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I agree.

I had to waste an interminable length of time dealing with the consequences of one particular complaint from a former property purchase client, who denied vehemently having received any information regarding costs, any information regarding the property purchased, any report on title, or any explanation of any of the searches or other supporting documents. The allegations and the terms of the complaint raised by another firm on his behalf were frankly outrageous.

Fortunately, in property purchase transactions, my practice invariably is to send a very detailed engagement letter, a detailed report prior to exchange of contracts, and a property purchase Bible, including copies of every relevant document with a detailed accompanying explanation, to the client post completion and post registration, to say nothing of the numerous other interim communcations.

This particular client was adamant he had received none of them, and was only brought to book when I was able to produce archive copies of the emails under cover of which I had sent electronic copies of all of them, contemporaneously with sending out the hard copies, and was also able to produce his signed engagement letter, and emails from him, amongst the 122 other emails from him in the same transaction, not only acknowledging receipt of the documents, but also thanking me for the comprehensive and effective way in which I had dealt with the transaction.

Did that generate an apology, withdrawal of the allegations, payment of my wasted costs, or an acknowledgement that I had in fact done the job entirely correctly ? Sadly nothing of the sort.

These surveys in my view are nothing but a fundamental waste of time. The entire conveyancing process was demolished with the abandonment of scale fees and subsequent deregulation. No effective conveyancing transaction can be undertaken for £99 or other derogatory fee.

If I wanted brain surgery carried out, would I be seriously consider shopping around for the consultant offering the cheapest rate . . . . . ? I accept that is perhaps a slightly fatuous comment, but until the entire conveyancing process is devolved into an insurance backed over-the-counter arrangement, these arguments inevitably will continue.