When a California seller refuses to repair anything
The request went over and the answer was no — or there was no answer at all. Here is where that leaves a California buyer, and what the seller still owes no matter how firmly they decline.
The real leverage is the contingency, not the request
The buyer’s power in a repair conversation is not the request form. It is the investigation contingency sitting behind it, which by default runs 17 days from acceptance and lets the buyer end the deal on the basis of what the inspections found, deposit intact.
That is why timing decides these conversations. A buyer negotiating repairs on day 12 is negotiating with a live route out. A buyer negotiating on day 19, having already signed the removal, is asking a favor. The facts about the roof are identical in both cases; the positions are not.
Where the conversation usually lands
Most deals that survive a flat refusal do so by changing what is being asked for. Money is easier for a seller to agree to than work, because it ends their involvement: a credit at closing has no contractor, no scheduling and no callback. Reducing the number of items to the two that actually matter frequently succeeds where a list of fourteen failed.
The other resolution is that the buyer accepts the property as it is, having learned something real about it. That is a legitimate outcome, and it is a better one than a buyer who removes contingencies while privately expecting the seller to relent.
What happens if the buyer stops there
If the buyer decides not to proceed and the investigation contingency is still in place, the route out runs through the contract rather than through simply going quiet. A buyer who stops responding without acting on a contingency can find themselves receiving a notice to perform, which starts a short clock of its own.
Forms this touches
Named so you know which document the conversation ends in. Their text is not reproduced here.
- RR — Request for Repair
- RRRR — Seller Response and Buyer Reply
Questions that come up
Can a California seller ignore a repair request completely?
Yes. The purchase agreement does not require a response. Silence is a permitted answer, though it is rarely a good negotiating one.
What repairs must a California seller make regardless?
Damage that occurs between acceptance and closing, since the property is sold in the condition it was in at acceptance, and anything state or local law requires.
Does an "as is" sale mean the buyer has no options?
No. "As is" describes the condition being sold, not the buyer’s inspection rights. The investigation contingency still exists, and it is what lets a buyer act on what the inspections turn up.
Describe the change in plain English
Amendly drafts the California amendment or addendum for your deal from a sentence. You review every line before it goes anywhere.
Draft your first amendmentRelated in this guide
- Repair credits after a California inspectionWhat a California seller must do after a repair request, what they can ignore, and which document actually changes the contract.
- C.A.R. Form RR — Request for RepairWhat the C.A.R. Request for Repair does, and the paragraph of the purchase agreement saying the seller need not answer it at all.
- C.A.R. Form RRRR — the seller responseHow a California seller answers a repair request, why a partial agreement is not an agreement, and what turns a response into a change to the contract.
- Removing contingencies in CaliforniaCalifornia removes contingencies actively, by signed form. A deadline expiring does not remove one — which surprises nearly everybody.
Where this comes from
This page describes how California residential transactions typically work. It is general information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for an attorney on a specific deal. Amendly is not a law firm. Forms are named and described here; their text is not reproduced. Amendly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the California Association of REALTORS® or any state agency.