1

RICS AGM 2021: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

At this year’s Annual General Meeting, RICS undertook to answer all questions submitted and

publish answers on our website. We have grouped questions where there is a theme for ease

of reading. We have included all questions submitted to us in advance, all questions asked on

the day and all questions submitted to the AGM inbox subsequently.

For reasons of confidentiality, we have not published the names of those who asked

questions.

We received a small number of questions which referred to the personal details of, and, in

some instances made allegations about, named individuals who have previously been

involved with RICS. To ensure RICS acts lawfully and with fairness we have had to take the

decision to not publish those specific questions. Where it was possible to edit the question,

we have done so and left the edited version in this document. We have indicated where

questions have been edited. We have sought to maintain the substance of the question and

answered them as fully as possible.

All individuals who raised questions which fall within this group have still been sent a full

response to their question. We have also not published a very small number of questions that,

disappointingly, were abusive towards individuals.

We fully recognise the importance of transparency which is why we have disclosed all

questions where possible.

The RICS Library

Question 1

I understand that the RICS library has been closed permanently and the library staff laid off.

My questions for the AGM:

1. I would like to ask for an explanation of this unfortunate decision

2. I would like to ask for the decision to be reviewed and the library service reinstated with a

professional library staff

3. I would like to ask what arrangements have been made to preserve the RICS library collection

since closure, and what arrangements are in place to allow access in future for historians and other

scholars and to ensure that the collection is secured and professionally archived pending any decision

to reopen the library.

Question 2

I recently tried searching the RICS website for the library. I could not find anything useful. Rumour

has it that the library has now completely closed -is this true? If so, I am extremely disappointed and

that is being very polite! I was extremely angry when the RICS decided that books could no longer be

borrowed. Is this not just another indication of the dumbing down of our profession? We were

promised the books would be scanned and available online, however, I do not think this has been

realised in any useful form. Whilst there is information available on the internet this is generally a

poor substitute for a well written and edited tome. Also, as a building surveyor, often surveying

Victorian and Georgian buildings, access to books on older forms of construction and methods can be

invaluable. I cannot afford to buy books on a regular basis and also do not want to when I am just

investigating a single issue. As a student the Library was an essential source of information and

wisdom - you should not deny this to future generations. Please could we have our lending library

back.

Question 3

Why is the library closed. It should be reopened.

Question 4

2

I agree with the issue of the library being closed as it was a place of study and reference for the many

facets of professional practice. I visit 4 to 6 times a year from the north to look at the collection in

relation to my work. Most of the information in the library is not available online.

Answer

We recognise that the RICS Library is a cherished resource and one that members rely on to carry

out research and prepare for the APC.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we took the difficult decision to close the Library for the time being.

As with many organisations, Covid-19 forced us to make some difficult decisions to secure our

financial sustainability. Member footfall into our building had been very small and this was true for the

library.

Going forward we have two challenges, firstly is to make library resources available and accessible to

all members across the globe and it is understandable that this will need to be done digitally. We also

recognise as a global organisation there are many professionals who cannot realistically access a

physical library in London but who would benefit from increased access to online resources. This will

be critical for us moving forward.

However, we do appreciate the historical significance and the importance to members of the physical

Library. Our CEO has committed to getting members access back to the Library: the room and all the

historical resources are still at Great George Street. One of the challenges over the coming year will

be how we can revive not only the library but also the member space at Great George Street, and we

will be looking to engage members on that during the start of next year.

RICS Offices: Great George Street, London

Question 1

At the AGM please could you state managerially and financially why you have closed the 12 Great

George St building and why no notification of this to members. Also what are the plans for the

building.

Question 2

Why does the RICS have a closed door policy to its valuable HQ building, in stark contrast to the

RIBA, which has open doors welcoming members and non members to its sunny café, excellent

bookshop, events, exhibitions, talks and CPD. The RICS HQ offers none of the above, and only has a

dark basement staff canteen (currently closed). The library shut following the 150th anniversary and

many years ago the beautiful first floor café bar was leased to Roux. Why does the RICS not open its

doors and welcome all in and host events, exhibitions, open evenings, CPD and dinners like the

RIBA. If the reason is security issues due to the location by Parliament why not relocate. Please

explain the closed door policy which was in place well before Covid-19. Currently the RIBA is hosting

an exhibition by appointment, even during Covid-19.

Question 3

Why does the RICS like to make money out of its members for CPD charging £250+ for a place on a

conference. Please open the building for free evening sessions of CPD organised by RICS members

using their knowledge and contacts.

Question 4

It is especially reassuring to hear the welcome news on the library and the opening of Great George

Street at some point, Covid depending. Can we ask that the focus of the thinking on the future use is

member centric? By way of observation the lack of up to date member facilities in the business

centre and the former restaurant suggest that until now member use of the building has been

discouraged.

Question 5

3

Why does the RICS HQ building have a closed door policy - pre Covid, unlike the RIBA. This must

change and members should be welcomed in.

Question 6

On my visit on Monday 6th December to the RICS building I understand that the building has been

open but empty for about 2months. It is clear that the library is closed as is the restaurant. Is it

proposed to open the building up for lettings and for use by members?

I am concerned that the expensive building in central London with overheads is empty and has been

so since March 2020. Is it considered that the building be sold and the proceeds distributed

appropriately? We have a building in Coventry that is used for staff meetings. Do we really need the

central London building?

Answer

During the pandemic, in order to comply with national lockdowns imposed by Governments and to

protect our staff and members, we closed Great George Street and other RICS offices. We notified

members of this decision via email and published updates on our website and social media channels

to ensure people did not travel to those buildings.

Those offices re-opened earlier this year when restrictions eased, including our dedicated member

spaces in London and Birmingham, and members are welcome to visit these offices to work and meet

once more. These are operated as Covid-safe spaces, with some restrictions still in place to protect

all those using the spaces.

We are very proud of our Great George Street office and have no intention of closing this building to

members or selling it. As restrictions ease further, we will make that space much more available to our

members and we will look to engage members in terms of what they would like to use the building for.

Great George Street: Valuation

What is the assumption for the valuation of the George Street building as if it is on the overarching

principle of highest and best use then it should be considered as a residential development, where the

value may be in excess of that reported?

Answer

The valuation is based on what we are currently using the properties for. They determined on a Fair

Value basis as at the valuation date. Our opinion of Fair Value is based upon the definitions and

assumptions detailed within International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International

Accounting Standards (IAS). For the purpose of financial reporting under IFRS, Fair Value is defined

as:

“The price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly

transaction between market sector participants at the measurement date.”

Whilst this definition of Fair Value is not the same as Market Value, it is synonymous with it.

Accordingly, our assessment of Fair Value has been derived using market-based evidence.

Finance: Revolving Credit Facility

Question 1

As a percentage of value how heavily mortgaged are all RICS’s assets?

Answer

We took a 3-year revolving credit facility last year with a charge on our HQ - we do not have any other

charges or commitments elsewhere in the organisation. In terms of the revolving credit facility, we had

an £18 million facility and we accessed £13 million of this during November and December last year

and we paid all of that back by February 2021. Since then, we have not used that facility, it has

4

dropped to £12 million, and we are currently forecasting not to use it at all this year. This is therefore

only an academic exercise at the moment and no other assets have a charge on them.

Question 2

Are we likely to get to the end of the calendar year 2021 without using the revolving credit facility?

Answer

We will not be using the revolving credit facility - that is our latest and current forecast. Given the very

strong performance we have had this year and year to date, we will not be using that facility.

Finance: Furlough Repayments

If there has been a loss then why are the RICS paying back furlough monies to the Treasury when

that has resulted a reduction of staff and rationalisation of the business. Is this in line with other

institutions?

Answer

We did not make a loss in the financial year in which we are paying furlough money back. Because of

the steps we have taken to strengthen the organisation’s financial position we delivered a financial

surplus in 2020/21. As a result we have the means to repay furlough monies received from the UK

government. As an organisation with an obligation to act for the public advantage, Governing Council

decided that it was appropriate that these monies should be repaid when the organisation was in a

position to do so. We paid the first instalment in October 2021.

Internal Audit Processes

Please can members be advised what Internal Audit arrangements are in place for all principal

activities and how these are reported to members. Beyond financial activities these need to cover all

RICS functions and services. For example, some of the ongoing problems with APC assessments

referred to earlier, are long-standing and could have been addressed sooner if flagged by effective

Internal Audit systems.

Answer

We are finalising the upcoming year's internal audit plan - this will include all parts of the business and

will be reported to the audit committee and then to governing council. We have also commissioned

some work to be undertaken by KPMG and this includes a full health check of all areas within the

organisation, not just in finance.

From that, it will identify areas for deep dive internal audits to put new controls in place so we can

understand how to make the organisation stronger going forwards. In terms of reporting, these are

internal reports which go to the Audit Committee, Chaired by Mike Driver, which ultimately are then

communicated to Governing Council.

Modus and Journals: Digital vs Paper

Question 1

Could the AGM please advise which RICS Committee or Council an ordinary RICS professional

member would put a request to concerning the RICS undertaking a web-based survey of UK RICS

Members to obtain Members’ views and feedback on the digital format and content of Modus (the

RICS’s professional journal); and please confirm the process by which I would make such a request

and the RICS governance process within which this would be considered.

Question 2

Have RICS any plans to re-visit the decision to stop publishing MODUS magazine in hard copy

format? I believe that the decision to publish it online only was retrograde move.

Question 3

5

Not really a question but a statement that I absolutely support the move to Modus becoming fully

digital. This is a sustainable decision for the future good as we move into more of a digital world.

Question 4

I would ask for modus to come back as hard copy - it could be an opt in or opt out. I am not managing

to read the content online and I accept the carbon impact of my request, I also feel that it is a very

small cost which can be taken from my not insignificant membership fees.

Question 5

Whilst accepting that the RICS has saved money on no longer having the hard copy journals, many

members miss having a hard copy journal and were not asked their views on moving to website

journals only. Some members have expressed concern re the excessive hours they are spending

online and the digital only option does not help some manage their mental health, in addition some

members have disabilities making it difficult if journals are only digital only

Most members accept many decisions had to be made at pace in response to Covid that did not

permit member engagement, however many members would welcome the opportunity to be asked a

direct question regarding the return of the hard copy journals. Other professional bodies who went

digital only, have asked members and have opted to bring back the hard copy

Please can members be directly asked the question if they would like the hard copy journals to

return?

Answer

The decision to move Modus and Journals online was taken for a number of reasons.

Firstly, to reduce costs by around £1 million a year. Secondly, to open up Modus and Journals to our

global membership as previously the printed versions had been distributed only in the UK. Thirdly, to

reduce the use of paper and so our carbon footprint - we were printing in the region of 65,000

magazines monthly and that meant 55 million pages each year. Fourthly, to enable a better online

experience with properly searchable content. Finally, we wanted to give greater flexibility to publish

timely and relevant content when it is ready and best to do so, rather than according to a publication

schedule. On sustainability and cost grounds alone the arguments for moving digital in this area have

been incredibly powerful.

However, we understand that members have differing views on this decision and that for some

members, accessing content online is challenging. Our CEO has committed to publishing a paper on

the impact of the change and seeking member views - this will provide an opportunity for any

members who wish to return to hard copies a chance to express that view. Equally we will be seeking

views on how we might develop and improve the current digital offering.

Modus and Journals: Email Communications

Should members not get an email when a new Modus and Construction Journal is released?

Answer

Modus and the RICS Journals are publishing new content on a weekly basis with several articles

published each week. Both Modus and the journals have newsletters to keep subscribers up to date

on recent content that is published. We would love to subscribe all members to the newsletters but

this is not allowed under current data privacy laws. Please take a moment to fill out this form, which

gives us permission to send you the Modus and or RICS Journals newsletter.

The Levitt Review: Disciplinary Action Against Former Executives and Governing Council

Members

We received a small number of questions which referred to the personal details of, and, in

some instances, named individuals who have previously been involved with RICS. To ensure

6

RICS’ acts lawfully and with fairness we have had to take the decision to not publish those

specific questions. This has resulted in two questions being removed. All seven questions we

received on this issue asked a variation of the five below.

Question 1

Given the outcomes of the Levitt Review what disciplinary action is/will be taken against those named

in the Report?

Question 2

Will anyone be brought before the disciplinary committee?

Question 3

Will the current Review and the Institution actively consider taking formal action against former

executives?

Question 4

What actions have RICS taken (if any), against those cited as culpable in the Levitt Report? Have

they all been made fully accountable for their actions?

Question 5

What measures are being taken to investigate and sanction members named within the Levitt

Review?

Answer

Governing Council delegates all regulatory decisions (the entire regulatory function) to the Standards

and Regulation Board; this ensures that regulatory procedures, rules and decisions are made at

arms-length from Governing Council and ensures, to the greatest extent possible, the independence

of regulatory decision making.

Decisions about whether or not regulatory action will be taken against any members of RICS are

therefore taken by members of staff with specific delegated responsibility for making these types of

decision in accordance with RICS’ bye-laws and regulatory rules. Governing Council will not therefore

be asked to make any decisions about whether regulatory action should be taken in relation to these

individuals.

What we can say is that the information contained within the Levitt review was made available to

individuals within the Regulation department who are responsible for making these decisions and who

will follow the regulatory rules approved and imposed by the Standards and Regulation Board. Due to

reasons of confidentiality, it would not be appropriate for any member of the Executive or staff to

provide any further information at this stage.

In general terms, as an overriding principle to ensure fairness, RICS does not report publicly on

members who are subject to investigation. If, in general terms, a matter is referred to a Disciplinary

Panel for consideration, the Disciplinary Panel’s decision is ordinarily published subject to any

restrictions which the Disciplinary Panel may deem necessary in the public interest.

Question 5

What will be done to identify specific problems and individuals to prevent them from ever being in

such a position to damage the reputation of the Institution again?

Answer

Governing Council has accepted the independent review’s recommendations in full and resolved to

implement them as quickly as possible, as a first step to rebuilding trust and confidence in the

Institution. But we recognise that much more will need to be done to deliver both structural and

cultural change in the organisation. Confidence in the organisation will be re-built by working openly

7

and collaboratively with members, staff, governance boards and other stakeholders. Governing

Council is aware it will be judged by actions, not words. Lord Bichard has now been appointed to

undertake an Independent Review into the Purpose, Governance and Strategy of RICS to take

forward the next phase of this work.

The Levitt Review: Governing Council Apologies and Recognition

Will RICS recognise the efforts of those on Governing Council who over the years have sought to

oppose what appears to be a discredited leadership structure recognising the efforts of those

members of GC who stood up for their principles against the odds?

Answer

We are sorry for the loss of confidence and trust in the institution. We have apologised to the non-

Executives who were wrongly dismissed and reimbursed the legal fees of the GC2019 group, who

were threatened with legal action.

With regards to the wider membership, Governing Council believes the most appropriate response is

to hold itself accountable for the delivery of the fundamental changes the organisation needs to

restore trust going forwards.

The Levitt Review: Governing Council Votes

Which Members (i.e. which individuals) of Governing Council initially voted against the External

Review (i.e. the Oldham/Levitt Review)?

Answer

Governing Council votes are carried by a majority and we do not provide breakdowns on individual

voting decisions.

The Levitt Review: Cost

What are the respective two amounts expended on ‘Defining our Future’ and the ‘Levitt Review’?

Answer

Governing Council made provision for £1.2 million to be put aside for the Levitt Review, Defining our

Future and associated events arising from these. This provision was made in the 2020/21 financial

year and we can confirm this was the amount spent.

The Levitt Review: Cost Recovery

This question has been edited

What steps are being taken to recover the costs of the Levitt review?

Answer

The costs of the Levitt Review were budgeted for within RICS in the 2020/21 Financial Year. There is

no basis for RICS to recover those costs from any individual.

The Levitt Review: Legal Action

This question has been edited

Has RICS taken any legal action against former executive team or Governing Council members?

Answer

It is important to remember that Alison Levitt QC’s report found no evidence of corruption or

criminality. Alison Levitt was explicit that she “found nothing to suggest that any criminal offences

have been committed or that any other financial impropriety has occurred in relation to the financial

matters which are the subject of the Independent Review”.

8

The Levitt Review: Legal Fees

Question 1

This question has been edited

What steps are being taken to recover the legal fees paid to Fieldfisher?

Answer

We are considering our position in relation to fees previously paid to professional advisers.

Question 2

This question has been edited

What steps are being taken to recover the reimbursement of fees to those affected?

Answer

RICS has publicly apologised to members of the GC 2019 group and reimbursed their legal fees. We

have no legal basis to seek to recover these costs from elsewhere.

The Levitt Review: External Legal Advisors

How has this recommendation from the Levitt Review been dealt with?

RICS should consider replacing its external legal advisers, ideally by putting the matter out to tender.

As part of this process, RICS may wish to scrutinise the involvement of Fieldfisher in this matter,

particularly in relation to:

a. Possibly unwise decisions, bearing in mind that RICS – not the Executive – was Fieldfisher’s client;

b. Whether advice was given on legal matters only or whether it strayed into other areas and whether

it could be described as non-partisan;

c. The level of spend.

I was denied access to some documents in the file on the ground that they were internal Fieldfisher

communications and thus did not belong to the client (RICS). I disagree with this view and suggest

that RICS might consider making a request of Fieldfisher in order to see the internal discussions

which took place.

Answer

Governing Council is implementing Alison Levitt QC’s recommendations, one of which was to

undertake a comprehensive review of RICS external legal services. We are in the process of finalising

details for a tendering exercise for external legal service providers.

The Levitt Review: General Counsel

Question 1

This question has been edited

Is General Counsel still employed by RICS?

Answer

General Counsel has left RICS.

Question 2

How has this been implemented? General Counsel or Head of Legal should not have a pre-existing

relationship with RICS’ external legal advisers

9

Answer

Existing arrangements, the level of spend and the organisation's requirements for legal services are

being reviewed across all departments. Once this exercise is complete, a new framework for

procuring and instructing external legal advisors will be prepared for approval by Governing Council.

The Institution will commence an open tender for new legal advisers in January 2022. General

Counsel has left RICS and an external recruitment exercise to fill this role is underway. We will ensure

that the recommendations of the Levitt Review are met through the recruitment process.

The Levitt Review: Communications

How are we publishing the changes to clients that have resulted from the Levitt Review?

Answer

We have published the Levitt Review on our website and have a dedicated area, the Independent

Review Information Centre, which is updated regularly in terms of progress against recommendations.

We also include updates in our monthly membership newsletter, and on our social media channels.

We will seek to identify better ways to communicate the positive changes we are making.

Over the last six weeks, the Chair of Governing Council has received a great deal of correspondence

on this issue, including from stakeholders seeking to understand what the Levitt Review means for the

Institution for individual members going forward. He has written extensively to those correspondents

to outline progress and future plans. The subsequent follow up correspondence has been positive, so

we hope the position in the eyes of our clients is generally positive.

The Levitt Review: Transparency

Did the RICS ever consider redacting any of the report rather than issuing the report in full. I applaud

the RICS courage in publishing in full.

Answer

Governing Council considered the report carefully and decided unanimously to publish the report

without redactions. Governing Council published the Open version as recommended by Alison Levitt

QC.

Rules of Conduct

Does the RICS have any understanding of its own arrogance, and the insult to its Members, in issuing

fresh "Rules of Conduct" to its Members - those who seek to deal professionally, fairly and properly

with clients and members of the public - just one month after the publication of the Independent

Review by Alison Levitt QC, showing that those professional standards were not upheld at the highest

levels of that organisation? And to do that even before starting the implementation of those detailed

recommendations?

Answer

Supporting and advocating for the ethical and professional behaviour of RICS members and regulated

firms is a fundamental part of us meeting our Royal Charter obligations. The Rules of Conduct were

developed with the advice of members and consultation across the profession and public. The Levitt

report was clear that there is no suggestion that the oversight of professional standards and

regulation by the Standards and Regulation Board has ever been compromised.

A significant number of members and stakeholders have given positive feedback in relation to the

Rules of Conduct, which have been downloaded over 20,000 times. We have received particularly

positive feedback about the diversity and inclusion provisions.

Executive Remuneration

This question has been edited

10

Question 1

Will RICS seek to reclaim any bonuses paid to past employees?

Answer

The issue of past bonus payments made to executives has been considered and there is no legal

basis to seek recovery of those payments.

Governing Council has accepted the Levitt Review’s recommendation for a review of senior executive

reward and this review is being commissioned from a third party and will be delivered to the

independently chaired Remuneration Committee.

Executive Remuneration: Member Oversight

Will members be given oversight on Executive pay?

Answer

Oversight of executive pay is delegated by Governing Council to the independently-chaired

Remuneration Committee, in line with industry best practice, who will be undertaking a review of

executive pay in the forthcoming year. At all times the Remuneration Committee remain mindful of the

affordability of executive pay.

Executive Remuneration: Comparison with Member Earnings

Question 1

On the remuneration of the RICS executive staff should the pay be related to the average salary/fee

earnings of the membership? Although there a many job opportunities available at present I do not

think the wages are particularly attractive. Better pay may attract better qualified future surveyors and

improve the service provided and esteem of the profession.

Question 2

Thank you for addressing my remuneration question. However I think the point I was making was

largely missed. I was implying that the remuneration should take into account, inter alia, the average

salaries/fee earnings of the membership. If these improve then the remuneration could be justifiably

be increased as the membership would be more able to afford the subscription fees etc. A possible

analogy would be a football manager who is paid by results, although I appreciate there is world of

difference otherwise in the two roles and I would not expect the remuneration to be at anything like

the same level!

Answer

Following the recommendations of the Levitt Review, we are moving ahead with a separate review

into reward structures and levels for senior executives, reporting to a Governing Council Steering

Group. This separate review will be undertaken independently via external advisers, the procurement

process for which is already underway. It will be run in conjunction with the new Chair of the

Remuneration Committee. Please be reassured that remuneration for senior executives is always

managed in the context of affordability for the organisation.

We anticipate that this review will provide valuable data about remuneration levels for our senior

population which we will then be able to use and assess the best way forward in terms of

remuneration levels and structure.

In due course we will be appointing a new Chief Executive and the decision on the Remuneration for

that individual will be made by the Remuneration Committee, in conjunction with Management Board

and Governing Council.

Annual Accounts: Proposal to Amend Timetable

Question 1

11

The financial report is from 2019/2020. Are we talking about the right reporting period? Here in Austria

we already have December 2021.

Question 2

Presumably the 2022 AGM will also review the accounts for year ending 2021 so they don't get lost in

the catch up, which I am very pleased to see?

Answer

Our current process means we are reviewing accounts from 15 months ago, and we agree this is not

best practice and we will seek to reform this at the earliest possible opportunity as set out in our

Manifesto for Change. The intention is that the AGM 2022 will receive the Annual Report and

Financial Statements for years ended 31 July 2021 and 31 July 2022.

Annual Accounts: Accuracy and Validity

These questions have been edited.

Question 1

How can members have confidence that the accounts for 2020 reflect the actual position?

Question 2

Given the issues that have arisen this year can the accounts now before the members for approval be

regarded as a safe and correct assessment of the financial position of the actual RICS position?

Answer

This question relates to the accounts for the year ending the 31 July 2020. These financial statements

received an unqualified audit opinion from our professional external auditors, Grant Thornton, and it is

worth noting that Grant Thornton as an auditor is regulated by the Financial Reporting Council.

We would also like to highlight that one of the roles of the Audit Committee is to monitor the integrity

of the financial statements and to report to the Management Board on any significant financial

reporting issues and judgements that could be in place. None were reported for these accounts.

In terms of our future accounts, an organisation’s accounts should be relevant and should not be

dated, so at this year’s AGM we have been talking about a set of accounts that were for a period

ending nearly 16 months ago. The Audit Committee is currently looking at the financial statements for

year ending 31 July 2021 and we hope these will be finalised early next year. It is our hope that

beyond that the financial statements for year ending 31 July 2022 will be completed and audited

ahead of the AGM next year, so we will be working to a much more relevant set of accounts.

AGM: Attendance

What percentage of members attended this AGM?

Answer

0.44% of members attended the AGM. This number includes all members although only Professional

Members, Associates and Fellows are eligible to vote. All efforts were made to ensure that members

received notice of the AGM and had the opportunity to attend.

AGM: Moderation

Question 1

Why do you feel obliged to moderate the questions and not publish them in real time? If the meeting

was held in person, you would not be able to do this!

This policy does not allow us to understand the overall mood of members...

12

Question 2

Who is moderating the questions and on what objective basis?

Question 3

Are we able to see other people’s questions/messages? If not, why?

Answer

The moderation is light touch and is in place to prevent the same questions being asked several

times, and to prevent any abusive or offensive questions being asked. Far more questions were

asked at this year and last year’s AGMs which were held face to face and far more people attended

so you would have had a greater sense of the overall mood of the membership from attending an

electronic AGM as opposed to a face to face AGM.

AGM: Quoracy for Voting

Question 1

What is the quorum for any vote and how does this relate to non-attending members?

Question 2

What is a quorum for voting? Is 30 FRICS members a sufficient quorum for over 100,000 plus

members, particularly when computer technology provides the means for online voting. I am still

confused. We were questioned re keeping the existing auditors and is this decision taken from the

vote during the AGM? If so, this seems insufficient.

Answer

The purpose of the AGM is to ensure that members are able to join a session and to ask questions of

RICS governance and executive leadership in an interactive environment. The Bye-Laws focus on the

need for 30 members who are FRICS, MRICS or AssocRICS to attend – to enable them listen to the

summary of last year’s activities to consider the financial position of the Institution, the proposals for

the auditor and to ask questions; ie to scrutinise the Council and Senior executives.

The Chair of Governing Council and CEO did not take the decision to move to a fully remote AGM

lightly rather than being able to use a hybrid version of some virtual and some face-to-face

attendance - but, as last year, our fundamental priority has to be to safeguard the health and safety of

members and others who would have to attend while enabling an effective AGM to proceed.

In weighing the balance of holding a face-to-face AGM following the introduction of new Government

restrictions in the UK, we noted that the vast majority of registrations were for on-line attendance and

we have been able to ensure that all attendees have the ability to ask questions at the AGM. Even if

we have insufficient time to answer all questions at the AGM today, responses will be provided to

members and all questions and answers will be put up on our website. We have done our best in

difficult and unusual circumstances, and almost certainly circumstances that were not envisaged

when the Bye-Laws and Charter were produced.

Member participation will be considered as part of Lord Bichard’s review so this point can be put

forward for consideration. In terms of the decision related to approving the auditor, notice to the AGM

which advised that there would be a vote on the appointment of the auditors was sent to every

member that we could contact. Members can choose whether they wish to attend and exercise their

voting rights or not.

AGM: Difficulty Accessing

I have had difficulty accessing the broadcast and, from answers to my questions, I have not been

alone in this. With this in mind can you please confirm whether a version of the full broadcast will be

available?

13

Answer

A full recording of the AGM proceedings have been added to the website - we apologise to any

members who experienced technical difficulties accessing the broadcast on the day.

AGM: Vote to Appoint Auditors Validity

Question 1

What percentage of members have voted for this proposal?

Question 2

Is it true that less than 0.5% of members voted to re-appoint the Auditors?

Answer

Only Professional members, Fellows and Associates are able to vote. Of the total members entitled to

vote, 0.26% voted to reappoint the auditors. However, we made every attempt to ensure that all

members had the opportunity to attend the AGM and to vote if they were eligible. The vote was

passed as 88.92% of those voting at the meeting, voted to reappoint the auditors.

AGM: Voting Issues

Question 1

Voting options are not appearing on screen. How can this be a proper way of conducting the

meeting?

Answer

This must have been a technical error for which we can only apologise. We only received one

comment from members advising they were unable to vote.

Question 2

The vote option did not appear on my screen to vote on the previous minutes

Answer

There was no vote to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Unless members attended last year’s

AGM they are not in a position to verify that the minutes of the last AGM were accurate.

AGM: Format

Will the AGM be in this format in future years? It has made it accessible to the ordinary member.

Answer

It is hoped that next year’s AGM will be a hybrid AGM meaning that members will be able to attend

the AGM face to face but will also be able to participate electronically in the same way that the

participated at this year’s AGM.

AGM: Moment of Silence

Question 1

Could we please at the end of the AGM hold a minute silence for the late Professor Sarah Sayce who

has dedicated her entire career to surveying and to the RICS?

Answer

All of us on Governing Council were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Professor Sarah Sayce,

who was an exemplar member of our profession who contributed so much. We held a moment’s

14

silence in Sarah’s honour and the President has written to express our collective condolences. She

will be greatly missed.

Question 2

During the one minute of silence at the end of the AGM, perhaps we should also recognize Peter E

Goodacre, RICS President 2008-9, who died November 7, 2021.

Answer

All of Governing Council express our deepest condolences at the loss of Peter Goodacre, who was

held in the highest regard by all of our profession. He served as both President of RICS and a deeply

valued Principal of the University College of Estate Management. He will be missed by all of us, and

the President has written to his family to express our condolences.

RICS Website

Question 1

The website must be radically overhauled and improved, particularly searches and organisation. The

CPD and Valuer's and Firm's Registration apps also need improvement and simplification for SMEs.

When will this be done?

Question 2

What is the plan and timescale for sorting out the dreadful website? It's clunky, impossible to navigate

and hard to understand considering what we pay

Question 3

Will there be any plans to restructure the RICS website?

Question 4

How does the profession intend to address the lack of information available to young people who may

be interested in a career as a Chartered Surveyor but do not fully understand the work we do? The

website is very poor in terms of navigation and promotion of our work and does not encourage young

people to engage with the profession.

Answer

We have plans to restructure our website in 2022 as part of our Digital Presence Programme. This will

deliver a new user experience through better browsing, search and navigation functionalities. In terms

of engaging younger audiences, this is an issue that cannot be fixed by updating our website and

requires engagement with schools, colleges and universities. This is an area our Early Engagement

Team are actively working on, in conjunction with RICS Matrics and other relevant Boards.

RICS Digital Communications

What plans do the RICS have in place to address the diabolical lack of performance of their website /

digital systems which have singularly failed to work. I personally have received no communications in

terms of Modus / sector updates etc for some time now and my account online does not provide any

help other than the message "We’re working hard behind the scenes to improve your experience with

our online services. Your details are in the process of being migrated to our new upgraded platform

and this is why you are unable to view them here at present"....

Answer

At the moment we do have a programme of work - our digital presence programme - to improve our

digital experience for members. I am sorry to hear that you aren't receiving communications from us.

Any members who are not receiving updates from us but would like to do so should email

ricsemail@rics.org. We would be glad to check all your preferences are correct, so you do hear from

15

us. We have found on several occasions that members are not hearing from us because their

preferences are set incorrectly. This is something we are looking to improve, and we do have a

programme of work in place to help achieve that.

RICS Digital Communications: Renewal Reminder Emails

Can we ask for appropriate notice to be issued to members by email for Registered Valuer renewals

to ensure returns are submitted in a timely manner? Also it should be easier to speak with the

regulation team to ensure all returns are submitted correctly.

Answer

In the last couple of months our usual process for renewal reminders has been somewhat impacted by the transition to the new D365 systems and so we have been using manual workarounds which may have caused some inconsistencies in the timings of renewal reminders. However, we have now managed to return to our usual process: Registered Valuers currently receive automated renewal reminders 28 days and 14 days before their renewal is due. They also then receive a further reminder if their renewal becomes 1 day overdue. These automated emails contain supporting information and guidance to assist with frequently arising queries related to VR returns, including:

• A link to the relevant section of the Professional Portal

• A link to the Professional Portal FAQs document

• Info relating to the VR scheme more broadly

• A link to a de-registration form for those who are no longer carrying out valuation work and therefore do not wish to renew

All reminder emails conclude by providing the email address to reach the relevant team within Regulation with any other queries (regulation@rics.org). These queries are picked up and responded to as quickly as possible, following a daily allocation of queries received. Regulation: Service Support from the regulation team needs to be timely so that as members and regulated firms we can provide a timely response to clients or other stakeholders. My firm recently made an enquiry and the automated email said it would be up to 20 days before a response would be received. This is not really acceptable and we would ask that the response time is significantly improved. Answer Our current turnaround times for responses are:

• regulation@rics.org: 14 days

• complaints@rics.org: 28 days

• CPD@rics.org: 14 days Each inbox is monitored and queries received are allocated out to the teams during the week. We prioritise these to ensure urgent queries are addressed accordingly. The number of queries received varies throughout the year, but each inbox regularly receives between 100-300 queries per week. Members with urgent queries can also call the Regulation helpline to speak to someone. Professional Competency

The RIBA is looking to address the need for competency being called for through the Building Safety

Bill and implementation of the Golden Thread with mandatory testing to maintain ARB registration. Is

RICS planning to introduce any such regime?

Answer

16

Our competency work in the Competency Steering Group affects a number of pathways, including

Building Construction, Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Facilities

Management and Residential block management. We are not proposing, nor is the UK Government,

something like the Architectural Regulation Board for Chartered Surveyors but they will be subject to

the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) who will have oversight of all building control professionals, as

well as buildings in scope (HRBs) of the Building Safety Bill.

Those RICS professionals who wish to work on HRBs in future will need to be assessed and placed

on a register. The Building Safety Regulator will oversee the register of registers. We continue to work

closely with the Building Safety Regulator and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and

Communities (DLUHC) to ensure RICS members can comply with new requirements.

Survey of the Profession Verification

Why has the recent member survey invitation come from a 3rd-party organisation with no obvious

verification from RICS that it is officially-sanctioned and secure?

Answer

We use a third-party provider to manage our Annual Survey of the Profession to ensure that answers

are treated impartially and in confidence. We publicised that Savanta would be managing this year's

survey for us in our monthly email newsletter, but we will reflect on this feedback and consider what

more we can do to publicise this widely to members

Auditors

Do the auditors understand their role after the Levitt Review?

Answer

Our auditors fully understand the roles required of them. We should note that we currently have two

different types of auditors. We have appointed KPMG to undertake a deep dive internal audit, looking

at key risks, systems and controls. We also have a set of external auditors whose role it is to ensure

we are applying accounting policies correctly. Our external auditors are Grant Thornton, who were re-

appointed following the vote at this year's AGM. If the Audit Committee had any concerns about our

auditors, and for the avoidance of doubt it does not, it would raise those with Governing Council,

Management Board and the Executive Team. We would also note that our auditors are regulated by

the Financial Reporting Council.

Auditors: Non-Executive Directors

What is the position of the auditors in dealing with Non-Executive Directors’ dismissals?

Answer

The external auditors have not commented on the dismissal of the Management Board members.

They undertake an audit of RICS’ finances rather than our governance arrangements. We would have

expected the external auditors to comment if fraud or financial misconduct had been found.

Market Reports

Question 1

The UK Commercial Property Market Survey is compiled by members input and issued with summary

comment every month. When I last looked three weeks ago this Survey is now only accessible by

paying an annual subscription. Please could you let members know why RICS are now charging for a

service compiled by its own members.

Question 2

I'm sorry but Richard is mistaken, market reports are no longer freely available - our firm has had to

pay for these for some time on a monthly basis.

17

Answer

Our leading quarterly market surveys covering residential and commercial markets are freely

available on our website to all members, featuring top level results and insight from our economists.

We offer additional packages with enhanced data sets to paying subscribers, but we have no intention

of charging for access to the core market surveys. Our free market surveys can be found online here.

Member Complaints

Why are complaints made regarding the performance of a RICS Director / Manager, to the Interim

Chair of Governing Council ignored?

Answer

The Interim Chair of Governing Council responds to all complaints raised to him and, where

appropriate, refers them to the relevant RICS Executive Director for investigation and response. We

have investigated this member’s complaint and can confirm it has been passed to an Executive

Director and a full response will be sent in due course.

Accuracy of Website and Documents

Why, when members are constantly told that RICS is the mark of professionalism, are some of the

services provided to members woeful, the web site littered with inaccuracies and documents for public

use not even checked for grammatical and spelling errors?

Answer

We always strive to ensure any documents we publish are of the highest quality. For instance, we

have a dedicated team of publishing editors who works with our technical experts to ensure that every

RICS official standard, guidance and report is grammatically correct, readable, consistent, and

understandable ahead of publication.

We do recognise, however, that there are aspects of our website, which could be improved especially

with regards to navigation, not always being accurate or up to date with the latest and most relevant

information. This is a legacy issue rooted into how the website has evolved over the years and work is

already ongoing to address this. Currently our teams are conducting a full audit of the more than

10,000 webpages, to ensure they are relevant, updated, optimised and assured against the highest

quality standards including addressing any inaccuracies or grammatical errors. The full audit is due to

be completed in the first half of 2022 and you can expect to see an improvement in the quality of our

webpages and documents.

RICS Home Surveys

If saving printed pages with Modus now online is an objective, why is it the RICS Home Surveys have

50% of pages that are virtually blank?

Answer

The RICS Home Survey products were introduced this year and there have been some issues,

including blank pages in completed reports. Fixes are in the process of being implemented for this

specific issue in the next few weeks, but most reports are provided electronically and do not need to

be printed. We will shortly be launching a post-implementation survey of members to obtain feedback

on the Home Survey Standard and associated report templates and we would very much welcome

contributions to this.

Governing Council Elections

These questions have been edited.

Question 1

Will Governing Council move to open elections rather than selections?

18

Question 2

Will the Electoral Reform Society be engaged to oversee all future election procedures to ensure they

are free, fair and legitimate?

Question 3

How are local representatives for regional boards appointed? Have there been any appointments to

regional or UKI boards since the Levitt Report and on what basis? If any such appointments have

been made on a “non-elected” basis is that truly representative?

Answer

The only position on Governing Council which is selected (rather than elected) is the Chair of

Governing Council. That position is appointed in accordance with the Global Appointments Model

(approved by Governing Council) by a panel chaired by the President. We invite applications for our

regional Boards and our UK & Ireland World Regional Board from all RICS professionals in the UK

and Ireland. Appointments are made in compliance with the Global Appointments Process which is

approved by Governing Council.

Candidates for the Senior Vice President (Senior Vice Presidents become the President Elect and

then the President provided Governing Council approve their progression to the next role) are short-

listed by the Presidential Nominations Committee which is chaired by the Chair of Governing Council

and made up of a majority of Governing Council members. The final candidate is elected by

Governing Council.

All Governing Council members, except for the Officers (Chair of Governing Council, President,

President Elect and Senior Vice President) are elected using an independent external election

provider.

The whole process of appointments and elections to all the forms of representative bodies will be

subject to review by Lord Michael Bichard in his work that will take place during the first half of next

year. All Governing Council member seats will be subject to election during the course of 2022.

Governing Council Elections: Reform

What is being done to democratise the representation on RICS non-specialist boards?

Answer

We want to encourage applications from the broadest range of candidates: we publish all vacancies

on our website and promote them via our social media channels, but we are always happy to consider

what more could be done to ensure our Boards represent a wide range of backgrounds, experience

and expertise. All governance appointments and elections will be subject to review by Lord Michael

Bichard in his forthcoming review, including non-specialist boards.

Governing Council Elections: Voter Turnout

What steps are being taken to address the woeful voter turnout of members for elections to various

RICS positions; illustrating the almost total disengagement of members from their own institution, this

being failure of Management to properly engage?

Answer

Re-engagement of members, particularly in election cycles is very important for us. We have done a

lot of work on this to see how we compare with other membership organisations. The most recent

elections we undertook for the Americas seat on Governing Council gave us the highest ever turnout

for the elections (in the region of 23%).

For the elections in the previous cycle, the turnout was between 11 and 15%. Election turnout has

always been low but is relatively consistent with other membership organisations. As a part of our

work, we need to try to change this and ensure a much greater proportion of the membership is

19

engaged, particularly in the elections cycle. We would encourage all members to participate in the

elections in 2022 and beyond.

Presidential Visit

Who did the President meet when he travelled around the regions?

Answer

The President travelled to the UK between November and December 2021 for six weeks. Whilst here,

he met hundreds of members from a broad range of specialisms, geographic regions and firms. He

attended events in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, as well as our Young Surveyor of the

Year Awards and Welcome to the Profession ceremonies. He also met with ten of the eleven UK

Regional Boards to seek their views on the Institution’s future priorities. The President plans to return

to the UK next year and undertake further visits, and we welcome all suggestions for this itinerary. He

also plans to join meetings of other Regional Boards to ensure that he meets the widest possible

range of members and understands the needs of different geographies.

Residential Market Support

The residential market over last two years have been affected by several major factors not least

Covid. The RICS have seemed to been in asbsentia for the most part. I regularly listen and watch

consumer affair programmes and it is very rare for the RICS to be represented on property matters.

The few times I have heard an RICS representive talk about the housing market in the light of Covid I

thought the information was very bland and vague – frankly I think I could given better advice myself.

Also you do not seem to have much presence at Property Trade Exibitions such UK Construction

Week, Futurebuild, Homebuilding & Renovating Show, London Build etc. I seem to remember that on

one occasion there was a stand but no-one to attend it – surely the worst of all possible worlds. Do

you intend to give the RICS a higher profile in the resi forum market place in the future?

Answer

In terms of Standards, we have worked collaboratively with the Property Ombudsman and an expert

working group to develop a code of practice for property agents based on the recommendations made

by Lord Best in the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group: final report. We have also worked

to develop a code of practice for residential managing agents which we are looking to finalise. We

have been talking to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about both codes

and will be looking to see how we can incorporate them in our work.

We are currently reviewing the RICS Service Charge Residential Management Code and will be going

out to consultation on this in the New Year. We continue to engage with the Commonhold Council as

members of the Commonhold Technical Support Group and are assessing how this may impact on

the work of our members and what they will require from RICS. We are going to review and refresh

our existing body of standards and guidance relating to property lettings, sales, and agency property

management and have recently launched a survey of members to get their views. The survey will be

followed up with roundtables in January.

RICS does attend other industry events as a speaker and where appropriate we will take a stand. We

have been present at the RESI conference each year. We have also attended the ARMA conference

in the past. In November, for instance, RICS spoke at the Homes UK Conference in London – Nigel

Sellers spoke about our Valuation standards and opportunities for green finance. We also manned a

stand at the event alongside partners of a green finance pilot project we are collaborating on with

BEIS, Rightmove and SERO homes. BEIS funded the exhibition space.

In future, our Thought Leadership and Public Affairs teams will be working in collaboration with the

Standards team on a campaign strategy for the Residential Housing sector. We are currently busy

rolling out campaigns for the Commercial Real Estate and Construction/Infrastructure sectors but

there will be a future focus on Housing.

20

In addition to this, our highly regarded Residential Market Survey is regularly picked up across

mainstream media and is closely watched by investors and policymakers. We are regularly picked up

in brokers notes on the housebuilders and the economy, referenced in official documents from the

Office for National Statistics and the Bank of England, amongst others.

Building Safety

Do the Chair and CEO believe that the RICS organisation has thoroughly analysed how the RICS

allowed the collapse in best practice in UK building procurement that is being so forensically exposed

by the Grenfell inquiry? As lead standard setter in the UK how were the numerous conflicts of interest

in procurement practice that are being exposed allowed to develop without proper challenge from the

RICS? What is being done to ensure that this disaster for the standing of our profession is never

repeated.

Answer

We agree that there has been a systemic failure to ensure safe buildings, highlighted by the Grenfell

Tower tragedy. While RICS is not directly responsible for setting or enforcing building regulations or

standards that all of industry must comply with, all recognise the impact of past regulatory failings on

the public and learn the lessons from the Public Inquiry as to whether more could have been done

and / or said to call out failings by many of those involved. We continue to work closely with

Governments across the UK nations (and internationally) and the new building safety regulator within

HSE to ensure a consistent approach to regulation and standards, and to restore trust and confidence

to property markets arising from historic building safety defects. RICS has a dedicated team devoted

to standards on fire safety and is chair of the International Fire Safety Standards Coalition. We believe

our work is playing an important role in preventing tragedies such as Grenfell occurring again in the

UK and around the world.

Member Prefixes

Will RICS consider the suggestion and the use of Prefix such as “Sr” (Surveyor) for chartered

surveyors, to draw the distinguish between the chartered surveyors and non chartered? similar to the

Prefix of “Ir” (Ingenieur) / “Er (Engineer) used Professional Engineers.

Answer

We have no plans to introduce this currently - our current designation of MRICS, FRICS and

AssocRICS is clearly understood and we do not believe a change is necessary at this time, but we

are happy to receive feedback on this issue.

Retirement Concession for Assessors

AS a member considering taking the membership concession for retirement

The website containing all the required information does not clarify the position if I wish to continue

working for the RICS as Chair of APC panels or as an Assessor. Despite trying to talk this through

with an informed officer I am referred back to the wording on the web site.

My specific question, which is not covered, is: -

As a Chair of APC panels for the RICS, if I declare I am retired does this bar me from continuing as

chair and accepting the limited remuneration from the RICS. For me and hopefully the RICS who

need assessors the website does not cover this situation. If you interpret the wording by being

involved in the surveying profession and receiving remuneration for this I am barred from being a

assessor or chair of APC panels. Surely this is not what the RICS wants?

Answer

We deeply value all our assessors and recognise that they give up their time willingly to support the

future of the profession. Many of our assessors are partly or fully retired, and as long as they maintain

their membership subscriptions (including at the concessionary rate), they can still assess. We only

21

pay a small expenses fee to assessors to offset minor costs, not a professional assessing fee, which

is treated as re-imbursement rather than remuneration. Assessors therefore can claim the

concessionary membership rate and continue to assess. We will review the wording on the website to

ensure this is made clear.

Environment and Resources Specialism

As a member of the Environment and Resources section in the RICS can the Governing Council and

the members in the section advise on how the RICS is going to promote this specialism with the

impetus towards the development of brownfield land and the path to net zero, whilst providing more

houses and infrastructure. The RICS has been overtaken by other professional institutions and trade

bodies in advising Government, Chartered surveyors have a "helicopter" or birds eye on a project and

it is now time for there to be education and opportunity for those who wish to be Chartered

Environmental and Resources (Minerals and Waste) Surveyors to advise developers. This is also the

same for the Rural Section who are at the forefront of the new role of the agriculture and

environmental rehabilitation.

Answer

Although RICS discontinued its Professional Group (sector) Boards during the PG2020 process, we

are committed to making sure specialist sector governance and remit is re-established within a new

sector advisory forum and expert working group structure. We are also working with colleagues in

academia on supporting relevant university courses and on helping the combined ‘and & resources’

APC pathway gain market traction.

We will be running our annual Minerals & Waste conference in April 2022 and we are currently

working on a number of important standards and outputs in this (and related sectors) such as a new

Insight on Waste Leases, Rural Benchmarking guidance and exploring how natural capital interacts

with valuation in the natural environment. Our RICS Land Journal online contains some excellent

articles and highlights the path that RICS feels is appropriate as we embrace sustainability and

climate action post COP26.

Rural Surveying Specialism

I am a rural Chartered Surveyor; why, in a global organisation, is rural confined to the UK?

Answer

We understand that the range and diversity of what rural members do in the UK is not something that

is always reflected outside of the UK, where a number of different distinct professions undertake the

range and diversity of what rural members do in the UK.

However, the Institution has developed the Global Land and Resources Pathway to promote and

assist in internationalising the profession and specifically develop those Professional Group Pathways

attached to the Land Group at RICS, namely Planning and Development, Rural, Geomatics, Minerals

& Waste and the Environment. We are continuing to promote this pathway and hope for further

international growth on this in the future with a focus on the development of a global rounded land

professional.

We have also just published a new professional practice insight paper on Land Registration and

cadastre, in collaboration with the World Bank and UN FAO. We continue to work closely with the UN

and World Bank on unregistered land valuation. The International Land Reporting Standard (ILMS)

continues to gain momentum. Land and natural/ecosystem capital and sustainability post-COP26

initiatives are ongoing within RICS Rural, and these have both local and global potential.

Art and Antiques Specialism

What steps are being taken to understand the needs of different specialisms like fine arts and

antiques and ensuring these are properly organised and represented?

Answer

22

We recognise that the Chartered Surveying community is a broad one and many different specialisms

fall within RICS’ remit. We are keen to ensure that our membership offer recognises the unique nature

of each specialism and that we have high quality CPD, events and communications available for all.

We are always happy to receive feedback about what more we can do to improve our offer for the

different specialisms like fine arts and antiques.

Valuation: Sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Guidance

Will sustainability and ESG guidelines be a mandatory module for all registered valuers?

Answer

It is important to recognise the importance and significance of ESG, both currently and going forward.

That importance is clear within Valuation and other professional disciplines as well. However, no

decision has yet been reached by the Standards and Regulation Board in relation to mandatory

modules. Nevertheless, the topic area of sustainability is one at the top of the Standards and

Regulation Board agenda and indeed was part of a discussion in early December.

Facilities Management

Will the FM Leaders Forum be reinstated, and if so, when?

Answer

We will reflect on this feedback and consider re-convening groups like this when the pandemic eases

and small face to face gatherings become more feasible. We do still have an FM Leaders Forum and

this is focused on projects. It meets as required to support various initiatives relevant to facilities

management, such as the International Building Operations Standard.

Public Sector Collaboration

Could you please briefly say what RICS is doing in terms of promoting the work of public sector RICS

members and collaboration with organisations such as ACES which represents members in that

sector.

Answer

RICS recognises the value and contribution of the public sector in all areas of our work. We recently

launched our new Public Sector Asset Management work as part of this commitment. We are heavily

engaged with ACES and meet the leadership team bimonthly to discuss matters of mutual interest.

We also contribute articles to “the Terrier” magazine for ACES members and are always delighted to

be asked to contribute to ACES events both nationally and at a regional level where RICS staff will

frequently attend branch meetings. We promote the work of members regularly on our

communications channels, including on our website and in Modus and our journals.

RICS Matrics

Question 1

Young Professionals in the industry are key to the future of the profession. RICS Matrics is an

established group for bringing people into the profession, promoting the profession and for providing

support to those going through professional qualification. The RICS Matrics local groups are full of

passionate individuals who really want to fly the RICS flag. However we feel like we have been

completely forgotten about over the last 18 months and not taken seriously. We've been pushed

forwards, backwards, left right and centre with no clear direction on our future. What support is the

RICS going to provide to Matrics and its members, and how can Matrics expect to be incorporated

into the RICS Strategic direction?

Question 2

Will Matrics be given a renewed voice in the future of the RICS?

23

Answer

We agree RICS Matrics is the lifeblood of the profession and the importance of engagement is well

recognised across the organisation. RICS Matrics are the future leaders of the Institution, the future

members of Governing Council and our future Presidents: ensuring they have a voice will be very

important. Lord Bichard’s work will look at the structure of RICS governance, but the current

Governing Council are also interested in ensuring there is a stronger voice for Matrics and younger

members.

The strength of any early careers network is in the local membership and the enthusiasm they have

for attracting and supporting new members. Following the staff restructure in November 2020 there

were several options as to where Matrics aligned most effectively within the business. The remit now

falls within the Early Engagement Team.

Within the last couple of months plans have started to develop to once again build a strong local

network along with a revised Matrics UK strategy, which also encompasses some sharing of best

practice to global groups. The RICS Matrics UK Board met several weeks ago under the newly

appointed Chair, Theo Till, and will be sharing their vision for the next year with the local Chairs to

ensure the purpose of Matrics is clear and with dedicated resources early in 2022. Greater

collaboration has already commenced with the RICS UK & Ireland Board and regional boards.

Student Members

Put simply, student members are losing faith and motivation to pursue the APC to become qualified.

More and more the issues with the RICS have made many applicants ask themselves "Why am I

working so hard to become part of an organisation that does not practice what it preaches?". This is

the next generation of the RICS, what is the plan to fix it?

Answer

We hope that what you heard during the course of the AGM gives you some confidence that there is

recognition of what has gone wrong in the recent past and what we intend to do to fix this.

We all acknowledge that student members are the future of this Institution and we were sorry to read

this question. There is some good news in that the number of people joining the profession remains

extremely high, and the number of people taking the APC continues to be extremely high, in spite of

the effects of Covid-19.

By pursuing the changes we have set out we believe that RICS will be an attractive entry point for a

lifelong professional career.

Governance: Risk Management Committee

Are there any plans to establish a “risk identification and management committee “?

Answer

This matter is within the Terms of Reference of the Bichard RICS Review into Purpose, Strategy and

Governance and we would encourage people to submit responses on this subject to the forthcoming

call for evidence.

Diversity and Inclusion: Advisory Panels

Question 1

Why has the RICS no diverse groups advising its General Council, as the RIBA has. That is members

who are from ethnic minorities, disabled, female, LGBT. When will such groups be formed from

normal working members and not VIP members?

Question 2

24

Why is the RICS the only UK property and construction professional body to have no Women’s

Group. This is particularly shameful when 85% of RICS members are men and 92% of the chartered

building surveyors are men. There is clearly no diversity and inclusion in the RICS and the last

president and CEO both refused requests for such a group on 28 May 2021. Why are there similarly

no groups run by RICS members to advise the Governing Body for the unrepresented LGBTQ+

members, BAME members and disabled members. The RICS contrasts extremely badly with sister

group the RIBA whose membership is less than half of the membership of the RICS. Why is this and

when will this change.

Answer

We fully recognise and applaud the efforts that have been made by members and firms within the

profession who have worked incredibly hard to advance the place of women in surveying and other

underrepresented groups. As an institution, we recognise we have not done enough - and as a

profession we still have a long way to go.

We are looking to form a new Governing Council Board in the new year because we want to drive this

effort from the top. There is much for us to do, and one of the first tasks for that group will be to

identify what might be the place of specialist sector groups within the institution, how might they

function, what would their objectives be and so I know that group will be very open to these issues.

I would like to emphasise how important this issue will be for the Institution in the coming year to

improve diversity and inclusion within RICS and make it a profession that is genuinely accessible and

welcoming to all.

Diversity and Inclusion: Strategy

Regarding Inclusion and Diversity, the institutions record and current position is not anywhere near

the level of industry organisations and other industries. When will we see a roadmap that includes

targets and a clear vision as to how the institution will improve inclusion and diversity and give

industry organisations confidence that supporting memberships is at least equally in line with their

own efforts to improve in this area?

Answer

The Property Advisors Forum recently sent an open letter to our Chair of Governing Council, which

set out this as one of their key objectives for change at RICS. We are engaging with them and setting

up a Diversity and Inclusion Board in the early New Year to take this important point about the make-

up of the profession going forward.

This is no way downplays the efforts of the Institution and individual members of staff in trying to

advance the diversity and inclusion agenda, but the Institution has not given sufficient priority to

diversity and inclusion as a strategic issue for the profession over a considerable length of time and

we need to change that.

Early next year, we will be launching the new Board and looking to publish a new global diversity and

inclusion strategy for the Institution and the profession. This will begin to take us forward, but this will

need serious attention from the top levels of the organisation over a number of years if we are going

to achieve the kind of impact we need to see. We look forward to working with members on this

important issue.

Diversity and Inclusion: Disability

Note, rather than question: Nick's statement about inclusivity overlooked disabilities

Answer

We fully recognise that diversity and inclusion policies should reflect all types of diversity, including

disability. This will be a key part of our Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategy launching next year.

Diversity and Inclusion: RICS/ICE Carol Service and Events

25

Question 1

The last Carol Service at Westminster organised by the RICS had I think 8 different speakers

(potentially more) and the only diversity was that one middle-aged white man was Scottish and had a

beard. It would be a easy and good area showing your interest in diversity of having speakers which

are from a more varied background.

Answer

This is a brilliant comment about how organisations can fail on diversity and inclusion through a lack

of thought and attention. Our Carol Service is one of the highlights of our calendar, which we hold in

partnership with the Institute for Civil Engineers. Next year, when the baton is passed back to RICS to

host and organise, our CEO has made an absolute commitment that we will do better in ensuring a

wide range of speakers.

However, we don't need to wait for the Carol Service. RICS puts on hundreds of events, panels and

seminars over the course of the year. We need to get better at ensuring these demonstrate the

diversity of the profession. This will be one of the areas that the Governing Council panel will want to

pay attention to: how can we use the events RICS organises to present a more diverse profession.

Question 2

Despite the comment about the need for diversity we should definitely keep the wonderful RICS

Singers with whom I sang on Monday. It unites together all the professions of ICE, Mechanicals,

Electricals and the RTPI in a joyous service in Westminster. It really demonstrates the talents of our

professions.

A separate celebration could be for Diwali which is the wonderful festival of light for Hindus. This year

it was on November 4, Diwali is observed on the 15th day of the Kartik month as per the Hindu Lunar

calendar. This year the festival of Deepavali falls on Thursday, November 4, 2021.

This is a quite separate celebration.

For Muslims What are the most important festivals in Islam? Id-ul-Fitr is the most important festival in

the Islamic calendar and was started by the Prophet Muhammad himself. It is also known as 'The

Feast of Breaking the Fast' and is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to mark the end of Ramadan.

So these are quite separate dates and celebrated in separate ways. So let’s keep our RICS Singers

PLEASE

Answer

We remain committed to the joint Carol Service, held in conjunction with ICE, and we greatly value

the contribution the RICS Singers make to this occasion.

Diversity and Inclusion: Pride

When in 2022 will RICS celebrate Heterosexual week, celebrating the sexual or romantic attraction to

or between man and women. I would be pleased to provide a Heterosexual flag to be hung from RICS

headquarters. Kindly in the future let me know the date.

I am not able to be online to ask my question including follow-up. In case the answer to hold

Heterosexual week is no.

Please explain how this does not conflict with RICS Rule of Conduct rule 4.2 (see below) of

discrimination based on sexual orientation because RICS celebrated Pride (LGBT) week including

flying the Pride flag in 2021.

Please confirm if Heterosexual week will not be celebrated in 2022 then Pride week and any other

sexual orientations will not be celebrated in 2022 so not to discriminate.

26

4.2 Members and firms treat everyone fairly and do not discriminate against anyone on any

improper grounds, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership,

pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Answer

The Pride flag represents inclusion of all people, regardless of how they identify in terms of sexual

orientation or gender identity and aligns with our RICS values. We are committed to being a fully

inclusive organisation and supporting a diverse profession where all can feel welcome and respected.

Role of the President

Question 1

If Governing Council IS RICS can it in future be chaired by the President for the time being? If not,

what is the point of the President?

Question 2

Further to the issue as to whether the RICS President should chair GC, as opposed to appointing a

separate Chair of GC, could past presidents be approached to gain insight into the governance and

ambassadorial roles. Most, if not all, previous Presidents have managed to combine both roles

successfully. Given digital advances, I would strongly suggest that the role of President should rightly

include presiding over GC and the position of President return to its previous status. Please advise.

Answer

This matter is within the Terms of Reference of the Bichard RICS Review into Purpose, Strategy and

Governance and we would encourage people to submit responses on this subject to the forthcoming

call for evidence.

Member Engagement: Manifesto for Change

Question 1

Can you outline how Governing Council intends to directly engage with the whole membership on

their deliberations and in the formulation of the various pieces of work, as you have outlined, to be

untaken over the next 12 to 18 months?

Question 2

Many of the engaged volunteer members remain a little worn out and negative and we run the risk of

these individuals drifting away, making it more difficult to build great boards, assessors and working

groups. This new journey could take 2-3 years so how do we propose to remotivate and re-engage

members to stay involved, be positive and work harder than ever before to support the new direction

of our RICS?

Answer

Governing Council is determined to engage with members as fully as possible during the period of

reform that lies ahead of us over the next 18 months. It will do this through the existing network of

advisory Boards- and directly through meetings, consultation exercises and surveys. It is confident

that Lord Bichard will want to gain as wide a range of views as possible from members during the

course of his independent review. Once Council has received Lord Bichard’s report and

recommendations in mid-2022 it will set out how it intends to engage and consult with members on

the next stage of the process.

Council recognises that many members have been disillusioned by the way in which the Institution

has acted prior to the Levitt review. We hope members will continue to engage and that members

who have previously not wanted to become directly involved in the work of the Institution will now

come forward to help with the rebuilding process. We recognise that we need to enthuse members

27

with a vision for a vibrant profession where their contribution is welcomed, recognised and can have a

real and positive impact.

Member Engagement: Communications

I am told that efforts have been made to address problems of lack of Member representation and

there have been some consultations with senior members of RICS. I have to tell you that such

communications have not reached me. I am driven to the conclusion that many knew my views and

prevented deliberately communications from reaching me. What is being done to address these

problems?

Answer

The communication channels that we are using for members to make their views clear have not

always worked as well as we would wish. That is partly a technical issue and partly an issue of

requiring a reorganisation and another look. Communication is a key component of the work being

undertaken at the moment to improve this two-way channel. I acknowledged that there are some

geographies that feel underrepresented and some professional components of RICS that feel also

underrepresented. Part of Lord Bichard’s work will be to advise us of the best possible platform for

representation both geographically and professionally going forward. Lord Bichard will report on how

we improve the position we have at the moment when he delivers his report in June 2022.

Member Engagement: Prioritisation

Has the RICS really identified and weighted the needs (must haves) of their members and identified

the resources required to deliver these needs?

Answer

Defining our Future resulted in the various work streams that are currently underway with the direction

of Governing Council. Our work on member engagement, experience and value has been developed

with several phases of implementation and resource requirements have been identified with the

support of Governing Council. We have now committed to increasing the number of resources

focused on engagement globally and have also sought to align the activities of member and

stakeholder engagement. These changes with the additional resource allocation will help us deliver to

the requirements of our workstream on member engagement, experience and value and other work

streams created through Defining our Future.

Member Engagement: Staff and Member Values

Question 1

Please can we finally develop a staff and membership partnership policy reflecting the essential

behaviours that are needed from all for a successful and respectful partnership?

Question 2

When will RICS formally ensure that all RICS staff are bound by the same standards and codes (e.g.

ethics and conduct) to which RICS Members are held?

Answer

Earlier this year, in response to the Levitt Review recommendations, Governing Council developed a

new Statement of Values for RICS staff, members and all those who represent RICS. They were

developed in line with the Rules of Conduct for Members and Firms, and in consultation with

colleagues across RICS. The six values are integrity, transparency, inclusion, collaboration, advocacy

and passion. These are embedded within the Institution and the ways we work, and we will be

measuring their success through independent benchmarking, regular feedback and reporting against

clear targets. We believe this provides the foundation for a strong and successful partnership between

staff and members going forward.

28

CEO Listing on Google

This question has been edited.

Why is the former CEO still listed on Google as the CEO and not Richard Collins?

Answer

Unfortunately, this result relates to the way Google interprets information on all webpages, including

those beyond RICS' own website. This is beyond our control and it will change over time as records

are updated.

Bichard Review

Lord Bichard: Defining our Future. This was devised by an insider clique (now exposed and mainly

departed following Levitt) to control the narrative & avoid real issues which might have exposed

governance capture or threatened vested interests in the status quo. The results are to be treated

with caution accordingly.

Answer

These comments have been passed to Lord Bichard - he has responded with "I hear what you say but

I am mostly interested in what members had to say in the consultation - I will come to my own

conclusions having looked at these".

Finance: Transparency of Expenditure

RICS need to justify to members why we need to paid such membership fees when there are no

benefits for members, especially in the Sub Saharan Africa region. RICS need to come with a proper

master plan and regional benefits. Even the CPD is not free you need to pay. Kindly give proper

details of the expenses: a summary report doesn’t give proper indicators of the expenses.

Answer

In Governing Council’s consultation with members about RICS’ strategy and purpose earlier this year,

members said that they wanted a clearer picture of how RICS spends the revenue it receives from

membership fees and other sources, as well as an understanding of how this spending benefits

members.

Following that consultation, Governing Council established a Governing Council member led working

group, which has taken forward those comments and identified a series of steps we can take to

improve the situation. By the end of January 2022, we will publish the outcome of that work. That will

include publishing a breakdown of its annual allocation of spend, showing the proportion of spending

across categories and the member benefits this delivers.

This aims to deliver confidence in the value RICS generates for members of the profession, through

spend on activity it undertakes on members’ behalf. That package of measures will also set out new

ways of engaging with members and new benefits – particularly in the area of continuing professional

development training. We want RICS to get to a place where members are fully informed about cost,

fully informed about the work being carried out on the profession’s behalf and confidence that this

offers really good value for money.

Membership Fees

Question 1

Are we looking at reducing the membership fee burden on new members (say for first two years) and

those members who are over 50 yrs or have paid membership fees for over say 20yrs.

Question 2

At the AGM we discussed in broad terms reduced membership rates; for older and newer members.

There is a 50% reduction for part time. What about people who have been members for 45 years and

29

part time? Surely a larger percentage reduction for length of service; say 80% reduction or 20% of the

normal rate.

Question 3

Regarding to value for money, I would like to understand why members who reside/work in mainland

European countries pay more for their subscription than their UK counterparts. The increase is over

20% for Fellows and just over 10% for Members. I particularly feel that the value for money for

European members is significantly lower than members based in the UK, whilst for both there is a

significant disparity between subscriptions paid and the benefits of being a member.

Answer

Fees are an issue that Governing Council are looking at very carefully at the moment. We have just

announced our fees for the current round of membership subscriptions and those fees have been

determined for this year. Towards the end of 2022 is when we anticipate Governing Council turning its

mind to future levels of fees, on the basis of a greater understanding of the resources that the

Institution needs to undertake its work for members and on behalf of the public in the public interest.

There will be work to be done in light of the recommendations of Lord Bichard’s forthcoming review.

We recognise the concept of varied fees for members at different stages in their career is an

interesting one – and an approach taken by a number of other professional bodies. It is therefore an

approach we will want to look at carefully in the future.

Membership: Distribution of Benefits Geographically

Question 1

Is the focus now going to return to supporting UK members who make up the vast, vast majority of the

membership and a continuation of global ambitions only in proportion to the number of genuine

overseas members (i,e, those who are not expats from the UK)?

Supplementary question: will this result in a substantial reduction in annual fees?

Question 2

As the sun goes down in what remains of the British Empire e.g. Barbados becoming a republic, world

domination is not a realistic aspiration. We should first get our own house in order and lead by

example before trying to influence other countries. What is the RICS doing to redress the balance of

home and overseas activity and support the vast majority of members who work in the UK?

Question 3

Why is the majority of income for the RICS generated in the UK yet the majority of relative

expenditure made overseas?

Answer

RICS has around 134,000 members, between 65 and 70% of whom are based in the UK and the

remainder across the rest of the world. Our view is every RICS member is equal as deserves to be

supported equally by the institution and we need to find way to do that effectively both in the UK and

across over parts of the globe.

We believe we all benefit from a strong global network - but also we must not lose sight of the

strength and the special position of RICS that holds in the UK itself.

As part of our work on member engagement, experience and value, we have considered the different

benefits we offer across different markets and how we can improve this. We will be publishing the

outcome of that work before the end of January.

30

On subscription fees, we would expect the Institution to develop a new blueprint for how it wants to

work moving forward, once the Bichard Review has reported. It would be appropriate for Governing

Council, as part of that work, to examine the structure and level of membership fees.

Membership: Loss of Local Staff and Offices

Question 1

Don't you think that a single manager to take care of France is insufficient? The international matrix

organization for members is very complicated or even quite inoperative. We think we need at least

two RICS staff in France.

Question 2

Does RICS have any plans to re-establish the office in South Africa?

Question 3

By losing so many staff members how will the local regional boards and LA committees / members be

supported in putting on events and reaching out to member's as previously mentioned?

Answer

As part of our Manifesto for Change, we are looking at how we deal with the interaction with members

at all levels: national, regional and local. We hear from members that currently it is inadequate and

part of that may be linked to the level of staffing in certain locations. All these things are under review

currently and we will come back to the membership with suggested changes during the course of next

year.

In 2020, because of the pandemic, we had to take some serious decisions to control the costs of the

Institution. That resulted in some 140 posts being removed across the globe and we had to shut a

number of physical offices. We do need to look at this again and we are looking at how we can work

with and engage members effectively. We need to look at all of the options: not just at the balance of

staff but also what activities are undertaken by staff and what should we allow members themselves

to do on behalf of the Institution.

We will be looking at all of those issues over the coming year. In light of that work, we will be in a

better place to make decisions about the number of staff based in particular regions and also about

whether we should have physical offices in different locations.

Membership: Germany and Frankfurt Office

Why have local offices, especially Frankfurt-Germany, been closed down? No one really takes care of

the German speaking members in DACH anymore.

Answer

We have not closed the Frankfurt office and a team based in Frankfurt are part of our global structure

supporting various functions including partner development, public affairs, member engagement,

finance, assessments and membership services. In the new structure implemented in December

2020, there is a role of Partner Development & Public Affairs Manager that is dedicated to Germany

and responsible for directing the work of the various global functional areas to deliver to the German

market plan.

In addition, we have aligned the Member Engagement Leads to work more closely with the Strategic

Partnerships team to ensure that member and stakeholder engagement activities are aligned with the

market and with our member boards/working groups. We have ‘closed’ physical offices as lease

agreements allow to move to a workplace strategy that is more flexible (through access to flexible

workplace arrangements) and economic (through remote working), but that does not mean we have

closed the office in those markets necessarily. In Germany, specifically, we continue to have a fixed

31

office space that the same team that was previously solely focused on Germany, now have the

benefit of scale through their global functional colleagues.

As outlined in other answers, we expect to be a better position to make decisions about physical

offices and the number of staff in particular locations over the coming year.

Membership: Saudi Arabia

Do you have a plan to enhance the RICS in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? (KSA)

Answer

We have had active engagement in Saudi Arabia through various adoption and knowledge building

initiatives, most notably at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and NEOM (large development project on

the Red Sea). Through those relationships and continued activity with entities like TAQEEM, we have

recognized that there is significant opportunity to build capacity and support the profession in Saudi

Arabia. As a result of our market prioritization review, we have decided to allocate a resource that is

dedicated to the public affairs, partner development and engagement activities in that market.

Membership: UK Branches

Question 1

Will the RICS give serious consideration to returning to the Branch structure at least in the UK thereby

including Chartered Surveyors of all disciplines and improving participation and local activity?

Question 2

In the olden days there were regional Sub-areas allowing interaction between local surveyors. Would

this be worth bringing back.

Question 3

Is it possible to clarify in more detail the representation for members at regional level in the UK,

bearing in mind UK members are the largest number of members compared to other countries.

Answer

This is being considered as part of our work on how to improve member engagement and

involvement. Reinvigorating local engagement, not just with other components of RICS but with and

between local members is an important part of this. Our working party on Membership Engagement,

Experience and Value is looking at this at the moment and we will publish the results of their work by

the end of January. That will show that a critical part of the change going forward will be to allow

members locally to have more control with how they interact with their peer group and others.

Membership: Benefits of Fellowship (FRICS)

Will the RICS increase the amount of benefits of being a Fellow such as FREE access to Isurv and

BCIS? There is no clear benefit above Member Grade.

Answer

There has never been a particular differentiation in terms of benefits of being MRICS as opposed to

FRICS. We have no current plans to change this immediately, but in looking at the way we deliver

benefits to members and the way we set fees going forward at the end of 2022, this will be one of the

issues we take into consideration.

Membership: Sub-Saharan Africa Region

Could you please clarify the position of the RICS in Sub Sahara Africa? A huge amount of work was

undertaken to re-establish three strategic hubs in 2014/15 to serve the continent and collaboration

with existing property and construction bodies was significant, as it has been with academia. Contrary

to urban myth, the cost of such work was not excessive at all and it would be appalling to undermine

32

or loose the great achievements of recent years. Please can you confirm that the relationships forged

across SSA will continue and be strengthened further and be rightly recognised as an integral part of

the RICS World Regions.

Answer

Sub-Saharan Africa remains an important market for us and we would really value a conversation in

the New Year to draw on this questioner’s specific experience in setting those hubs up. We do have a

plan in place that focuses on building capacity, standards adoption and member engagement but this

question encapsulates the three areas we really need to focus on and ensure that the relationships

built in earlier stages remain strong.

Those are the relationships with academia, working with schools and universities to attract people into

the profession, working with local property businesses and firms based in the region and working with

Governments and Non-Governmental Organisations to create the demand for members’ professional

services. We will be looking to progress all of those strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa, so it does

remain an important area for us.

Even as we reduced staff globally and restructured to globally functional team alignment, we ensured

that market facing individuals were involved in helping prioritize our presence for member

engagement, profession growth or strategic reasons. Our presence in Sub Saharan Africa continued

after the restructure and we were able to benefit from the significant amount of work done to engage

the market over the last 5 to 10 years (if not beyond).

We have a senior individual on the team based in Nairobi, Kenya and have relationships across

SSA. Initiatives are delivered through various global functional teams with the scale and efficiency

that aligns with the current membership and future potential of Africa. This approach allows us to

allocate resources proportionately and not necessarily requires us to place all of those delivery

resources in a given market. We recognize that the future opportunities are significant for surveying in

Africa, but also recognize that there continues to be strategic development required in a deliberate

and proportionate manner. Everything we are doing now builds on the work done in SSA by RICS

professionals and leadership in the past.

Membership: Sub-Saharan Africa Region and Future Assessors

I note from the World Regional Board page on the RICS website that there has been a clear omission

of Africa [as a continent and region]. Whilst bitterly disappointed at this observation, regarding the

presence of Sub-Saharan Africa, noting the six (6) values recently affirmed by Governing Council and

the point made today [01.12.21] by our interim chair Nick McClean re: member engagement, on an

international footing; my question is “who should I be working with at RICS to lead on an initiative led

and co-curated by DiverseCity Surveyors – since 2015 – to action the growing membership base of

nextgen talent pool across the SSA region?”

Answer

Member & Stakeholder Engagement, in partnership with our World Regional Boards, and with

resources from across the global functional areas continue to support Africa as a region and as a

continent. We still have two senior resources focused on market development, one in South Africa

and the other based in Kenya for Sub Saharan Africa.

These two individuals are responsible for gathering marketing insight, helping prioritize market plans

and identifying ways of supporting a growing profession in Africa. Like other markets where we’ve

applied economies of scale and expertise in our new structure, Africa will benefit through global

functional teams that will support these initiatives where and when required. We would be happy to

have a conversation about this specific initiative.

Membership: Sub-Saharan Africa Region and RICS Accredited Programmes

Outside of South Africa there are no RICS accredited programmes in Sub Saharan Africa.

33

I am working with a FTSE 100 educational solutions organisation who is particularly keen to take

RICS accredited programmes to the region (in partnership with University and local partners).

Answer

While accreditation has been the traditional approach, it has not always yielded the outcomes that

would meet market demand for professionals in all markets. Some of the changes in a better

alignment of volunteer members with staff activities will be to engage (not necessarily accredit)

universities and their students to encourage them to enter the profession and be involved with

RICS. We are always interested in hearing from individuals and organisations who have ideas which

might help us develop better relations with Universities and expand the number of students

undertaking programmes which might lead to RICS professional membership.

APC Assessments

Can the Chair address the issues faced this year regarding APC Assessments both for Candidates

and Assessors?

Answer

The current APC assessment session in the UK has indeed experienced considerable challenges as

a result of our systems upgrades carried out earlier this year, which impacted our ARC system and

meant we had to switch to manual assessment processes. We would like to take this opportunity to

apologize unreservedly to all those candidates who have been affected, as we do understand the

assessment process is the culmination of months, and years, of hard work and effort. It is

unacceptable that our failure to deliver a high-quality assessment should be a negative experience for

those who seek to qualify as a Chartered Surveyor.

This has particularly affected our Land and Property Assessments in the UK. We have been unable to

schedule all assessments this year on this pathway because of a lack of assessor availability and

assessors withdrawing availability. We recognize this has actually happened because of the impact of

our system upgrades in August on ARC and we apologise for this. The current land and property

session has been extended into 2022 to provide assessment dates for land and property and built

environment candidates, and we are taking steps to ensure this never happens again.

APC Assessments: ARC System

Question 1

Given the issues with ARC is it proposed that it will be fixed and used in future assessments or is an

alternative solution being considered?

Question 2

When is it likely that ARC will be used again for APC assessments? Thank you

Question 3

Hello, I would like to take this opportunity as a student in my final of my degree. To ask what is

happening with ARC, do you have a date as to when this will be available again?

Answer

We are working hard to address the underlying systems issue that resulted in ARC being taken offline

this year. Our assessment and technology teams are working closely together to develop – as quickly

as possible – a resilient and effective assessment platform which helps to support candidates and

assessors with coordination of the assessment process in the future. We believe this will work in a

much better fashion. We cannot give a date at this stage, but we are working as hard as we can to

deliver it.

APC Assessments: Communications

34

Question 1

Please what are the communication channels for APC candidates (since the ARC platform isn't

functional)? When will the ARC portal be operational? How will the CPDs be recorded for

assessment, with the absence of the ARC portal?

Answer

Information for candidates is posted on the Assessments webpage and on the candidates’ insights

community. Candidate ‘drop-in’ sessions also take place regularly in the UK. CPD information can be

recorded using the downloadable templates, available on the assessments page of the website.

Question 2

A follow up question to my previous one if I may, I would like to say there seems to be a

disconnection with current students and the current situation within RICS. The taking of the APC is

difficult enough as it is, is there a resolution in the future to bridge the gap with yourselves and student

looking at taking their APC. Thank you

Answer

Information for candidates is posted on the Assessments webpage and on the candidates’ insights

community. Candidate ‘drop-in’ sessions also take place in the UK (and other countries?). CPD

information can be recorded using the downloadable templates, available on our website here.

APC Assessments: Fees

In the light of the problems with APC assessments this past few months, could we consider offering a

discount to those who are 'referred' to encourage them to go again and hopefully pass the 2nd time

around?

Answer

Candidates in the UK who have been adversely affected by the situation with the Autumn assessment

session will have any deferral and referral fees waived.

APC Assessments: Dates

It has been a very difficult two years for the graduate I supervise. She was due to sit her APC final

assessment in the Autumn. Why can RICS still not confirm a final assessment date?

Answer

All candidates who submitted for final assessment have been contacted with information on their

assessment. Some candidates continue to be assessed this year. Other candidates will be given an

interview date in January 2022. The data migration issues we experienced in August have had a

knock-on effect on our ability to confirm assessment panels and therefore dates and times for final

assessment interviews.

APC Assessments: Results

There will be APC candidates sitting on 17th December this year, meaning results will be released the

day before Christmas- Is this acceptable?

Answer

We are aiming to release the results as soon as possible after the interviews, because of the

proximity to 24 December.

APC Assessments: Face-to-face Assessments

35

There are many APC Assessors who have withdrawn their availability due to the online only nature of

future assessments (with no Assessor consultation). Now that the RICS is having difficulties finding

assessors why not bring back face to face assessments?

Answer

The decision to move to online assessments was taken in consultation with the Membership Working

Group, who oversaw assessments at that time. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic moving

assessments online was the only possible way to continue to provide assessments. The Membership

Working Group has subsequently been replaced by the Qualifications and Assessments Committee.

There are a wide range of views on online assessments; whilst there are assessors that have

withdrawn from the process, others have welcomed the move to online assessments. Continued

uncertainty around the world currently makes planning for large-scale assessment operations difficult.

The Committee will be reviewing this issue early in 2022, and will be seeking views from assessors,

candidates, counsellors, and members on what changes could be made. The Committee will be

particularly mindful of the need to ensure candidates’ experiences of the assessment are of the

highest possible standard.

APC Assessing: CPD

I suspect a reason for the withdrawal of assessors is it no longer contributes towards CPD. A lot of

time is spent preparing for assessing and assessing to be told this doesn't count as CPD.

Answer

Assessing, assessment preparation, and assessor training do count as CPD and can be included in

an assessor’s CPD record as appropriate.

APC Assessing: Requirements for Becoming an Assessor

Given the issues the issues the RICS has with panelist numbers for the APC, why is it so difficult to

offer services as a panelist? I passed my APC just over a year ago and as such am up to date on

requirements but for some reason, I am not able to sit as a panelist.

Answer

Any member that would like to complete the training to be an RICS assessor is welcome to do so.

Further information is available on our website here.

Post-Qualification Schemes

There are several Post RICS qualification Diplomas, including the RICS Rating Diploma which

celebrates 100 year next year. What are plans to publicise and identify these RICS Diploma's, and

encourage members to engage and increase their expertise?

Answer

There are many, well-regarded, post-qualification schemes and credentials. We will be looking at

these as part of an evaluation of post-qualification schemes, diplomas, and credentials, including how

these can be best promoted.

AssocRICS to MRICS Progression Route

As an AssocRICS member without a degree, it is extremely difficult to find a route to reach MRICS

status. Is it right that an AssocRICS member with an unrelated degree is advantaged over those with

similar experience, but no degree? Is there a plan for a upgrade / progression route to solve this

issue?

Answer

We do have a progression route from AssocRICS to MRICS. This requires an RICS Associate

professional to complete 900 study hours, at least 600 of which must be from an RICS-accredited

36

degree. A maximum of 300 study hours can be obtained independently or with support from an

employer. With the 900 study hours and four years’ post-AssocRICS experience, the RICS Associate

professional can then pursue the APC with either 12 months’ structured training or a preliminary

review.

All existing chartered assessment options are available to AssocRICS members too. This includes

APC preliminary review for those with a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in any subject. Those with no

degree could pursue the senior professional or specialist assessment if they have 10 years’

experience and meet the senior professional or specialist profiles.

The options available to RICS Associate professionals are summarised on the RICS website.

We recognise different combinations of experience and qualifications so that the RICS chartered

qualification (MRICS) is accessible to as many people as possible. With this in mind we are also

currently conducting a review into entry to the profession to ensure our routes to qualification remain

fit for the future. Further information on contributing to this review will be published in early 2022.

Staff Redundancies

In the Annual Report I didn't see any reference to how many jobs were lost during the period of

financial difficulty. Reference is made to furlough and freezing of recruitment, but not on jobs lost and

in which World Region they were located.

Answer

Sadly, we saw 140 colleagues leave the organisation through last year's restructuring programme and

roles were lost from across the globe.

Staff: Member Complaints

Nick mentioned that some RICS staff have faced undue pressure from RICS Members. If

inappropriate, that is not acceptable. Will RICS re-open/review all official/written complaints made by

RICS Members against current RICS staff?

Answer

Where complaints are received about RICS staff, these are managed in accordance with our

complaints handling policy and processes. We communicate openly with those who may have raised

a complaint and explain the details of our findings and conclusions. We do not anticipate re-visiting

complaints made against RICS staff where those complaints have been appropriately concluded.

Manifesto for Change: Cost

How much is the Manifesto for Change going to cost to implement?

Answer

There should not be any cost outside of our normal budgeting cycle for this change, because most of

what is contained within the Manifesto we should have been doing already. However, the overriding

thought process going forward is that RICS must live within its means. We are not in a position to

make a loss, so whatever we do will be contained within the budgeting process to ensure that each

year we do show a surplus. There will be no additional cost that takes us over and above the revenue

we receive.

Events and CPD: Annual Review Calculations

In what ways are the meetings and CPD counted since we organize all kind of events in many

countries. In the Netherlands alone we organized at least 5 online meetings with a total of 1200-1500

attendees last year. So the figures could be even more positive?

Answer

37

All the events and CPD included within our Annual Review figures have been facilitated by RICS but

often in collaboration with members.

Events and CPD: Costs

What is the amount of expenditure incurred to run CPD events (e.g. payments to panelists/trainers,

venues, travel and accommodation)?

Answer

The direct costs of CPD events vary depending on the nature of the event – length of event, digital or

face to face delivery, development time for a trainer, speaker and trainer fees and expenses and so

forth. If it is a formal training programme, then we do incur trainers’ fees but for conferences generally

speakers give their time for free and we just reimburse expenses. Venue costs again vary globally

and in the last 18 months have been much reduced due to the pandemic enforced digital delivery.

Events and CPD: isurv

Given that it contains information on best practice and worked examples that cannot easily be found

elsewhere, why is isurv still a resource only accessible by additional subscription fee? Is there any

intention to aid APC candidates that come from smaller businesses to access resources such as isurv

when business funds are tight?

Answer

Elements of isurv will become free with the Member CPD Support Pack which is being launched in

January 2022 – this will include the Professional channel, the APC channel, current standards and

guidance as well as the archive copies, content overviews and features and journals.

Welcome to the Profession Ceremonies

Will surveyors who qualified in 2019 be invited for a presentation ceremony, as the 2020 ceremony

was cancelled?

Answer

We know that our past Welcome to the Profession ceremonies have been greatly valued by those

members who attend them. They provide a valuable opportunity for us to engage with newly qualified

members and celebrate their success. However, in the past these ceremonies have been restricted to

our newly qualified members in the UK and Ireland, with the exception of one digital pilot event

undertaken in Europe last year. We are keen to take some time to evaluate the events, including our

most recent ceremony in London which had a more limited uptake than expected, to understand how

we can deliver an event that is valued by newly qualified members and translates to regions beyond

the UK and Ireland.

Corporate Performance Reporting

How is performance monitored and against what criteria?

Answer

We set organisational strategies with KPIs at the start of each financial year - these are published on

our website under corporate performance, and we publish quarterly updates outlining our progress

against set objectives, and then publish an annual review each year. Most importantly, organisational

performance against those objectives and KPIs is monitored by RICS Management Board, to whom

the Executive is primarily accountable in the first instance. Not only do we set the criteria, they are

checked through the governance structure and performance against them is published.

Stakeholder Engagement: Work with other Institutions

38

How is the RICS engaging with other Institutions e.g. The Institute of Value Management to educate

students and professional members in best practice to British and European Standards in Value

Management and real Value Engineering for a sustainable future?

Answer

I know that our colleagues in the Standards team in particular, which is largely populated by

professional members of the Institution, engage widely with our colleagues in other Institutes as we

believe there are areas where we are collectively much stronger together. If we are not already

working with the Institute of Value Management, I would be happy to reach out to understand how we

can work productively together.

Stakeholder Engagement: Reciprocal Arrangements

In its drive to expand globally RICS entered into "reciprocal" arrangements with national institutions

outside of the UK. I am aware that some of those institutions do not reciprocate in accordance with

the agreements made with RICS. What does RICS intend to do to combat this and who within RICS is

responsible for ensuring that RICS members can obtain the benefits that were promised when these

agreements were made?

Answer

The definition of ‘reciprocal’ is important in understanding the context here. When we refer to

‘reciprocal’ agreements, it’s about us accepting entry standards from another institution to gain RICS

qualification and they accept our entry standards for their own credentials. We have a number of

these, but it’s less about the institution reciprocating and more about the two organizations

demonstrating a value proposition that would entice a professional to carry both credentials.

In recent years, we’ve had agreements that focus on the credential reciprocity alone, that’s where the

value proposition comes in. Others have included things like standards adoption, training

collaboration, joint events, co-creation of thought leadership. Our members benefit from the

expansion of our brand to these efforts, but also benefit from access to content (whether standards,

training, events or thought leadership) from the other institution.

The Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs teams work together to ensure that RICS member

benefit from the agreements. However, it’s important to stress that the benefits are not always ‘direct

entry’ into each other’s credentials/qualifications. The growth of RICS professionals, while important

is often one of many success criteria when engaging other professional bodies.

CPD: Member Charges

What is the amount of RICS revenue charged to RICS Members (i.e. excluding charges to non-

members) for Events and Training (e.g. CPD events and conferences)?

Answer

As part of our member engagement, experience and value work, we are looking carefully at CPD and

the balance between paid and free CPD for members and we want to ensure that all members as part

of their subscription can have access to high quality and affordable events and training. This will be

covered in the Member Engagement, Experience and Value document we will publish before the end

of January.

In total in the Financial Year 2020/21, members purchased £7.5 million worth of products in the UK,

which amounts to 50% of our training and CPD revenue here. We do not have a breakdown of the

member vs non-member spend for our worldwide data.

RICS Organisational Chart

Will RICS be publishing an Organizational chart so members can easily see who they should be

working with going forward in each sector. geographical and specialty?

39

Answer

This is an excellent suggestion - we will take this away as we will need to think about ensuring this is

kept up to date as a live online organogram so members are not directed to people who have left.

RICS: International Lobbying

Should the RICS should not be advising the Chinese government, or any other government that is on

the UNCR list of countries that retaliate against their own citizens?

Answer

RICS works with Governments around the world. We work in the public interest to advocate for better

built environments globally, which we believe enhances peoples' lives. We are not a political

organisation and it is not our role to make political judgments: we seek to represent the interests of

our members, stakeholders and the public in a more sustainable built environment, underpinned by

strong Standards and Regulation.

School of the Built Environment

What is the decision going forward on the India project? How much has been spent on this initiative?

Answer

The School of Built Environment is continuing to deliver its existing programs in Construction, Real

Estate, Quantity Surveying and Facilities Management and continue to feed the built environment

industry with the entry level talent. The graduates from SBE are expected to promote RICS standards,

enrol as trainee members of RICS and later qualify as chartered members. It is also continuing to

support the RICS professional body in addressing the upskilling and capacity building needs of the

industry.

RICS Action on Challenges Facing the Industry

In recent years, there have been a large number of Members of the RICS that have voiced their

concern over the lack of support in areas such as AML, PI Insurance and Red Book Valuation Fees.

The RICS has not stood up to protect its members to ensure that we are valued as equally as other

professions involved in the property sector such as legal advisers. What is the RICS doing to ensure

that we, as members, are thought of equally by lending facilities, clients etc?

Answer

We understand the challenges facing surveying firms in the modern day, arising from increased

insurance costs, risk management, downward fee pressures, and an increasing compliance burden.

However, we do not believe RICS has been complacent or inactive in supporting its members. Some

recent examples of work that we have done include:

AML/ABC

We have hosted two webinars as part of a planned series to help RICS members understand and

comply with their AML obligations, both legislative and in accordance with the Professional Statement.

We have also hosted a short webinar on fraud which you can access on YouTube.

We have also collaborated with Professionals Against Corruption in conjunction with the Institute of

Business Ethics to provide free cross-sector training which provides practical insights to help RICS

members address key ethical issues such as bribery and corruption, money laundering and modern

slavery. More of these sessions will be planned in 2022 and we will share these dates in the UK

newsletter.

We have also responded to three recent Government consultations regarding the current AML regime

and continues to engage with HMRC, the AML Supervisor for property professionals in the UK. In

40

particular, we continue to highlight the importance of formal guidance for letting agents which has not

yet been published.

Valuation

RICS has worked closely with valuation stakeholders across the COVID-19 health crisis and provided

practice guidance and sector insights, including around material valuation uncertainty. We have also

continued to develop and promote our Global Standards – Valuation ‘Red Book’, with a new update

effective 31 January 2022.

We continue to work closely with valuers, lenders and other industry stakeholders to develop

additional valuation guidance and insight on a range of subjects for residential and commercial

property, including in respect of cladding, leasehold for secured lending, Japanese knotweed,

sustainability/ESG and financial reporting.

We recognise there is more to do, and we look forward to a review of our Red Book UK National

Supplement and residential mortgage specification in 2022 as well as further guidance and insight.

We have worked in close collaboration with lenders, including on valuation guidance for flats with

cladding which has helped to bring consistency to the market in this complex area. We also sit on and

facilitate a number of cross sector forums where we promote the valuable work of RICS members in

valuation.

Client money

RICS has quarterly meetings with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

regarding our client money protection scheme for property agents.

We also liaise with banks when we become aware of firms having difficulty opening a client account

and share any developments in this area with Government.

We have held a free webinar on handling client money during the Covid pandemic.

Professional Indemnity Insurance RICS continues to take very seriously the difficulties regulated firms are having when it comes to obtaining affordable professional indemnity insurance. Through our review PII in the UK and have worked closely with an expert advisory group to form a series of recommendations which were made to the RICS Standards and Regulation Board (SRB) in December 2021. These include a series of short- and medium-term actions which RICS can undertake to alleviate some of the pressure on the market and support firms in obtaining PII. We will be publishing a call for views in early 2022, as part of which we will ask for feedback from the profession, the insurance market, and other key stakeholders. We are also planning a second phase of our PII review which will have a global focus. This is due to commence in 2022. Shared Ownership Schemes: RICS Guidance I undertake many Help to Buy shared ownership valuations. These can be fraught with problems, particularly with the various Housing Associations who all appear to have their own idiosyncratic rules concerning valid improvements and acceptable comparable evidence. Generally, the staff they employ are not Chartered Surveyors and do not appreciate how we evaluate properties. The Red Book does not adequately deal with shared ownership valuations and should give better guidance. Also I think the RICS could be more proactive in influencing the way Housing Associations deal with their clients and us the valuers. There is a general lack of transparency and very poor communication from the HAs and many of my clients regret purchasing a shared ownership property. Re HTB I do not agree with Target's policy concerning improvements, particularly where dwellings are sold by the developers without floor finishes and adequate storage etc, which clients pay for over and above the purchase price upon which the HTB loan is predicated.

41

Answer The UK National Supplement of the Red Book does include Shared Ownership properties – UK VPGA 12.6 Home ownership schemes and UK VPGA 12.7 Shared equity schemes. The UK National Supplement will be undergoing a review in 2022 and we would welcome engagement on this issue. We accept there is always more that can be done in influencing in this space. We have been successful in working with UK Government to recognise the importance of using RICS Valuers on these types of products, as evidenced in our work on the First Homes Scheme. RICS Staff: Recruitment I understand that in the past there was a good balance of RICS qualified employees. In recent times this has substantially decreased. Will there be any energy to recruit where appropriate from the many experienced people across the profession. Answer RICS retains a sizeable number of experienced, highly qualified RICS members on our staff, especially in roles that relate to the development and maintenance and assurance of professional and technical guidance, and we greatly value their expertise. We always welcome applications from highly qualified candidates both from within the profession and outside and uphold the importance of role-relevant professional qualifications. We are working hard to ensure RICS remains an attractive place to work for all our employees. Non-Disclosure Agreements How many and what sums have been paid in non-disclosure agreements made with staff in recent years? What are the nature of the allegations made? On whose authority were these agreements reached? It is proposed that all those who entered into these agreements be released from them without penalty and invited to make their complaints known. Answer RICS, like many organisations, has sometimes used settlement agreements when individuals have left the organisation. As is normal practice, the agreements contain mutual confidentiality obligations. RICS will not breach a former employee’s confidentiality and privacy by discussing those. If any former employee has concerns that there were serious issues which they feel they did not have the opportunity to raise during their employment, they should raise these with the Interim Chief Executive, Richard Collins. For those employees who left with a settlement agreement, RICS will not consider sharing their concerns with RICS a breach either of their settlement agreement obligations or the ongoing confidentiality obligations contained in their contracts of employment. Find a Surveyor Service Audits in Public Interest bodies are not even primarily about finances. RICS should be auditing its compliance with the Royal Charter first. Every service needs such an audit. For example, the Find a Surveyor Directory is an arms race designed by RICS to extract fees from members. But it fails to provide a member or public advantage serving service base on professional standards. It serves larger firms if anything but possibly not even them. Answer Our Royal Charter requires us to promote the usefulness of the profession for the advantage of the UK public and in other parts of the world, and we are mindful of this core purpose in everything we do. The main goal of Find a Surveyor is to connect the user (business or consumer), with an RICS Regulated member firm, to help them with their surveying matter.

42

All Regulated member firms appearing on Find a Surveyor follow and comply with RICS Rules of Conduct for Firms, including working to RICS Standards. They are also all given the same marketing opportunities to promote their firm, to reach the users they desire. Through Find a Surveyor we also provide content which includes a glossary, consumer guides and fact sheets. These are written by RICS members, which helps the users understand the world of surveying more and what type of service they require. We have received positive feedback on the value of the service, including from small firms, but it has an evolving roadmap, and we welcome feedback from member firms at any point through the year on how we can improve it. New Rules of Measurement This question has been edited A member of RICS contends that a previous professional standard, Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) originally published by RICS in 1922 should not have been replaced by NRM (New Rules of Measurement). This sets out standard for cost measurement in construction. In April 2012 SMM7 was replaced by the NRM 2 by the RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Professional Group and became operative on 1 January 2013. NRM provides a standard set of measurement rules and essential guidance for the cost management of construction projects and maintenance works. It is a largely UK standard. A new edition of NRM has been launched in November 2021 – this is not largely a new standard but is largely a reformat and has created ‘mapping tools’ which help practitioners to bridge International Cost Measurement Standard and NRM. The member continues to maintain that NRM is not effective and asks that SMM7 should be reinstated. Answer The decision to introduce NRM 2 to replace SMM 7 was taken by the RICS Quantity Surveying Professional Group Board nearly ten years ago. Development of this standard was subject to extensive industry research and written by an expert working group - updates to NRM were published in November this year, again, after wide industry engagement. We are always interested in feedback and insight from the profession on the content and application of our standards. The team is aware that the use of NRM 2, in particular, has changed in the industry as procurement systems have evolved. Therefore, we will be undertaking further engagement with the profession on the use of this guidance in the future and we will actively seek views, along with those of other stakeholders.