Inspection day, and no signed terms
The survey is booked for tomorrow. The terms of engagement went to the buyer by email last week as a PDF. The buyer meant to print, sign and scan it but has no printer. The office notices the evening before and emails again. The surveyor is due on site at nine.
Does the surveyor go ahead? The practice's terms, and whatever professional standards your practice works to, expect terms to be agreed before the inspection. Cancelling annoys a buyer on a deadline. Going ahead leaves the practice exposed.
Why terms go unsigned
- Terms are sent as attachments that need printing and scanning.
- The terms sent may not match the survey level finally booked.
- Nobody checks the day before whether terms are back.
- Changes to the booking, such as a change of survey level, need new terms.
- Signed copies are saved in inboxes rather than with the job.
What unsigned terms cost
Awkward choices on the morning of an inspection. Risk if there is later a dispute about what was agreed. Office time chasing returns. And a messy record, where the signed terms for a job cannot be found quickly.
| Issue | Cause | What the build does |
|---|---|---|
| Terms not returned | Printing and scanning | Accepted on a phone in a minute |
| Wrong terms | Survey level changed | Terms generated from the actual booking |
| Nobody noticed | No check | Booking held until terms accepted |
| Cannot find the signed copy | Saved in an inbox | Stored with the job automatically |
How we build it
- Your terms of engagement are set up as templates for each survey type and client type, with the details that change filled from the booking.
- At booking, the buyer receives the terms as a web page, reads them, and accepts with a typed or drawn signature on their phone.
- If the survey level or fee changes, new terms are generated and sent automatically.
- The booking stays provisional until terms are accepted, and the office and surveyor can see this at a glance.
- Reminders go to the buyer at set points before the inspection, and the office is warned the day before about any still outstanding.
- Accepted terms are saved as a PDF with the job, with the time and the signer's details.
The content of your terms is your practice's decision, taken with your own advisers and any professional standards you follow. We build the process, not the terms.
Inspections that start on solid ground
Almost every buyer accepts terms at booking because it takes a minute on their phone. The rest are prompted well before the visit. Surveyors know before they leave home that terms are in place. If there is ever a question about what was agreed, the signed terms are with the job.
Mortgage valuations and panel work can be excluded from the flow where the lender's own terms apply, so the process fits the mix of work your practice does.
When your practice updates its terms, the new version is used for every booking from that date, and the record shows which version each client accepted. That removes the risk of an old PDF sitting in someone's sent items being used long after it was replaced.
Buyers who want to ask about the terms before accepting can do so from the same page, and their question reaches the office with the booking reference, rather than arriving as a separate email that has to be matched up.
Do unsigned terms catch you out?
- Terms of engagement are sent as PDF attachments.
- The office checks the evening before whether terms are back.
- Surveyors have inspected before terms were signed.
- Terms have not matched the survey finally booked.
- Finding signed terms for an old job takes a search.