The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional
body which regulates construction and property professionals in the United Kingdom and other
countries around the world.
Members and Fellows of RICS are entitled to describe themselves as Chartered Surveyors
and use post nominal letters MRICS and FRICS after their names.
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 The institution 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.
RICS has occupied headquarters on the corner of Great George Street and Parliament Square
since then.
The institution received its Royal charter as "The Surveyors' Institution" on 26 August
1881.
In 1921, it was granted Royal Patronage by George V.
The Surveyors' Institution became the "Chartered Surveyors' Institution" in 1930.
In 1946, the institution became a royal institution entitled to use "Royal" in its name.
At this time the current name was adopted.
Currently it trades as a limited liability company and it has a number of subsidiary
companies through which it trades.
Global spread 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.
RICS in Europe 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’ or ‘FRICS’ after their name
1,523 RICS trainees - potential members who are preparing for their APC 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.
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.
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 Associate members may use "AssocRICS" after
their names.
Professional Members may use "MRICS" after their names.
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.
Professional Groups Professional Groups of the RICS
Expertise 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 Property Taxation
Housing Management & Development RICS also has specialist designations such
as 'Chartered Building Surveyor' and 'Chartered Quantity Surveyor', 'Chartered Taxation Surveyor'
etc and these members have to have undertaken a specific specialist route for qualification
and membership.
Confusingly for the public any member of the RICS may describe themselves as a 'chartered
surveyor' and by giving themselves a description such as 'building pathologist' may offer a
building surveying service.
RICS Shop 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 Shop satisfies the needs of the property, land and construction industry.
Past Presidents 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 The junior branch of the RICS is known as
RICS matrics [1].
Established in 1889 as the Junior Committee, becoming the "Junior Organisation" 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 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 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 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 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
Notes and References Notes
References
External links RICS website
RICS Shop Interview with RICS past President Peter Goodacre
2009 Lionheart website