Standards & Guidance Flashcards
Rules of Conduct (Oct 2021) - effective Feb 2022
- Members and firms must be honest, act with integrity and comply with their professional obligations, including obligations to RICS.
- Members and firms must maintain their professional competence and ensure that services are provided by competent individuals who have the necessary expertise.
- Members and firms must provide good-quality and diligent service.
- Members and firms must treat others with respect and encourage diversity and inclusion.
- Members and firms must act in the public interest, take responsibility for their actions and act to prevent harm and maintain public confidence in the profession.
Professional obligations for members:
1. Members must comply with the CPD requirements set by RICS
2. Members must cooperate with RICS
3. Members must promptly provide all information reasonably requested by the Standards and Regulation Board, or those exercising delegated authority on its behalf
Obligations for firms:
1. Firms must publish a complaints-handling procedure, which includes an alternative dispute resolution provider approved by RICS, and maintain a complaints log
2. Firms must ensure that all previous and current professional work is covered by adequate and appropriate professional indemnity cover that meets the standards approved by RICS
3. Firms with a sole principal must make appropriate arrangements for their professional work to continue in the event of their incapacity, death, absence from or inability to work
4. Firms must cooperate with RICS
5. Firms must promptly provide all information reasonably requested by the Standards and
Regulation Board, or those exercising delegated authority on its behalf
6. Firms must display on their business literature, in accordance with RICS’ published policy on designations, a designation to denote that they are regulated by RICS
7. Firms must report to RICS any matter that they are required to report under the Rules for the Registration of Firms
Conflicts of interest (1st Edn, Mar 2017) - effective Jan 2018
- Dual agency (double dipping) where an agent has a contractual agency relationship with both the seller and the buyer at the same time. Must not be undertaken
- Covers multiple introductions and the provision of incremental advice
- Conflicts of interest and confidentiality; general commentary notes; supporting commentary notes and a sample form for obtaining informed consent
Countering bribery, corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing (1st Edn, Feb 2019) - effective Sep 2019
Split into 3 parts:
* Mandatory requirements - do not accept bribes or be complicit with money laundering
* Good practice requirements
* Supplementary guidance on parts 1 and 2, relating to bribery and corruption mitigation controls (i.e. monitoring the activities of your own organisation) and effective management of money laundering and terrorist financing risks (i.e. being vigilant of the actions of outside parties you do business with)
Surveying safely: health and safety principles for property professionals (2nd Edn, Nov 2018)
- Safe person concept - each individual assumes individual behavioural responsibility for their own, their colleagues’ and others’ health and safety while at work
- RICS firms must provide: a safe working environment, safe work equipment, safe systems of work and competent staff
Hierachy of Risk Control
* Elimiate
* Substitute
* Engineering controls
* Administrative controls
* PPE
Asbestos (4th Edn, May 2021) - effective Aug 2021
Best practice recommendations:
* Ensure all surveyors have asbestos awareness training
* Duty to manage asbestos arises under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
* Duty to manage can be fulfilled by ensuring asbestos register is available, assessing the risk of any asbestos present and making the information available to anyone liable to disturb the asbestos
International Land Measurement Standard: Due Diligence for Land and Real Property Surveying (1st Edn, May 2019)
- Reduce risk in land and real property surveying and promote better land governance, robust conveyancing, secure ldning and land registration
- Global consistency by setting a standard for assembling land information
Financial viability in planning: conduct and reporting (1st Edn, May 2019) - effective Sep 2019
- Sets out mandatory requirements on conduct and reporting in relation to FVAs for planning in England, whether for area-wide or scheme-specific purposes
- Support and complement the government’s reforms to the planning process announced in July 2018
- Prioritises the assessment of viability at the plan-making stage and identifies EUV as the starting point for assessing the uplift in value required to incentivise the release of land
Real estate agency and brokerage (3rd Edn, Aug 2016)
- Outlines the principles that shape the culture of fariness and transparency that underin all activities undertaken by real estate agents
- Outlines 12 principles - Honest; Skill; Fair TofE; Avoid Conflicts; Don’t Discriminate; Clear Communication; Truthful Marketing; Separate Client’s Money; PII; Obligations to Parties; Realistic Price Advice; Inspections and Viewings
- Ethics, Securing instructions, Acting for the seller: marketing and agreeing sale, Acting for the buyer, Ending the instruction, Safety and security, Agency management
UK commercial real estate agency (1st Edn, Oct 2016) - effective Nov 2016
- Outlines the principles that shape the culture of fariness and transparency that underin all activities undertaken by real estate agents. Expands on RICS REAB PS.
- Outlines 12 principles - Honest; Skill; Fair TofE; Avoid Conflicts; Don’t Discriminate; Clear Communication; Truthful Marketing; Separate Client’s Money; PII; Obligations to Parties; Realistic Price Advice; Inspections and Viewings
- Ethics, Securing instructions, Disposal - marketing the property, Implementing the disposal, Acquisitions, Endinng the Instruction
RICS property measurement (2nd Edn, Jan 2018)
- Includes IPMS for offices and residential
- Part 1 - Professional statement: property measurement (including IPMS for offices and residential)
- RICS IPMS data standard
Residential
* IPMS 1 - GEA
* IPMS 2 - GIA
* IPMS 3 (A, B, C) - Floor Area available on an exclusive basis to an occucpier
Office
* IMPS 1 - GEA
* IPMS 2 - GIA
* IPMS 3 - NIA
Code of measuring practice (6th Edn, May 2015)
Includes:
* GEA
* GIA
* NIA
International Property Measurement Standards: All Buildings (Jan 2023)
- IPMS 1 - External measurement for whole or part of building
- IPMS 2 - Internal measurement for whole or part of building
- IPMS 3.1 - External measurement for exclusive occupation by occupier
- IPMS 3.2 - Internal measurement for exclusive occupation by occupier
- IPMS 4.1 - Internal measurement for selected areas including walls and columns
- IPMS 4.2 - Internal measurement for selected areas excluding walls and columns
Code for leasing business premises (1st Edn, Feb 2020) - effective Sep 2020
- Improve transparency and fairness in commercial lease negotiation, including initial negotiation of lease terms and mandatory provision of comprehensive HOTs to facilitate the legal drafting process
Aims:
* Provide assurance and clarity to occupiers
* Promoting a less adversarial relationship between occupiers, owners and their advisors
* Encouraging surveyors and lawyers to work collaboratively
* Encouraging occupiers to take professional advice
Structure:
* Intro
* Mandatory requirements - approach in constructive and collaborative manner (fair balance), advise professional representation, STC basis
* Lease negotiation best practice - break option conditions, rent deposit terms
* Appendix A - Template HOTs
* Appendix B - Guide for landlords and tenants
Auctioneers selling real estate (7th Edn, Mar 2018) - effective Apr 2018
- Outlines principles for activities undertaken by auctioneers
- Ethics, common auction conditions, fees, acting for the seller, auction processes, AML, data protection
Comparable evidence in real estate valuation (1st Edn, Oct 2019) - effective Oct 2019
Purpose:
* Outline principles of the use of comparable evidence
* Encourage consistency in use of comparable evidence
* Address issues of availability and use of comparable evidence, especially in challenging market conditions
* To consider potential sources of comparable evidence and their relative importance
Hierachy of Evidence:
* Category A - Direct Comparables
* Category B - General Market Data
* Category C - Other Sources
- General principles
- Approaches
- Sources
- Recording evidence
- Analysis of comparable evidence
- Dealing with shortage of evidence
- Relevant standards and guidance