We are 100% Paperless for good reasons

It is fair to say that I don't like to disappoint anyone when it comes to the service that we offer. It really makes me feel ill when I feel that someone has been let down in any way.

I set up Property Searches Direct to try and change the way that searches are ordered and, by doing so, speed up transactions.

A typical Search Pack contains around 110 pages that are invariably, due to traditional practices, printed twice by a conveyancer, one for the client and one for the file and then, when the transaction is complete, that file is stored for years in an archive at great expense.

I see this as extremely wasteful, expensive and far from friendly to the environment. I am delighted to know that many conveyancers are moving to paperless or paper-light positions to try and save the planet and become more efficient.

We recently had a client 'demanding' that they should have their copies printed and posted as their follow up email stated "I don't like electric copies and don't like documents stored digitally. Please post hard copies. I only need a copy of each. You may be a paperless company but me, your customer, would like copies".

It put me in an awkward position as I hate to disappoint anyone, but, we are genuinely not set up to print anything. We don't have printers, or a stock of paper and, as I said to the customer when I called, we would literally have to go out and buy a printer and a ream of paper and visit the post office to do what they were demanding.

Because I was so worried about getting a negative review I pondered for a moment as to whether I should stick to my principles or go out and buy a printer and paper for this one customer, given that the customer is always right....right?

I decided that one negative review (if that is what we get) will be appropriately handled and honest feedback is what we will leave in response. Property Searches Direct has some basic principles that we will not bend. We will serve to speed up the transaction by empowering the ordering of searches sooner in the transaction and we will deliver them digitally and remain a 100% paperless business.

We are set up to source and distribute data as quickly as possible. Not distribute trees.

Between April 2020 and April 2021 there were some 1,173,564 Residential Property Transactions (at £40k and above as stated here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-property-transactions-completed-in-the-uk-with-value-40000-or-above/uk-monthly-property-transactions-commentary ) which does not include Commercial transactions.

Given that traditionally a conveyancer will print two copies of the searches, this alone represents over 129 Million pieces of paper potentially being printed, IF they always print double-sided....which is horrific.

We are proud to be part of the solution and not part of the problem in so many ways and will not be printing and posting any reports to conveyancers or home movers as it is entirely unnecessary.

So, if anyone wishes to buy searches that will be printed for them and posted out at great expense, please do not order them from us.

If you are looking for a quick solution to receive data sooner to enable your transaction to move faster, we await your order.