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I've said it before but the whole problem of conflict between the profession and the regulator is that the regulator are civil servants and administrations who want the profession to follow a rigid documented procedure irrespective of professional judgement.

Professionals need to be regulated by professionals. If that is done the regulator starts working for the profession rather than against it and then there is a hope that they will work to change things - ultimately through legislation - so the situation improves - otherwise conveyancing will just continue on the path to becoming a purely administrative procedure where lawyers charge £650 for a tick-box conveyance and the Estate Agents help themselves with impunity to sellers' equity.

But meanwhile the regulator can't do all it can to encourage a cheaper, simpler system while at the same time never miss a trick in punishing the profession because it fails to comply with its (outdated) obligations.