Document downloads - Residential
Available downloads
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Residential building survey site notes
Making an accurate and legible record of the inspection, to be maintained on file for at least 15 years, is essential. Queries can be raised several months or years after the job has been carried out and it gives an unprofessional impression if site notes are unavailable. Indeed, mounting a defence to a negligence claim often relies upon a complete set of site notes, or records made of contract discussions. Such notes therefore form a retrospective record of conduct and behaviour, and are prima facie evidence of the surveyor's competence.
This is a form that can be used to record these site notes during the inspection. -
Display screen equipment assessment
Display screen equipment (DSE) is any work equipment having a screen that displays information. Typical examples are computer screens. This is an individual work station assessment form to evaluate display screen equipment according to health and safety policy.
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Fire action notice sample
Fire action notices should be clearly displayed where everyone can see them. Display them on major escape routes, places where people meet, circulation spaces, etc.
This file is a sample fire action notice that could be filled in and used. -
Fire emergency plan sample
A site fire safety co-ordinator should be appointed who takes responsibility for the completion and implementation of the fire emergency plan, which should ensure everyone on site reaches safety in the event of a fire. The fire plan aims to minimise the risk by controlling the hazards.
This is an example of a fire emergency plan. -
Agreement between the landlord and agent setting out the terms of appointment for the management of property - template
This agreement sets out the terms of appointment between a landlord and agent for the management of a property. It includes detailed explanations of the terms including the service to be provided by the agent; what the agent is authorised to do; communication; undertakings by the client; the remuneration liability of the agent; and arbitration.
This document template is maintained by Paul Walshe of Awdry Bailey & Douglas.
Disclaimer:
Users of this document are responsible for forming their own view as to whether this document and its contents are suitable for use in any particular circumstances. The supply of this document does not constitute legal or other professional advice, nor does it constitute any opinion or recommendation as to how any person should conduct its business or whether any person should or should not enter into any form of contract. Users should, if appropriate, consult their professional advisers as to any such matter. No warranty, express or implied, is given in respect of this document and neither RICS nor the authors shall be liable for any loss or damage of any kind arising directly or indirectly from the use or misuse of this document or from any reliance on it by any person, except to the extent that exclusion of such liability is prohibited by law. -
Service charge residential management code
Published 2016
Effective from 1 June 2016
The RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code 3rd edition was approved by the Secretary of State under section 87(7) of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
The Code applies only to residential leasehold properties in England but it deals with flats, houses and all other dwellings whether in towns or in the country, on estates, in groups or on their own. It covers all lengths of leases and statutory tenancies where variable service charges are payable. The Code does not apply where the landlord is a public sector authority, or a registered social landlord, but it does apply where a public sector authority or registered social landlord is an agent managing for a private sector owner. -
RICS HomeBuyer Service
RICS HomeBuyer Report 2011 practice note Scotland was published in December 2011 and is still in effect.
Previous editions have been archived and are available on isurv for information purposes only. -
Property insurance claim form
A document giving an example of a claim form for property insurance. The form is copyright Layton Blackham Insurance Brokers and is reproduced here with permission.
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Money laundering guidance (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
The RICS guidance was replaced by the HMRC guidance on the Regulations and RICS will not update this guidance further.
Go to: www.gov.uk/money-laundering-regulations-introduction
This guidance provided a general introduction to preventing money laundering, terrorist finance, bribery, and financial sanctions. It was co-authored by the National Federation of Property Professionals, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Association of Relocation Professionals, and the Association of Residential Managing Agents. It explained how to interpret and implement anti-money laundering requirements in practice. -
Common auction conditions for real estate auctions
Published: March 2018
This document has been produced by RICS to set consistent practice across the industry.
Where the auctioneer is a member of RICS and uses the Common Auction Conditions, the auctioneer must also comply with the current RICS standards and guidance for Auctioneers selling real estate. An auctioneer who is not a member of RICS is not bound by this guidance.
You may use the Common Auction Conditions freely, but if you do you must:
Rely on your own legal advice as to their suitability for your use
Agree that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and those who advised it have no liability to you or anyone who relies on the Conditions
Reproduce the Common Auction Conditions in full or show clearly where you have made changes to them
Acknowledge that they are reproduced with the consent of RICS
State that you have used the Common Auction Conditions (4th edition) -
Quarterly property marketing checklist
Prior to marketing the property the agent will attend the premises to view them and to ascertain the particulars of the property to be let. At this point it is imperative that the agent takes accurate details and confirms any points that may be vague.
The particulars should be checked every quarter, and this document provides a checklist for such inspections. -
Data protection checklist
Estate agencies should audit (and revise where appropriate) their data processing activities on a regular basis. In particular the items in the following checklist should be reviewed.
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Independent compliance auditing for RSLs (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This guidance note was prepared in agreement with the Housing Corporation. -
Residential valuation data card
In residential valuation it is necessary to pick comparable properties to judge the subject property against. Ideally, these will be similar styled property of a similar size in the same road.
This data card is for keeping a record of information on such properties.
This document template is provided as a sample only. It is the user’s responsibility to check and adapt this as necessary to suit the particular instruction and prevailing circumstances. -
Residential valuation instruction and site notes
The data that needs to be collected on inspection helps the valuer form a view of the nature of the product and what evidence is required to prove the value.
This form allows the valuer to collate the necessary information from an inspection.
Legislation and regulations change frequently. These site notes formed a good benchmark when posted in September 2010 but will need to be checked to reflect such changes. They will be updated periodically and the date given of the last update.
This document template is provided as a sample only. It is the user’s responsibility to check and adapt this as necessary to suit the particular instruction and prevailing circumstances. -
Letting of residential property in the private sector (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
Letting of residential property in the private sector (4th edition) is now out of date. It is held on isurv for information purposes only. -
Valuation of individual new-build homes
Published December 2019
Effective from 2 December 2019
Reissued May 2023
The valuation of residential property for mortgage purposes is well understood, but the new-build sector is constantly evolving and becoming increasingly complex.
The aim of this professional standard is to assist RICS members in achieving a consistent approach to the valuation of new-build property. It is specifically for use in the UK, however, RICS members and RICS regulated firms in other countries may find the processes of valuation discussed helpful and adaptable to their local circumstances.
This document applies to all property that falls under the definition of ‘new-build’. This includes both property that has yet to be owned for the first time, and properties to be owned for the first time in a new form. It therefore covers property that is a new construction, a conversion or that results from a comprehensive renovation.
The property may take the form of one unit on a large, part-developed site, a one-off new home or a conversion of a former building. For all these types of property, the approach to the valuation will be broadly similar.
This document was reissued in May 2023 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in December 2019 as a guidance note. No material changes have been made to the document. -
Tenancy deposit protection certificate
Not all tenancy deposit schemes automatically provide tenants with all the necessary information to comply with regulation 2 of SI 2007/797. Notably, the DPS scheme leaves it to the landlord to supply a substantial amount of this information, and most particularly the information required by reg. 2(g). This is a potential minefield for landlords who have properly registered their deposits and may believe that they are fully compliant with TDP. Many of these landlords have failed to provide appropriate prescribed information to the tenant and they will therefore find themselves in violation of the law in relation to TDP, and subject to the penalties set out below.
This form will fill in the gaps left by the DPS scheme and thereby satisfy the requirements of reg. 2. -
Traditional possession proceedings
The eviction of a tenant, usually for rent arrears, can be a difficult and stressful process, not least because it is a complex and bureaucratic procedure.
This is a flow chart showing the steps involved in such a repossession. -
Accelerated possession proceedings
A flowchart showing the stages of accelerated possession proceedings. Beginning with an expired section 21 notice, through court orders and hearings, to recovering possession.
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House diagram
An understanding of the structure and elements of a property is important when buying. This annotated house diagram will help you to identify the main features of a property.
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Rent only residential management code (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This RICS guidance note provides good-practice advice on the management of residential property.
It is written for all professionals working in this field, such as managing agents and landlords. It is also intended to be used by residents, owners of property and providers of services to such properties.
The Code provides a basis for determining and understanding how management should be undertaken. The new edition has been fully revised and now includes a glossary of key terms. -
RICS Manual of Estate Agency (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
ARCHIVED: With effect from 1 August 2009, the RICS Manual of Estate Agency Law and Practice (2nd edition) was superseded by the Blue Book. For reference purposes, a PDF of the RICS Manual of Estate Agency Law and Practice can be accessed here. -
Apportionment of service charges in mixed-use developments (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This information paper was written to address new developments where the service charge apportionment strategy can be constructed simultaneously with the lease documentation. The principles it sets out can be used when considering revising the Apportionment of existing developments where the existing leases do not allow for apportionment to be amended. But consequent complications must be taken into account.
Whatever the circumstances the resultant apportionment strategy must be clearly and transparently set out. It must enable all parties to understand the basis of apportionment and allow for future modifications in the event that circumstances change making a revised apportionment strategy necessary. -
Section 13 notice
In a tenancy which falls under the Housing Act 1988 there are statutory processes for increasing the rent. This is provided by section 13 of the Act and the accompanying notice.
It is important to understand the purpose of the section 13 procedure. It is intended to allow landlords to have a means of increasing rent during periodic tenancies. It is not available to use during the fixed term of the tenancy. It was envisaged that this would be important as the Housing Act 1988 specifically allows for periodic tenancies to occur and continue for substantial time periods. However, the process is specifically subject to certain controls to prevent landlords getting rid of tenants by massively increasing the rent. This control process is the right for the tenant to refer the rent proposed by the section 13 notice to a Rent Assessment Committee (RAC) for them to determine whether that rent is a fair market rent for the property. A notice under section 13 has a prescribed form and must be filled in accurately. The notice must give the tenant not less than one month's notice (or one period of the tenancy if this is longer). The notice must also expire at the beginning of a period of the tenancy, which should be the day the rent is due.
The link below is to a Word document of the prescribed form available from Communities and Local Government. The form is titled 'Form No.4B: Landlord's notice proposing a new rent under an Assured Periodic Tenancy of premises situated in England'. -
Property description amendments checklist
If any amendments are made to a property's description the amendments checklist should be used to ensure that all relevant checks are made and persons notified.
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Identity verification form
All estate agents are legally obliged (according to the Money Laundering Regulations 2007) to obtain evidence of a person's identity before they are able to proceed to market a property, agree a sale or exchange contracts and complete a transaction (whether or not a mortgage is required to finance the move). This form can be used to record the details of the evidence and confirm that the necessary checks have been made.
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Inventory disclaimers sample document
A disclaimers page should appear at the front of the inventory. It provides details about the scope of the inventory, what it contains and what it does not cover. This document provides sample disclaimers.
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Property inspections checklist
The order of recording the detail in the inventory should always be consistent, that way when the inventory is read by another party it will be clear to them which room is being described. There should also be a pattern to how each room is dictated.
This checklist can be used for taking notes or as a checklist for dictation while inspecting a property. In addition, it includes general considerations to be aware of during check-up visits to a property. -
Residential lettings tenancy health and safety checklist
Questions on the checklist cover the obligations and recommended checks required of the letting agent (landlord) with regard to fire, electrics, gas, asbestos, hazardous substances and housekeeping. If the answer to any questions is no, the action to be taken should be noted in the comments section.
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Residential lettings workplace health and safety checklist
Questions on the checklist cover the obligations of employers to ensure the safety and health of their employees. Questions relate to health and safety notices, welfare, health and safety management and safe systems of work.
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Modelling price movements in housing micro-markets: permanent and transitory components in local housing market dynamics (RICS)
Published July 2009
This research, by Michael White of Heriot-Watt University, examines the factors that drive house price changes in different city sub-markets, using Aberdeen as a case study. -
Regional house price model of excess demand for housing (RICS)
Published May 2009
This report combines RICS housing market survey data with other housing indices to explore the creation of a time-on-market adjusted house price index. -
Examination of the housing needs and supply for an ageing society (RICS)
Published April 2009
This report, by the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York, examines the implications for housing supply and user needs of an ageing society. -
Internal housing space standards in England and Italy: comparing the 'conditions' of regulation (RICS)
Published February 2010
This research, led by Nick Gallent of UCL, and with funding from the RICS Education Trust, looks at the causes and consequences of differences in internal housing space standards in England and Italy. -
Permanent and transitory components in local housing market dynamics (RICS)
Published July 2009
This research, by Michael White of Heriot-Watt University, examines the factors that drive house price changes in different city sub-markets, using Aberdeen as a case study. -
Housing and security: casualisation revisited (RICS)
Published in September 2008
This paper, submitted to the construction and building research conference of RICS (COBRA), reflects on the extent to which the analogy between the growing insecurity in housing and the process of casualisation in employment is still relevant. -
On the economics of EU energy labels in the housing market (RICS)
Published June 2010
Based on data from the Netherlands, which was one of the early adopters of a certification scheme under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, this report by Dirk Brounen of Erasmus University, Rotterdam, and Nils Kok of Maastricht University provides some of the first evidence as to the market adoption and financial impact of energy performance certificates. -
Application of geographic information systems (GIS) to analyse occupier chains and property market filtering (RICS)
Published March 2010
This report by Paul Greenhalgh and Helen King of Northumbria University, and funded by the RICS Education Trust, explores the use of GIS to analyse property market filtering. -
Establishing a data framework for measuring the price effects of eco-certification (RICS)
Published May 2010
This report, by the University of Reading, with funding from the RICS Education Trust, analyses the data needed to explore the link between the financial and environmental performance of real estate. -
Credit check request for residential tenants
It is important to check the ability of any prospective tenant to afford the rent. Use this form to provide details of the tenant to an external credit checking agency.
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Reference request letters for residential tenants
All agents should carry out some form of check into the reliability of any prospective tenant to obey the terms of the tenancy agreement. Use these reference request letters to obtain information from parties who have knowledge of the tenant, including employers and previous landlords. A general letter is available too.
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Tenancy application reference form
Letting agents are under an obligation to ensure that a tenant is solvent. Obtaining proof of identity, employment history and references will allow the agent to build up a picture of the prospective tenant's circumstances. Use this form to obtain the information needed from tenants in order to set up the tenancy.
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Seller's enquiry form
When securing instructions from a seller, agents should obtain detailed information on the property, for example details of work carried out, services, fixtures and fittings and, in the case of leasehold properties, service charge details. Use this form to obtain the information needed from a seller in order to effectively market and sell a property.
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Dealing with noise and nuisance infosheet
Noise and nuisance are common problems for property owners and occupiers and can be particularly challenging where a property is let. This info sheet provides a summary of the problem and the available remedies. It is intended as a refresher document for an agent but can also be a useful reference document for landlords and tenants.
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Insurance for commercial property managers (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This guidance note was designed to outline best practice for property professionals dealing with insurances for commercial property owners.
Since this guidance was published, the former FSA has become two separate regulatory authorities, the FCA and the PRA. -
Rental appraisal checklist
A lettings agent should gather knowledge of the client, the property and any legal issues when appraising a property for letting. Use this checklist to collect the necessary information in order to advise landlords and future tenants effectively.
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Real estate agency and brokerage
This professional statement applies to all RICS members involved with the sale, letting, leasing and management of real estate, whatever the form of tenure by which it is held or occupied.
It outlines the principles that shape the culture of fairness and transparency that underpin all activities undertaken by real estate agents within whichever country they practice. Topics covered include:
- Ethics
- Securing instructions
- Acting for the seller: marketing the property
- Acting for the seller: agreeing the sale or lease
- Acting for the buyer
- Ending the instruction
- Safety and security
- Agency management -
Managing organisational change (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
These papers are aimed at surveyors who are assisting clients with organisational change or are re-organising their own professional practice. -
The future of UK housebuilding (RICS)
Published December 2010
This report aims to explore the future nature and form of UK housebuilding over the next 10 to 20 years with the purpose to encourage strategic thinking and provoke debate on the future of housing in the UK. The report reviews the current status of housebuilding, identifies the current key challenges and opportunities facing the industry in relation to the delivery of housing of quantity, quality, environmental sustainability and affordability. It then discusses the drivers for change and the potential future nature and form of housing, presenting strategic thinking based on expertise, existing knowledge and insights of the authors and others. -
An overview and comparison of dispute resolution processes in the UK (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
There are many different dispute resolution processes in the UK, the idea being that all of them strive to meet these aims in different ways. However, 'one size does not fit all', and selecting the wrong process can result in the opposite outcome; an unacceptable result in the longest possible time, with the greatest possible expense and maximum stress on the participants. The purpose of this paper is therefore to give an accurate, non-legalistic and user-friendly overview of the main dispute resolution processes available to the property, land and built environment sectors in the UK. This should assist users in selecting the most suitable dispute resolution process for their particular dispute. -
Surveying safely
Published November 2018
Effective from February 2019
Reissued July 2023
Appropriate management of health and safety is a requirement for all RICS-regulated firms and RICS members, including property-related businesses. The requirement for such management has been put in place in many countries across the globe and across industry sectors and governmental organisations in order to protect individuals from harm.
This professional standard sets out basic, good practice principles for the management of health and safety for RICS-regulated firms and RICS members. It sets out principles for those engaged in the built environment as property professionals and includes health and safety responsibilities:
• at a corporate level (whether the RICS-regulated firm is large or small) and
• at the level of the individual RICS member.
It covers property-related businesses and identifies the moral, ethical and practical issues that confront RICS-regulated firms and RICS members everywhere, in all the work that they undertake.
This document came into effect on 1 February 2019.
This document was reissued in July 2023 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in November 2018 as a guidance note. The regulatory requirements remain the same and no material changes have been made to the document. -
UK residential real estate agency
Published September 2017
Effective from 11 September 2017
With the increased focus on the need for ethical practice and transparency in the residential property market this RICS professional statement sets out clearly the responsibilities of residential property agents to ensure they are working to the highest ethical and professional standards.
The 5th edition of the Blue Book, UK Residential Property Standards, has been archived as it has been superseded by the 6th edition. -
UK commercial real estate agency standards
Published October 2016
Effective from 1 November 2016
With the increased focus on the need for ethical practice and transparency in the commercial property market, this professional statement sets out clearly the responsibilities of commercial property agents to ensure they are working to the highest ethical and professional standards. -
Conflicts of interest for members acting as dispute resolvers (UK)
Published November 2020
Effective from 1 February 2021
Reissued October 2022
This professional standard covers the appointment of surveyors as arbitrators, independent experts, mediators, adjudicators, and other dispute resolvers.
Surveyors may be appointed as dispute resolvers either by private agreement between the parties in dispute, or via RICS or other formal appointing parties, such as the Law Society or the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
The aim of this second edition professional standard is to provide advice on dealing with possible conflicts of interest for surveyors who are appointed to resolve disputes. It also helps all parties involved in a dispute to understand the main principles and considerations, and to be aware of when an involvement may develop into a conflict of interest.
This document was reissued in October 2022 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in November 2020 as a guidance note. The regulatory requirements remain the same and no material changes have been made to the document. -
Real estate agency and brokerage standards – 1st edition translations (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
The RICS Real estate agency and brokerage standards provide best practice guidance for real estate agents and brokers in all world regions. Their purpose is to ensure that clients receive objective advice, delivered in a professional manner that is consistent with internationally recognised standards.
The standards set a framework for best practice in the execution and delivery of real estate agency services, subject to specific local legislative requirements and local market specifics. The standards offer generic guidance applicable to commercial, residential and rural transactions, including sales, acquisitions, leasing and letting.
The guidance underpins the Real Estate Agency Code and its core principles and also provides guidance that will help to meet relevant laws and ethical codes in all world regions.
Translations include:
- French
- Dutch
- Simplified Chinese
- Italian
- Polish
- Spanish. -
Ethics in UK real estate practices (RICS)
Published July 2010
This research investigates professional ethics in small and large surveying practices. -
Household mobility expectations and estimates of local housing demand (RICS)
Published in February 2012
The aim of this research is to explore the reliability of survey data on mobility expectations as a predictor of actual moves and as a basis for estimating future housing need and demand. -
TUPE: information for property managers (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
TUPE stands for The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. New regulations to update TUPE 2006 came into force on 31 January 2014 under The Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.
The purpose of TUPE is to provide employment protection on the transfer of a business from one individual to another or a change in responsibility for a contracted out service. In applying it, employment tribunals generally adopt what they call a ‘purposive’ approach, which effectively means they interpret TUPE to protect employees in line with the social objectives of the European ARD. -
Is it time for a second nominal anchor in the UK? - Managing house price inflation with macroprudential tools (RICS)
Published summer 2013
In this note we argue that:
The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee should consider adopting an explicit house price inflation policy using macroprudential tools.
We suggest setting an annual growth rate threshold in a national index, which if exceeded, triggers tighter macroprudential policy.
This should help anchor private sector house price expectations, thereby curbing excessive risk taking and the build-up of financial imbalances.
This should not be considered as a stand alone policy; it entails risks, so would need to form part of a package of measures that addresses these risks. -
Tenant’s end of tenancy checklist
This checklist is to assist tenants with what will be expected of them when handing the property back at the termination of their tenancy.
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Tenant’s checklist: key points of your tenancy
A checklist to assist tenants with their tenancy, providing key points to remember about looking after the property, dealing with disrepair, ending the tenancy and generally how to be a good tenant and maintain a good relationship with the landlord/agent.
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Private rented sector code (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This cross-industry code is intended to promote best practice in the letting and management of private rented sector housing in England.
The code is intended for use by landlords and lettings and management agents in the private rented sector (PRS).
The Code was amended in July 2015 to reflect changes in legislation, including the introduction of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015. -
Real estate management
This professional statement applies to the management of both commercial and residential real estate.
It outlines the principles that shape the culture of fairness and transparency that underpin all activities undertaken by real estate managers within whichever country they practice, and applies to all RICS members involved with the sale, letting, leasing and management of real estate, whatever the form of tenure by which it is held or occupied. -
BIM for beginners
The built environment sector is full of debate about BIM. In these times it is crucial to be clear on the current and future state of BIM.
This document is based on key points from the RICS guidance note 'International BIM implementation guide'. It gives a brief introduction to BIM for those who have yet to work with it. It looks at:
- what BIM is
- the technology behind BIM
- how BIM is used in project delivery and
- the implications of BIM on organisations. -
Flooding: issues of concern to RICS surveyors and valuers (Residential property) (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This information paper describes the nature of the current flood risk problem, the consequences of that risk and how a residential practitioner may take these into consideration when providing residential survey and valuation services. -
RICS property measurement
Published January 2018
Effective from 1 May 2018
RICS property measurement comprises the following two elements:
1. Professional statement: property measurement
a) Application of this professional statement
b) Technical definitions
c) IPMS: Office Buildings, as applied under the professional statement
d) IPMS: Residential Buildings as applied under the professional statement (applies to office measurements and residential measurements only – download these below).
2. RICS IPMS data standard
This document reflects the IPMS standards (IPMS: Office Buildings and IPMS: Residential) and will be updated over time to comply with other IPMS standards, including industrial, retail and mixed use, as they are published.
For all building classes except offices and residential buildings, the bases of measurement contained within the Code of measuring practice, 6th edition (COMP) may still apply though the application of this professional statement applies to all building classes. The COMP was effective globally from 18 May 2015, though early adoption of IPMS is recommended on publication of the new standards.
Software developers and those requiring the use of structured data are advised to follow the schemas as defined, and those wishing to pursue RICS software certification must demonstrate compliance with this data standard. This data standard is an XML schema and is available to download.
A user guide to the standard, intended for implementers, is available for download. For more information please email datastandards@rics.org. -
Health and safety for residential property managers
Published January 2016
Effective from 1 August 2016
This guidance note sets out practical guidance around the health and safety management of most types and configurations of residential properties. It aims to assist those responsible to be able to ensure, at all times, that the properties and, if appropriate, the facility management services delivered meet all statutory obligations (note that you will need to check legal requirements in each relevant jurisdiction), as well as good practice in regard to health, safety and environmental matters. -
New business practices: estate agency interactions in England and New Zealand housing markets (RICS)
Published January 2016
This research aims to understand the contemporary role of agents and other information sources in shaping owner occupiers’ search and bidding behaviour in the UK and New Zealand. -
Housing associations and market renting in the North East and North West of England (RICS)
Published Marchl 2016
This research explores the regional responses to a changing context in housing associations and market renting in the North East and North West of England. -
Residential panel managers (ARCHIVED)
This document has been archived and is available on isurv for information purposes only.
This protocol has been jointly set up and endorsed by an industry wide group comprising representatives of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), lenders, insurers and panel management firms involved in the residential mortgage valuation market. It sets out professional standards for the industry and, as a model for best practice, aims to improve protection for all parties to the valuation process. The protocol does not replace any existing obligations placed on firms by their professional, statutory or regulatory bodies. -
REITs in China: opportunities and challenges (RICS)
Published May 2016
The research aims to compare the REITS in HK, China and Singapore in terms of regulation, taxation, costs and returns. -
Residential property measurement practice – evidence from world regions (RICS)
Published September 2016
The report by University of Ulster investigated local property measurement practice across five world regions and attempted to quantify the measurement choices made locally. -
Valuation of buy-to-let and HMO properties
Published October 2022
Effective from 1 December 2022
There has been a major shift in the UK housing market that has led to an increased bias to private renting, both out of choice and out of need. These changes have their roots in tenure-neutral housing policies that have been adopted since the 1980s, the impact of which has been amplified by the general undersupply of homes and the affordability challenge faced by homebuyers.
Based on the English Housing Survey 2020 to 2021, 4.4 million households now call the private rented sector home. Growth has slowed since 2018 as regulatory and taxation changes have taken effect, although appetite for investment in the private rented sector remains strong given favourable returns compared with other investment opportunities.
A shift towards a higher proportion of professional landlords has also been seen over this period. The creation of buy-to-let has helped to shape a private rented sector that is fit for purpose and provides choice, value, and flexibility for tenants. Demand from tenants continues to be high and is expected to increase. The expansion of buy-to-let has created significant challenges for valuers in this market.
The purpose of this updated professional standard is to provide sufficient background information and guidance to ensure consistency in the assessment of residential investment properties to include:
- single residential units
- houses in multiple occupation and
- multi-unit blocks.
This document provides best practice and advice for members and end users. -
Conflicts of interest – global
Published March 2017
Effective from 1 January 2018
Reissued July 2023
The global professional standard on conflicts of interest provides clear rules for RICS members and regulated firms to identify and manage potential conflicts of interest.
Effective identification and management of conflicts of interest is an essential component of professionalism. The professional standard provides confidence to clients and consumers that RICS members and regulated firms are operating to the highest ethical standards.
Following extensive industry consultation and feedback, RICS developed this professional standard to provide clarification on:
- competing bidders
- effective date/transition
- conflicts arising during professional assignments
- passing confidential information to insurers and legal advisers.
The conflicts of interest professional standard, which supports the RICS Rules of Conduct, places an overarching mandatory requirement on all RICS members and regulated firms and specifies RICS’ expectations of how compliance with the Rules of Conduct should be achieved.
This document was reissued in July 2023 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in March 2017 as a guidance note. No material changes have been made to the document. -
Conflicts of interest: UK commercial property market investment agency
Published May 2017
Effective from 1 January 2018
Reissued July 2023
This professional standard provides RICS members and RICS regulated firms with mandatory requirements when acting on the open market sale or acquisition of a commercial investment real estate opportunity in the UK in order to avoid conflicts of interest prejudicial to their clients’ best interests.
It covers:
- dual agency, including related firms
- multiple introductions and
- incremental advice.
This document was reissued in July 2023 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in May 2017 as a professional statement. No material changes have been made to the document.
See also RICS' global professional standard 'Conflicts of interest' at: www.isurv.com/downloads/download/2140/conflicts_of_interest_–_global -
Environmental risks and global real estate
Published November 2018
Effective from December 2018
Reissued April 2024
Both in real terms and in the growth of legislation, environmental considerations affect real estate in all sectors. Increasingly, there are implications for how we buy, sell, use and value real estate.
This first edition professional standard is aimed principally at the land and property acquisition, disposal and asset management stages of the property life cycle. It aims to provide guidance to chartered surveyors who are not specialists in environmental considerations and management or in the preparation of environmental reports including Land Quality Statements and Environmental Screening Reports. -
Countering bribery and corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing
Published February 2019
Effective from 1 September 2019
Reissued October 2022
This global professional standard sets out mandatory requirements for RICS members and RICS-regulated firms in relation to bribery, corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing.
It is divided into three parts:
1. Mandatory requirements for anti-bribery and corruption and for anti-money laundering and terrorist financing.
2. Guidance setting out supporting good practice regarding each of these areas.
3. Supplementary guidance on some key concepts described in parts 1 and 2.
If this document contradicts local legislation then the legislation takes precedence. -
International models for delivery of affordable housing in Asia
Published May 2019
This insight paper aims to identify different national housing models across Asia for delivering affordable housing, in order to see what lessons may be transferable. It raises questions about acceptable standards of affordable housing for different socioeconomic conditions, including tenure security, construction standards and environmental/space standards. -
Performance metrics, required returns and achieved returns for UK real estate development
The aim of this research is to improve the understanding of the form, extent and variability of the financial returns achieved by real estate developers, focusing on the UK real estate market.
Profits or returns from real estate development vary depending on the nature, location and timing of each scheme. Development appraisal methods vary in the way that they incorporate or measure developer returns. Cash margins on cost or value are very common, while rates of return are frequently used as well. Sometimes finance is incorporated in the valuation explicitly and sometimes it is absorbed within the developer's rate of return.
This variation among market participants and across methods in the handling of developer returns raises methodological questions when it comes to development appraisal. For example, is there a relationship between expected cash margins (profit on cost or value, for example) and rates of return, what is an 'appropriate' developer return, and how do returns vary depending on scheme, timing and the way the return is measured?
This research attempts to answer these questions by (a) reviewing relevant literature, (b) examining published development viability appraisals, (c) analysing published accounts for real estate developers, and (d) undertaking a survey of developers, supplemented by a small number of confidential interviews with market participants. -
Surveyors advising in respect of the Electronic Communications Code
Published November 2019
Effective from 14 November 2019
The electronic communications sector has witnessed dramatic evolution both in terms of the development of new technologies and the demand for services. This has resulted in a profound shift in the way digital electronic communications are deployed, accessed and used. The government acknowledged this by enacting the Electronic Communications Code at the end of 2017, as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017, to facilitate the delivery and maintenance of high quality digital electronic communications infrastructure and to accommodate future technological development. The Code regulates the relationship between electronic communications network operators, infrastructure providers and site providers throughout the UK and provides a statutory framework for establishing agreements to place, operate and maintain electronic communications apparatus on land and property.
The government’s objective is to achieve the right balance of interests between site providers, electronic communications providers and, most importantly, the public interest in access to a choice of high-quality electronic communications services, and a competitive and sustainable digital communications infrastructure.
The aim of this guidance note is to highlight the main factors that may influence or impact the variety of roles a surveyor may be called on to perform within this environment. Given the dynamic nature of the industry, it is not intended to provide an exhaustive body of guidance but to identify the main issues likely to arise. This ground-breaking guidance note will also provide a framework that surveyors can refer to when advising their clients in relation to electronic communications networks and installations that fall under the scope of the Electronic Communications Code. -
Beyond COVID-19: Reopening of commercial buildings
This document has global applicability and is designed to give support and advice on the preparations and considerations for the reopening of commercial buildings once pandemic lockdown restrictions are lifted.
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Beyond COVID-19: Inspections and visits for non-domestic properties
Recommendations on inspections and visits for non-domestic properties during COVID-19 in England.
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The age of unreal estate
Published October 2020
We are in the middle of a period of drastic socioeconomic change today, change that has widespread implications for the use of real estate. Rapid technological advances, a growing emphasis on environmental and social impacts, and the wellbeing and productivity of a building’s users have all become important drivers for reconsidering how we think about property. COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated this conversation, radically changing demand for and use of buildings across the built environment while bringing unprecedented challenges.
Real estate must and will respond. For it to do so, we must ask how it will remain relevant to its customers, and therefore how RICS professionals engaged in its design, supply and management will also ensure that they remain relevant in a changing landscape.
This insight paper suggests an agenda for change, including a customer-centric, people-centric and responsible approach that recognises the rapidly evolving role of real estate. While compliance, cost and function remain critical, they must now be considered alongside other factors of equal importance to organisational objectives, such as environmental performance, stimulation and the experience that they provide. To measure a building's performance in these areas and inform professionals’ decision-making, better and more detailed data will be key. -
Planned preventative maintenance
Published January 2022
Effective from 1 April 2022
Reissued October 2022
This professional standard has global application to commercial and residential property. It sets out the general principles that should be adopted when undertaking a planned preventative maintenance (PPM) survey and report for built assets, and provides RICS members, regulated firms and their clients with a source of best practice.
It focuses on PPM reports for built assets (the type a building surveyor would undertake), rather than the type of planned maintenance reports for MEPF asset/component replacement that might be carried out by an MEPF engineer or facilities manager.
PPM surveying has become a core service provided by chartered building surveyors. It is key to helping clients understand the current condition of their real estate assets, which enables them to plan the necessary investment to ensure each element of the building performs as intended. Although the term PPM refers to ‘preventative’ maintenance, it should be acknowledged that maintenance is not always preventative. This standard concerns all aspects of planned maintenance.
Key topics include:
- client instruction, expectations and requirements
- survey preparation, including competence, information gathering, equipment, health and safety and third-party consultants
- conducting the inspection, including recording data, access and building elements
- legal and technical, including health and safety, fire engineering and accessibility, and
- producing a report, including the PPM schedule, report contents and cost data.
The standard also includes a PPM services checklist which is provided as a separate download.
This document was reissued in October 2022 as a professional standard. It had previously been published in January 2022 as a guidance note. The regulatory requirements remain the same and no material changes have been made to the document. -
Residential retrofit standard
Published 19 March 2024
Effective from 31 October 2024
RICS’ first residential retrofit standard has been created in response to growing demand for retrofit services. It ensures that consumers carrying out retrofit upgrades to a residential property receive advice from skilled, regulated professionals, and protects the public interest by upholding high standards in a growing market.
This UK professional standard sets out a series of concise mandatory and recommended requirements and is effective from 31 October 2024, establishing benchmarks that guide RICS members in delivering residential retrofit services tailored to their clients' evolving needs.
The implementation of this standard represents an opportunity for RICS residential property surveyors to both upskill and embrace sustainable working practices in response to the growing demand. According to UK government statistics, residential retrofits need to increase to a rate of 500,000 per year by 2025, and one million per year by 2030 to meet the decarbonisation target. Hence, there is a market need for a standard that facilitates reliability and consistency and provides a foundation for professional indemnity.