It's vital to keep up with the RICS' frequent changes to its rules of conduct, as these form a key element in the APC process

The rules of conduct continue to be an extremely important part of the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) process. The RICS periodically updates many of its publications, so I have undertaken a review of changes made to the rules of conduct since their initial publication on 4 June 2007.

Amendments to rules of conduct, and the relevant help sheets and policy documents as published in 4 June 2007 were made variously in October 2008, January 2009, April 2009 and May 2009, as follows:

Lifelong learning (LLL)/CPD
This has undergone a fundamental change, from 1 January 2009, whereby the RICS now requires a minimum of 20 hours of lifelong learning per year to be undertaken by chartered surveyors. The help sheet is available to download and is dated 1 January 2009.

Here is the relevant extract/update from the lifelong learning help sheet:

“RICS requires members' lifelong learning to be effective, enabling them to do their work competently. The outcome of the learning is as important as the number of hours spent on it, however RICS would find it difficult to consider less than 20 hours learning activities per year to be an appropriate amount of learning.”

Rules of conduct for members
Updated in April 2009, with a rebrand and minor heading changes.

Rules of conduct for firms
Updated in April 2009, with a rebrand and minor section and heading changes and communication methods.

Approved redress mechanisms – help sheet
Updated in January 2009, with a rebrand, altered layout and better definition of consumer or business redress mechanisms.

Who will manage your business in your absence – help sheet
New in October 2008.

Rules for the registration of firms
Updated in April 2009, with a rebrand and further detail.

Online registration of firms – help sheet
New – no issue date.

Annual fee for firms 2008-2009
Updated – no issue date.

How complaints to RICS are dealt with – help sheet
Updated in May 2009, with minor wording change on disclosure of member and firm details.

Bye-laws
Updated in November 2008.

Regulations
Updated in November 2008.

Supplemental charter
Updated in November 2008.

No change
The following documents have not been changed:

  • RICS rules of conduct for APC final assessment – guidance note
  • Maintaining 12 professional and ethical standards – help sheet
  • Complaints handling procedure – help sheet
  • Clients' money general – help sheet
  • Training for firms – help sheet
  • Clients' money auctioneers – help sheet
  • Professional indemnity insurance – policy document
  • Use of firms' designation 'regulated by RICS' – policy document
  • How to complain about an RICS member or firm – help sheet
  • How complaints to RICS firms are dealt with – help sheet

Note

My research material has all been drawn from the RICS website and RICS Business magazine since January 2009. Please note that my research is completely independent and based upon the latest documents I have found on the website on 1 October 2009 and reviewed against the originally published documents dated 4 June 2007. I take no responsibility for any errors or omissions in my research and I strongly suggest any individual keen to update themselves on the rules of conduct should do so by downloading the documents for themselves. You can download all of the relevant documentation from www.rics.org/regulation or www.rics.org/newregulation.

Postscript

Jon Lever is managing director of DeLever, APC chairman of assessors, and an RICS training adviser and RICS-licensed assessor trainer. Look out for his guidance on what to do in the lead-up to the final assessment every month at www.building.co.uk.

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