KeptGuides
Buyer repair request letter template
A repair request that works names the finding, report section, remedy, and a sourced dollar figure on every line. Copy the template and fill in numbers.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
What goes in a repair request letter after a home inspection?
A repair request that gets a real answer names four things on every line: the finding in the inspector's own words, the report section it came from, the specific remedy you want, and a dollar figure with where that number comes from. Copy the blank template below, then see the worked example with real line items further down. If you haven't sorted your findings into what belongs on the list yet, start with what to ask for after a home inspection.
The repair request template
Copy this, fill the brackets, then hand the filled version to your agent. The wording below is not a legal form itself; it is the language that goes into or alongside the form your agent already uses (more on that below).
To: [Seller's name], c/o [Seller's agent name] From: [Buyer's name], c/o [Buyer's agent name] Property: [Property address] Date: [Date]
>
Following the home inspection completed on [inspection date], I am requesting the items below be addressed before closing. Each item lists the finding, where it appears in the report, what I am asking for, and the basis for the amount.
>
1. Finding: [finding, in the inspector's exact words]. Report: [section or page]. Ask: [repair / replace / credit] for [scope of the work]. Amount: $[amount] ([basis, for example: contractor quote dated [date], repair-cost memo, named cost guide]). 2. Finding: [finding]. Report: [section or page]. Ask: [remedy]. Amount: $[amount] ([basis]). 3. Finding: [finding]. Report: [section or page]. Ask: [remedy]. Amount: $[amount] ([basis]).
>
Total requested: $[sum of amounts].
>
[Buyer's name] [Buyer's agent name and contact]
Add or remove numbered lines as needed. Keep one finding per line so the seller's side can agree to some items and not others without renegotiating the whole request. If the report states a recommended fix, copy it. If not, ask to correct the condition to code and let the contractor's quote set the scope.
Worked example: three line items from a real sample memo
This example uses the fictional property and figures from Kept's public sample memo (214 Alderbrook Court, Franklin, TN 37064): not a real transaction. The three line items and dollar amounts are real output of Kept's pricing method: labor hours at trade wages anchored to BLS wage data for the buyer's metro, plus materials, plus the adders a contractor charges (trip, permit, equipment, disposal, markup), then local sales tax.
To: [Seller's name], c/o [Seller's agent name] From: [Buyer's name], c/o [Buyer's agent name] Property: 214 Alderbrook Court, Franklin, TN 37064 Date: [Date]
>
Following the home inspection completed on [inspection date], I am requesting the items below be addressed before closing.
>
1. Finding: Shingles on the rear roof slope are cracked and losing granules, with several lifted tabs. Report: Roofing section, rear roof slope. Ask: Replace approximately 140 square feet of cracked and lifted asphalt shingles, including new underlayment. Amount: $1,439 (repair-cost memo, itemized breakdown attached). 2. Finding: The water heater is 14 years old with active corrosion at the supply fittings, no drain pan or expansion tank, and a relief valve discharge pipe that stops short of the floor. Report: Plumbing section, utility room. Ask: Replace the 50-gallon gas water heater, adding an expansion tank, drain pan, and a code-compliant relief line. Amount: $2,375 (repair-cost memo, itemized breakdown attached). 3. Finding: Three downspouts discharge directly at the foundation. Report: Exterior section, front and left side. Ask: Extend the 3 downspouts to discharge at least 4 feet from the foundation, with splash blocks at each outlet. Amount: $293 (repair-cost memo, itemized breakdown attached).
>
Total requested: $4,107.
>
[Buyer's name] [Buyer's agent name and contact]
Prices checked 2026-09-19. These are Kept's modeled estimates from public wage and materials data, not quotes.
| Line item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rear roof slope shingle replacement, approx. 140 sq ft | $1,439 | Kept public sample memo, usekept.com |
| 50-gallon gas water heater replacement | $2,375 | Kept public sample memo, usekept.com |
| Downspout extensions (3) with splash blocks | $293 | Kept public sample memo, usekept.com |
| Total | $4,107 | Kept public sample memo, usekept.com |
Weak phrasing versus strong phrasing
Weak phrasing names the system and leaves the seller's side to guess the scope. Strong phrasing names the exact defect, the report section, and the exact remedy, so the seller's agent can bring one clear item to their client. No dollar amounts appear in this table because none of these phrasings are tied to a sourced number here; put the number on your own line item using the template above.
| Finding | Weak phrasing | Strong phrasing |
|---|---|---|
| Negative grading at the foundation | "Grading needs to be fixed." | "Regrade the soil along the left side foundation wall to slope away from the house, per the Exterior section; this finding is not formula-priced, so it needs a contractor's quote." |
| Double-pole GFCI outlet | "Electrical needs updating." | "Replace the double-pole GFCI outlet in the garage that failed the test button, per the Electrical section." |
| Furnace past expected service life | "HVAC is old and needs work." | "Have a licensed HVAC contractor inspect the 19-year-old furnace noted in the HVAC section and quote replacement; the report flags it as past typical service life." |
How do you ask for a credit instead of repairs?
Use the same finding, report section, and amount, but ask for a closing credit instead of the work itself. This is shorter because there is nothing for the seller's side to schedule or verify after the fact, only a number to agree to.
To: [Seller's name], c/o [Seller's agent name] From: [Buyer's name], c/o [Buyer's agent name] Property: [Property address] Date: [Date]
>
In place of repairs, I am requesting a closing credit for the items below, based on the findings in the inspection report completed on [inspection date].
>
1. Finding: [finding]. Report: [section or page]. Amount: $[amount] ([basis]). 2. Finding: [finding]. Report: [section or page]. Amount: $[amount] ([basis]).
>
Total credit requested: $[sum].
>
[Buyer's name] [Buyer's agent name and contact]
For how to decide between a credit, a repair, or a price reduction in the first place, see repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction.
What do you attach to the request?
- The specific pages or the named section of the inspection report for each finding on your list, so the seller's side can check the wording against the source.
- Any photo from the report that shows the finding, if the report includes one.
- A contractor's quote, dated, for any finding that is not formula-priced, such as foundation structural movement, a whole-house repipe, or regrading and drainage correction.
- The itemized breakdown behind any dollar figure you cite, so the amount is not a bare number.
Does this go on my state's repair request form?
This depends on your state and brokerage. Where a standardized form exists, it may be called a request for repairs or a buyer's inspection response, and your agent may send the request on that form instead of as a freestanding letter. California's "Property Inspection - Buyer's Request for Repairs" form, for example, gives the buyer blank lines to list defects, with no built-in structure for a report section, remedy, or cost breakdown (journal.firsttuesday.us). The wording above is built to be copied into those blank lines, or attached as a supporting page.
This page states no deadline for a seller's response and no rule about what a seller must do with the request. Your contract sets this. Ask your agent or attorney for the date and the rule in your state.
For the formal document itself, what a repair addendum or inspection resolution contains line by line, see repair addendum after a home inspection.
If your window is closing and you still need a dollar figure to put on one of these lines, get a repair-cost memo from your inspection report, usually under 4 hours, at usekept.com.
Sources
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.