly, on the 20th working day, and the page warns that the latest month is incomplete.
- List sold prices for homes of the same type, size and condition on nearby streets, from the last few months. Our sold prices tool shows registered sales for a postcode area.
- Note any difference that explains a gap, such as a newer kitchen or an extension.
- Give the evidence to your estate agent and ask them to pass it to the buyer, who can ask the lender whether it will take another look. We found no official source stating that a lender must review, so treat this as a request.
- If the lender has valued a different home type or condition than yours, say so.
Our house value check offers a data-led view of your own home. It is a guide, not a valuation, and the lender will not necessarily follow it.
Part 5 of 6
Choosing an outcome
- If you need a quick, certain sale, a modest price cut or split may keep the chain together.
- If you do not, you can hold, ask the buyer to try another lender, or relist. Compare that with the costs of holding the home.
- If the buyer is part of a chain, a change in price may alter other sales too.
Our guides to gazumping and gazundering and why property sales fall through cover the risk of the buyer reducing the offer after a survey or a valuation.
Part 6 of 6
What not to do
Do not agree a new price verbally and then forget to tell the conveyancers. Any price change should be put in writing and confirmed through your solicitor before contracts. This page is general information, not advice.
Our take
Answer a down valuation with sold prices
Our view: the useful lever is evidence, not argument. The lender's valuation is a limited check made for the lender, so recent sold prices of similar homes nearby are the natural thing to show, and we found no source saying a lender must review. Any new price should go in writing through your solicitor.
What Your Property Check adds: the sold prices tool lists real Land Registry sales for a postcode, and the house value check shows a range with the comparable sales and working. Both are guides, and a lender may not follow them.
Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
What is a down valuation?
Can you challenge a lender valuation?
Do the buyer and seller split the difference?
Can the buyer use a different lender?
How do comparables help?
Where this comes from
Sources
- Citizens Advice: Problems with buying and selling a home
- Citizens Advice: Buying a home
- RICS: House surveys, the costs, types and benefits
- GOV.UK: Offers and negotiations
- HM Land Registry: Price Paid Data
Last reviewed 4 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.