None of the 230 delegates who pre-booked to attend last week’s annual conference of chartered surveyors failed to turn up.

The coronavirus scare didn’t prevent property professionals from five counties arriving in their usual numbers.

The one-day event for surveyors from Bucks, Berks, Beds, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire has been held in the auditorium of Wycombe Swan since the theatre opened in November 1992.

Surveyor Keith Thompson, one of the organising committee, opened his practice in Wycombe town centre in 1991.

He says the Swan is about the only venue in the region with the facilities to accommodate a conference on that scale. Even then, they need the additional meeting room in the adjoining town hall for part of the day.

He told the BFP: “It’s difficult to find a meeting place that enables us to split the conference into two in the afternoon with separate sessions for commercial surveyors and delegates working in the residential market.”

This year’s conference – the 41st – was sponsored by Gerrards Cross law firm BP Collins.

Speakers included fraud and cyber security expert Sean O’Neil and former Watford MP Richard Harrington, Under-Secretary of State for pensions in Theresa May’s administration and subsequently Under-Secretary of State for Syrian refugees in David Cameron’s government. All the speakers sparked a lively debate.

The former MP talked about his earlier career in the hospitality industry when he ran a hotel with 2,000 employees in seven countries.

The cyber security expert advised delegates to have a separate password for each account – “I have 62 accounts and 62 passwords – where do I keep the passwords? Written down on a piece of paper.”

In the opening session, town planner Simon Andrews gave his audience an insight into the strategies employed by councils and the private sector when local and neighbourhood plans are formulated.

In separate addresses, two solicitors from BP Collins’ property disputes team, senior associate Phil Hind and his colleague Elliott Brookes, spelt out why house buyers need to stay ahead of the game.

“With the current position of the economy and the recent downturn in the property market, the number of failures to complete transactions has increased significantly,” said Mr Brookes.

“For buyers, the key thing is to have all your ducks in a row. If you don’t, failing to complete on a contract can lead to the seller taking your deposit and pursuing you for further damages.

“Most people can’t afford to lose their deposit and therefore it is essential to ensure that you don’t exchange until you are confident you can complete.

“Exchanging on a contract for a property is legally binding. If you do not have the finance to purchase the property by the completion date it can be very expensive.

“Make sure the cash sum you intend to use is available and that any linked transaction is going to complete: if you need a mortgage [to purchase the next property] , ensure you have obtained a mortgage offer and it has been dealt with by your solicitor. If your present property is subject to a mortgage, a delay in completing the sale will affect the amount needed to redeem the mortgage and it may include a daily figure for interest.”

The lawyer summed up: “Most conveyances complete without a hitch. It’s only when things go wrong and a buyer or seller fails to complete that matters become contentious.”

Pictured: Ian McGill and Keith Thompson representing organisers 3cpd and two solicitors from conference sponsor BP Collins property dispute resolution team Elliott Brookes, and senior associate Phil Hind.