Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a professional body that accredits professionals within the land, property and construction sectors worldwide.

Members holding RICS qualifications may use the following designations after their name: MRICS (Member), FRICS (Fellow), AssocRICS (Associate). Those with the designation MRICS or FRICS are also known as chartered surveyors.

History

The RICS was founded in London as the "Institution of Surveyors" after a meeting of 49 surveyors at the Westminster Palace Hotel on 15 June 1868. The inaugural president was John Clutton (who founded Cluttons, a property firm still in business today). RICS has occupied headquarters on the corner of Great George Street and Parliament Square since then.^[1] It received a Royal charter as "The Surveyors' Institution" on 26 August 1881.^{[2][note 1]}

The Surveyors' Institution became the "Chartered Surveyors' Institution" in 1930.^[3] In 1946, George VI granted the title "Royal" and in 1947 the professional body became the “Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors”.^[4]

International presence

The RICS headquarters is in London with its main support functions in Coventry. There are regional offices in the United Kingdom, across mainland Europe, in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America and Brazil.

In 2015, there were RICS-qualified professionals in more than 140 countries. The total number of those accredited worldwide was 120,000, plus student membership of 81,000. The majority of accredited individuals or members are still based in the United Kingdom with large numbers also in mainland Europe, Australia and Hong Kong. There is now a strong growth globally, and particularly in China, India and the Americas.

The RICS has close links with many national surveying institutions and is a founding member association of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). Within the RICS the primary areas of practice represented at FIG are geomatics (land and hydrographic survey), environment, planning, construction and valuation.

The RICS works in close collaboration with other professional bodies, central banks and international organisations such as The United Nations, World Bank and The European Union. In 2013 the RICS was a founder member of the coalition to develop International Property Measurement Standards, which launched its first standard – for measuring office space – in November 2014. In 2014 the RICS was a founder member of the coalition to develop International Ethics Standards. In each case, coalition member bodies are committed to implementing the new standards through training and guidance for professional practitioners.

Membership

Entry to membership of the RICS is via four main routes: academic; graduate; technical; and senior professional. The RICS has links with universities worldwide, with whom they have accredited approved courses which satisfy part of the qualification requirements to become trainee surveyors. The RICS also offers expedited routes to membership for qualified professional members of some partner associations.

The RICS requires members to update their knowledge and competence during their working life through Continuing Professional Development.

• Associate members may use "AssocRICS" after their names (previously members at this level were known as Technical Members and used the designation "TechRICS").^[5]
• Professional Members may use "MRICS" after their names (previously members at this level were known as Professional Associates and used the designation "ARICS").
• Fellows may use "FRICS" after their names.
• Honorary members may use “HonRICS” after their names.

Individuals holding the professional MRICS or FRICS designation are entitled to use the professional title designation "Chartered Surveyor" and variations such as "Chartered Building Surveyor" or "Chartered Quantity Surveyor", depending on their chosen specialist qualifications and field of expertise.

Professional groups

The RICS specifies areas of specialism, each with its own professional group, clustered into Land, Property and Construction. Within each professional group there may be further specialisms.^[6]

Specialist accreditations

The RICS aims to cover, among its practising members, property and construction related expertise generally. Specialised areas of practice expertise for which accreditation is available include:

• Building Information Modelling (BIM) Manager Certification
• Building Conservation
• Chartered Environmentalists
• Dispute Resolution
• ECO Assessor Certification
• Fixed Charge Receivership Scheme
• Valuer Registration.

RICS Accredited course is also offered by a subsidiary institute called as RICS School Of Built Environment situated in Noida, India^[7]

Past Presidents

Recent Presidents of the RICS have included Jonathan David Harris OBE, Peter Ralph Faulkner, Peter William Fall, Nick Brooke, Barry Gilbertson, Steve Williams, Graham Chase, David Tuffin, Peter Goodacre, Max Crofts and Robert Peto.^[8]

RICS Matrics

The junior branch of the RICS, known as Matrics (pronounced "matrix"), provides educational support, charitable and networking activities for surveying students, trainee surveyors (of any age) and Chartered Surveyors with ten years or less post-qualification experience.^[9] It comprises some 40 local groups across the United Kingdom. Established in 1889 as the Junior Committee, it became the "Junior Organisation" ("JO") in 1928 and was re-branded as "RICS Matrics" in 2003. It also has links with the Young Chartered Surveyors in the Republic of Ireland.

BCIS

BCIS is the Building Cost Information Service of RICS. Established in 1962 BCIS provides independent cost and price information to the construction industry and anyone else who needs comprehensive, accurate and independent data.^[10] BCIS pioneered elemental cost planning in the early 1960s that is now the basis of early cost advice in the construction industry today. The organisation holds the largest independent database of cost plans in elemental form.

Services, available to government bodies and private developers, include measuring price movement, benchmarking, market research, statistical analysis, forecasting, and impact studies, relatng to construction, maintenance, rebuilding and insurance. BCIS International offers survey-based cost information for markets outside the UK.

Charitable works

Lionheart is the benevolent fund for past and present RICS members and their families. The charity was established in 1899 and provides financial support, health and well-being packages, and work-related counselling and befriending support. RICS also supports the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust, which helps young people enter the profession through apprenticeships;^[11] Charity Property Help, which provides property advice to charities and voluntary organisations,^[12] and The Chartered Surveyors' Voluntary Service (CSVS), a registered charity providing free property advice to people who would otherwise struggle to access professional assistance.^[13]

See also

• RICS School of Built Environment^[7]
• Chartered surveyors in the United Kingdom
• Construction Industry Council
• International Valuation Standards Committee, of which the RICS is a founding member
• Chartered Institute of Building, a sister professional body within the built environment

Notes

References

External links

• RICS Royal Charter & bye-laws
• Supplemental Charter and Bye-laws of RICS as at January 2009 (founded June 1868,incorporated by royal charter August 1881)
• RICS Regulations, updated December 2010
• RICS website
• RICS Shop
• Interview with RICS past President Peter Goodacre 2009 (video)
• Lionheart website