The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations.

RICS provides education and training standards, protects consumers with strict codes of practice and advises governments and business. RICS provides expertise in matters involving fixed assets, including but not limited to land and real property.

History[edit]

The institution was founded London as the "Institution of Surveyors" after a meeting of 49 surveyors at the Westminster Palace Hotel on 15 June 1868. The inaugural chairman was John Clutton (who founded Clutton's estate agency, still one of the largest estate agents in the UK). It has occupied headquarters on the corner of Great George Street and Parliament Square since then. The institution received its Royal Charter in 1881 and in 1921 was granted Royal Patronage by George V.

The Institution of Surveyors became the "Institution of Chartered Surveyors" in 1930. In 1946 the institution became a royal institution entitled to add "Royal" to its name and, thereby, achieved its present name.

Global spread[edit]

RICS is headquartered in London with 14 regional offices in the United Kingdom.

In 2009, RICS was represented or had affiliates in more than 146 countries and had a worldwide membership of more than 159,000. The majority of members are still based in the United Kingdom but there is now a strong international membership in Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Hong Kong and Australia, and membership is growing rapidly in the United States and across Europe, Asia, Middle East and North Africa and India.

The RICS has close links with national surveying institutions and is a member association of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG).

RICS in Europe[edit]

Based in Brussels since 1993, the European headquarters has offices and staff around continental Europe. RICS Europe is growing throughout Europe, from France to Russia, Central and Eastern Europe to the Nordic region, the Baltics to Turkey.

As at August 2009, RICS Europe had 8,507 members in continental Europe, spread over the different categories of membership:

• 3,881 qualified members - these members can add the letters ‘MRICS’ (Member of RICS) or ‘FRICS’ (Fellow of RICS) after their name
• 1,523 RICS trainees - potential members who are preparing for their APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) Final Assessment
• 3,103 RICS students - professionals who are studying on an RICS accredited degree

Combining global and local support to members, RICS Europe works to:

• Raise the status of the chartered surveying profession in European markets
• Establish high educational and professional standards across Europe
• Represent the profession within the European institutions
• Provide expert policy advice on European property and built environment issues

The RICS Europe Board meets three times per year to discuss the European strategy, monitor progress against plan and discuss member growth and retention activities. The Board is composed of RICS members.^[1]

Membership[edit]

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.

Members must update their knowledge and competence during their working life through RICS' Continuous Professional Development regulations so the advice they give will be of the highest and most professional standard.

Designations[edit]

• Associate members may use "AssocRICS" after their names (previously members at this level were known as Technical Members and used the designation "TechRICS").^[2]
• 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.

Professional Members and Fellows of the RICS are entitled to use the designation "Chartered Surveyor" and variations such as "Chartered Building Surveyor" or "Chartered Quantity Surveyor" - depending on their chosen specialist qualifications and field of expertise. For example, not all RICS members who undertake building surveys are actually Chartered Building Surveyors (less than 10% of the RICS membership are Chartered Building Surveyors).

Professional Groups[edit]

Professional Groups of the RICS

Expertise[edit]

The expertise of RICS members covers all property and construction related activities. Activities in which members may be specialists include:

• Licensed Property
• Land Surveying
• Property Transactions - estate agency, development appraisal, investment advice
• Property Fund Management
• Real estate appraisal
• Property valuation surveying
• Auctioneering
• Building Surveying
• Facilities Management
• Mineral Surveying
• Project Management
• Construction Cost Management - Quantity Surveying
• Party wall Surveying
• Dispute Resolution
• Management Consulting
• Antiques and Fine Art
• Property Agency
• Property Development and Regeneration
• Housing Management & Development

RICS also has specialist designations such as 'Chartered Building Surveyor' and 'Chartered Quantity Surveyor' and these members have to have undertaken a specific specialist route for qualification and membership.

RICS Books is the commercial publishing and bookselling arm of the RICS. They publish materials regarding Building surveying; Commercial property; Construction; Dispute resolution; Environment; Facilities management; Geomatics; Machinery & Business Assets; Management consultancy; Minerals and Waste management; Planning & development; Project management; Residential property; Rural, and Valuation.

RICS Books also operates its own website - www.ricsbooks.com - to satisfy the needs of the property, land and construction industries.

Past Presidents[edit]

Recent Past Presidents 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. A full list of past presidents.

RICS matrics[edit]

The junior branch of the RICS is known as RICS matrics [1]. Established in 1889 as the Junior Committee, becoming the "Junior Organisation" (aka "JO") in 1928 and re-branded to "RICS matrics" in 2003, "matrics" is pronounced "matrix" which means network.

RICS matrics is focused on providing educational support, charitable and social networking activities for surveying students, trainee surveyors (of any age) and Chartered Surveyors with ten years or less post-qualification.

RICS matrics comprises about 35 local groups across the UK, feeding into a Regional and National structure and also exists in Australia, Hong Kong and the UAE. It also has links with the Young Chartered Surveyors in the Republic of Ireland.

BCIS[edit]

BCIS is the Building Cost Information Service of RICS. Established in 1962 BCIS provides independent cost information about the built environment. BCIS pioneered elemental cost planning in the early 1960s which 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. As well as undertaking research contracts for government they provide online and paper services regarding building costs, occupancy costs, rebuilding costs, construction duration, repair costs, construction inflation, civil engineering costs, and estimating.

Lionheart[edit]

Lionheart is the benevolent fund for past and present RICS members and their families. The charity was established in 1899 to provide financial, counselling and befriending support.

See also[edit]

• Chartered surveyors in the United Kingdom
• Construction Industry Council
• International Valuation Standards Committee, of which the RICS is a founding member
• RICS Americas
• Chartered Institute of Building, a sister professional body within the built environment

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• RICS website
• RICS Books
• Interview with RICS past President Peter Goodacre 2009 (video)
• Lionheart website