Thank you, all you more experienced LS's, especially the local ones, for your responses. It is a priceless aspect of this community.
In a different situation, I would ask the client to have the engineer call me directly and we could cut to the chase.?ÿ
In this instance I made a snap decision not to work with the client and here's why: In that couple of hours of research between getting the call and deciding the job was within my area of expertise enough to price it, I read the same documents we always read: The deeds, the deed for the parent parcel, the original plat from days of yore, the surrounding few recorded surveys, the tax assessor's quarter section map, and the history of assessments. As I've mentioned, what was interesting to me was the lack of recorded easements for the three neighbors using the driveway. And as with every job I look up, now I know a little something about the client's transactions and overall trajectory. In this case I know that spouse's family held the land for many years, that spouse inherited it and then quit claimed it to client out of their community property, that client took on a development partner and together they took out a construction loan with the rent on the current house assigned as payments on that loan. All recorded public documents.?ÿ
So when I send an email asking about the easements, title report, design plans, etc., and slipped in the question "Do you know any previous history about the property?" and got the response, "No, I don't know any previous history of the property" it showed me that they think it's OK to lie to me. Boom. Disqualified. Anything else is just second guessing that decision and either inventing or listening to excuses.?ÿ
You made the right decision. I've grown to expect clients to withhold information from me, but straight up lying is unacceptable.
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I wonder if people like that are just as dishonest with their other business dealings or if it is somehow related to their perception of land surveyors??ÿ?ÿ
They want to divide a lot with an existing house and build a second house. In their location they need a "short subdivision" aka short plat, to do so. Exhibit of old lot and old legal, exhibit of new lots with new legals. That document must be produced and stamped by an LS. They also want an as-built, so they can offset some lines from the back of the existing house to make the new lot lines and setbacks, and a topo, so they can design the new house and its service connections.
Around here I believe they call that a lot line adjustment.
So they wanted you to send them raw boundary and topo data and they would draw it up??ÿ I've been out of school less than a year and what they're requesting seems insane to me.?ÿ ??ÿ
What is "short plat work"??ÿ .....
"Short plat" is a term unique to the state of Washington. It merely means a subdivision plat with a small number of lots (no more than 8 by state law, may be fewer by county/city ordinance).?ÿ?ÿ
Lot line adjustment implies that there is already a line between two lots. Subdivision makes the line that can later be adjusted if needed.
You made the right decision. I've grown to expect clients to withhold information from me, but straight up lying is unacceptable.
?ÿ
I wonder if people like that are just as dishonest with their other business dealings or if it is somehow related to their perception of land surveyors??ÿ?ÿ
Read somewhere that the difference between testifying for oneself and testifying on behalf of a corporation or an LLC?ÿ is that when testifying for oneself, one must swear to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," and when testifying for limited-liability entity one swears to tell "the truth and nothing but the truth." Not necessarily the whole truth, implying that the slippery slope is towards lies of omission.
As to it being due to a perception of surveyors, it goes with the perception of us as a trade, as technicians, as a commodity. That whole "we don't talk to the help" snobbery. If people sensed us as fiduciaries rather than grunt labor they might tell us more. Seems like the most successful commercial clients are looking for that fiduciary trust relationship with a surveyor and generally give a full disclosure briefing, because they know it will make for a faster softer ride. The people pretending to be bigger fish than they really are tend to want to withhold info and compartmentalize to cut corners, the "just get a topo for my engineer and don't ask me about the easements" approach.?ÿ
As far as the original question goes I think that it is perfectly alright to tell them that you don't want to do things the way they propose but I'd leave out the part where you call it illegal or even unethical. Keep that in your pocket for later, if necessary. I'd say something like:
"I am not comfortable with the proposed division of tasks.?ÿ I prefer to maintain direct control of both the content and appearance of mapping products bearing my name and seal. If you will consent to having me prepare the proposed map, as I see fit, we may be able to conclude an agreement. I will consider stylistic modifications that you may propose prior to agreeing to proceed."?ÿ ?ÿ