[Jims5543]

Sorry, this is a long one. I will see if I can do a TLDR at the bottom.

I think there is at least one other Land Surveyor on here. I am curious to see what his take on this is.

I have records going back to 1982, in 2000 I purchased an existing company and all its files.

While I never get requests for 20+ year old surveys, I do get requests for anywhere from 3 to 10+ year old surveys.

When I say requests, I should clarify, requests for free copies of the surveys on file.

While the state statutes indicate I keep my files, it does not say they are there for the free enjoyment of anyone who wants them.

At least once a week I get requests from all sources, homeowners, pool companies, fence companies, title companies, mortgage companies etc... They all want a free copy of a survey on file. If this was a once in a while thing it would not bother me, what annoys me is that I appear to be their filing cabinet.

5 Copies are delivered when an order is complete. So there should be a copy on file with the homeowner.

I have a rule, if the survey is more than 3 years old, and I think that is too lenient, I require a crew to visit the property, recover the property corners and locate any changes to the property, be it an addition, pool, fences, sheds or more concrete.

I offer a 50% discount off the original price of the survey to do this.

So many time people freak out and want a free copy and refuse to pay for the survey to be updated.

This is the incident that has me pissed and sick of giving out copies for free.

I just had an Attorney from Connecticut contact us, we surveyed a large property of hers in 2010, she pretty much threatened right off the bat to report me to the board of regulation if I did not hand over a free copy of my survey. She stated the statute where I have to keep my records and indicated she would escalate this if her request for a free copy was not fulfilled.

Not interested in getting into a war I just sent her an old copy with the 2010 dates on it.

I happened to drive past the property 1 week later then again 2 weeks later, it is along a road I take at least once a week.

She most likely handed my copy over to another surveyor for a discount, she sold the property it was empty, the property was obviously freshly surveyed the second time I drove by. I am assuming she supplied the buyers with my copy I sent her.

I do not give discounts out if you hand me and old survey from someone else, I was hired to survey the property, if you want to hand me a copy to see if we both agree fine, but I am going to survey it fully, I do not put my trust in others work, it is my license on the line I am going to do it all over again.

I just got another email at 5:15 on a Friday, a mortgage company wants a copy of a 2013 survey for free to cut down the closing costs for his client, it is actually worded like that in the email.


So, am I in business to be a free filing cabinet for every one?

Do the laymen on here think I have a lifetime obligation to a past client to provide free copies whenever they need one? Or does my obligation to them end the moment I deliver my product to them?

TLDR

People keep popping up want free copies of surveys 3-20 years old.

Should I be a free filing cabinet?