Why choose an RICS qualified Surveyor?
In this month’s blog, we discuss the who, what and why of the all-important ‘RICS’ acronym and the value of choosing a properly regulated firm of Chartered Surveyors.
In its own words, the RICS or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, is the global professional body promoting and enforcing the highest international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate and infrastructure.
“We are proud of our reputation and we guard it fiercely, so clients who work with our registered professionals can have confidence in the quality and ethics of the services they receive.” RICS,2017
Worldwide the RICS accredits 125,000 qualified and trainee professionals. But on a local level, what does this mean for our clients here in Wales?
All individuals or firms registered with the RICS are subject to their rigorous quality assurance for the protection of the public interest. Jones Battye, Chartered Surveyors is an RICS registered firm and both partners qualified as full members (MRICS) over 15 years ago. Only a full member can call themselves a “Chartered Surveyor”.
“Being Chartered means a lot to me. It’s about honesty, transparency and doing the right thing. Old fashioned values and ethics in the modern business world.” Gareth Richards-Jones, MRICS, Managing Partner.
As RICS members, we must abide by strict codes of conduct, rules and regulations. Clients are thereby assured of the reliability, knowledge and skill of their chosen professional. For example, RICS members undertake a minimum of 20 hours continued learning and professional development each year, they must maintain high levels of professional insurance, and operate a full Complaints Handling Procedure.
Remember, when choosing an individual to undertake surveying work for you, it is important to check that they are registered with the RICS and are therefore properly qualified and regulated. If they are, they will use either AssocRICS (Associate), MRICS (fully Chartered Member) or FRICS (Fellow) after their name and can be searched for, by using the ‘Find A Member’ tool on the RICS website at, www.rics.org They will also use the lion’s head logo on their website, headed paper and marketing materials.
If you are looking to have a residential survey carried out, please be wary of firms or individuals offering Home Buyer Surveys or similar, without the RICS prefix. RICS Home Surveys (such as the RICS HomeBuyer Report), are fully licensed products and can only be prepared by an RICS registered professional. Unfortunately, anything else is likely to be an unregulated imitation product, with no redress to a professional body if things should go wrong.
For further information about the RICS please see their website, or check out this short YouTube film, “The work that shapes our world”, https://youtu.be/-rUiw-wElw4
