The moral of this story appears to be:-

1) Only accept payment by bank transfer (BACS) prior to any inspection. (We have had no problems with this).

2) Make sure all reports have copyright clauses.

3)  Don’t offer Level 3 surveys. Some clients expect too much of a ‘top level’ report. Home Survey Reports are perfectly suitable for the vast majority of residential properties. I cannot remember losing a client by not offering a Level 3.

David you have my sympathies. Some clients are intrinsically difficult – fortunately they did not proceed to purchase!

Trevor Brown FRICS