Request for Repair in California: Repairs, Credits or a Lower Price
A request for repair is the buyer’s written ask, made after inspections and before the investigation contingency is removed, for the seller to fix specific items, give a credit or lower the price. In transactions on California Association of REALTORS® forms, the buyer uses the Request for Repair (RR) form and the seller answers on the Seller Response and Buyer Reply to Request for Repair (RRRR). The seller doesn’t have to agree to any of it. The buyer’s leverage is the contingency, so the request and the answer must fit inside its deadline.
C.A.R.’s June 2026 list of standard forms shows both the RR and the RRRR at revision 2023-12. This guide covers how to build a request from inspection reports, how repairs, credits and price reductions compare, what lenders and termite reports add, and how the seller can respond. It describes the forms in general terms; your signed contract controls.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Your agent can walk you through the forms in your contract, and a California real estate attorney can advise if a repair dispute threatens the deal.
Where the request fits in your contract
The California purchase agreement gives the buyer a period, counted from acceptance, to investigate the property: general home inspection, roof, sewer lateral, pest, and any specialists. Our guide to the California Residential Purchase Agreement covers how those contingency periods are set. The number of days is whatever your contract says, since many offers shorten or lengthen the default.
Treat the investigation deadline as fixed unless both sides sign an extension. Sending a request doesn’t, by itself, guarantee more time, so check your form’s language with your agent. If the deadline passes with no removal and no agreement, the seller may serve a notice to perform. Our contract deadline calculator helps you map the dates.
Building the request from your inspection reports
A strong request is short, specific and tied to the reports. Sellers respond better to a clear list of material items than to a copy of the whole inspection with everything circled. Our post on why home inspections matter covers choosing inspectors.
- Sort the findings. Group them into health and safety, water intrusion, structural, major systems (roof, electrical, plumbing, heating, sewer) and cosmetic. Cosmetic items rarely belong in the request.
- Get real numbers. For large items, ask a contractor for a written bid during your inspection period. A bid turns “the roof is old” into a dollar figure.
- Write each item precisely. Cite the report page, describe the fix, and say who should do it: “repair the active leak at the water heater supply line, by a licensed plumber.”
- Ask for proof. Request invoices, paid receipts, permits where required and any warranties, delivered before your final verification of condition.
- Decide your walk-away point before you send it. Know which items would make you cancel if the seller says no.
Repairs, credits or a price reduction
Each option moves money differently, and the right one depends on your loan, your cash and how much you trust the seller’s contractor.
| Seller repairs | Credit at closing | Price reduction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who controls the work | Seller picks the contractor and the method | You, after closing | You, after closing |
| Timing | Must be done before closing | Applied at closing | Applied at closing |
| Effect on your loan | None, if completed and documented | Usually limited to closing costs and prepaids, and capped by loan program | Lowers the loan amount and down payment |
| Cash in your pocket at closing | None; the fix is the benefit | Reduces cash to close, up to your actual costs | Reduces down payment by your down payment percentage |
| Main risk | Quick or low-cost work | Lender may reject or reduce it | Appraisal and loan must be updated |
A hypothetical $10,000 concession on a purchase with 20% down: as a price cut, it lowers your down payment by $2,000 and your loan by $8,000. As a credit, it can cover up to $10,000 of closing costs if you have that much, leaving more of your own cash for the repair. Lenders treat credits as interested party contributions with limits that vary by loan type, which our guide to seller concessions in California lays out. Confirm with your lender before you agree to a credit, so it doesn’t get trimmed at closing.
A lower price can also lower the value the county generally starts from when it reassesses after your purchase, though on a modest concession the difference is small.
Who does the work, and how to check it
California’s contractor law exempts only small jobs. Under Business and Professions Code 7048, work is exempt from licensing only if the total contract price, labor and materials included, is under $1,000 and no building permit is required. The Contractors State License Board says that limit rose from $500 on January 1, 2025, and that the unlicensed worker can’t employ anyone on the job. The exemption doesn’t apply if the job is split into smaller contracts to stay under that line. Anything bigger calls for a licensed contractor, and you can check a license on the Contractors State License Board’s website before you accept the seller’s choice.
The C.A.R. purchase agreement has its own standards for how seller repairs are done and documented, so read that section with your agent. Then verify the work at the final walk-through, with receipts in hand.
Termite reports: Section 1 and Section 2 items
Business and Professions Code 8516 requires a licensed pest inspector to deliver the report within 10 business days of starting the inspection, to the person who ordered it and to the owner. When a separated report is requested, it must divide recommendations into infestations or infections that are evident and conditions likely to lead to them. The industry calls these Section 1 and Section 2.
Section 1 items are the ones buyers most often ask the seller to cover, and some lenders want them cleared before funding. Section 2 items are usually negotiated or left to the buyer. If the seller does the work, ask who pays for the inspector to come back and certify completion, since that is a separate charge. Our termite report guide explains the sections in detail.
Lender-required repairs
Some repairs aren’t negotiable because the lender requires them. An appraiser who sees a safety hazard, a missing system or significant damage can note it, and the lender may make completion a condition of the loan. Government-backed loans such as FHA and VA have their own minimum property standards, which can require items a conventional lender would ignore.
If the appraisal brings a repair condition, it usually lands after your investigation period. Talk to your agent about how your appraisal contingency and loan contingency handle it, and expect a re-inspection fee when the appraiser returns to confirm the work.
How the seller can respond, and your reply
On the RRRR, the seller answers each request, and the buyer then replies. In general terms the seller can:
- Agree to every item as written.
- Agree to some items and decline others.
- Offer a credit or price reduction instead of repairs.
- Propose different repairs or a different scope.
- Decline everything.
The buyer can then accept the response, reply with a counter, remove the contingency and go ahead on the seller’s terms, or cancel under the contingency in writing before it is removed. Nothing is binding until both sides have signed the same terms. Our post on negotiating counter offers covers the back and forth. If talks fail, read our guide to canceling a home purchase in California before you act, so your deposit is protected.
How repair requests interact with seller disclosures
Inspection findings can change the seller’s disclosure duties. Civil Code 1102.9 lets a seller amend a disclosure in writing, and section 1102.3 gives the buyer time to terminate when a disclosure or a material amendment arrives after the offer: three days after delivery in person, or five days after delivery by mail or electronically. So a seller who updates disclosures because of your inspection may reopen a short cancellation window.
A seller who learns of a material defect from your report generally can’t forget it if your deal falls apart; the next buyer will usually hear about it. That gives sellers a reason to resolve serious items with you. Our guide to California seller disclosures covers the duty from the seller’s side.
Questions people ask
Does the seller have to agree to a request for repair in California?
No. A request for repair is a negotiation, not a demand the seller must meet. The buyer’s protection is the investigation contingency: if you can’t agree, you may be able to cancel before removing it, under the terms of your contract.
Is it better to ask for a credit or for repairs?
A credit lets you choose the contractor and avoids rushed work, but loan programs cap seller contributions and usually limit them to closing costs. Repairs make sense for items the lender requires or when your cash is tight. A price cut lowers your loan and down payment.
Can I ask for repairs after I remove my contingencies?
You can ask, but the seller has little reason to agree, because you’ve given up your right to cancel over the property’s condition. Put all requests in before removal, and ask for a written extension if you need more time.
How long does the seller have to respond to a request for repair?
It depends on your contract and the deadline written into the request or response. Check the form and your contingency dates with your agent, since the investigation deadline usually keeps running while the seller decides.
Who pays for termite repairs in California?
It is negotiable. The purchase agreement lets the parties allocate the pest inspection and repair costs, and buyers commonly ask sellers to cover Section 1 items. Section 2 items are more often left to the buyer.
Can the seller do the repairs themselves?
Only small, permit-free jobs under the $1,000 minor work exemption avoid the contractor licensing law. For larger work, ask in your request that a licensed contractor do it, with permits where required and receipts delivered before closing.
Get help with your request
A request for repair is where buyer representation earns its keep: reading the reports, pricing the items and putting the request in terms a seller can say yes to. To talk through a purchase, contact us through our buyer services page, or browse the rest of our home buying guides. If you need an inspector or contractor, Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.
Sources & notes
- California Association of REALTORS®: List of standard forms (updated June 2026; RR and RRRR rev. 2023-12)
- California Public Law: Business and Professions Code section 8516 (pest inspection reports)
- California Public Law: Business and Professions Code section 7048 (minor work exemption)
- Contractors State License Board: Industry Bulletin 24-07, AB 2622 implementation (Dec. 31, 2024)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.9 (amended disclosures)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.3 (termination after late or amended disclosure)
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
