Chartered Surveyor or Non-Chartered Surveyor… THAT is the question…
What exactly does it mean to employ a Chartered Surveyor?
Why might you employ one over someone else who is not chartered and why would you pay more for their services? A surveyor ’s a surveyor… right? Right.
Well… maybe. As ever with understanding professional terms that are applied to any industry, there is no black and white answer and you may find untangling the facts a little confusing. So, to help explain why we are proud to be a firm of ‘Chartered Surveyors, ’ we will attempt to shed a little light on the matter!
What is a Chartered Surveyor?
The word ‘Chartered ’ is used for an organisation that has received, by Royal Charter, the right to regulate an industry. In this instance, it is a designation of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; it can be applied to both individual surveyors and to a firm of surveyors.
You can recognise a firm of Chartered Surveyors by the use of the famous RICS logo and the words ‘Regulated by the RICS ’ on their website and correspondence. In order for a firm to be regulated by the RICS they must be offering professional surveying services to other organisations, establishments or other clients who rely on those services AND have at least 25% of their principals as qualified RICS professionals. The Chartered firm must agree to abide by the regulations imposed by the RICS and conform to their strict code of conduct.
An individual member, a ‘Chartered Surveyor ’ is a person who has demonstrated a superior standard of knowledge and service by passing a rigorous assessment called ‘Assessment of Professional Competence ’ (APC).
You can recognise a Chartered Surveyor by their use of the letters MRICS after their name (Member of the RICS) and the use of the term ‘Chartered Surveyor;’ It is unlawful for a Surveyor to use that title if they have not been awarded it by the RICS.
Why Choose a Chartered Surveyor or Regulated Firm?
A Chartered Surveyor is required to undertake a minimum of 20 hours of training (Continuing Professional Development) per year; at least 10 hours of those must be ‘formal ’ which means there must be a recognised learning outcome for the training. This requirement ensures that Chartered Surveyors keep abreast of all the hot and relevant topics and are able to apply this to their line of work.
In addition, the strict Code of Conduct regulations imposed by the RICS put a duty on the Surveyor to always offer the highest levels of service. Where a level of service falls short, the RICS member/firm must have an appropriate complaints handling procedure which offers set timescales and the opportunity for independent alternative dispute resolution in the event the complaint can not be resolved adequately.
The RICS require their Chartered Surveyors to adhere to their 5 Global Ethical Standards; these include:
- Always offer a high level of Service
- Always be Trustworthy
- Always Act with Integrity
- Always Treat others with Respectand
- Always Take Responsibility for your Actions
Why Choose Sussex Surveyors (Regulated by RICS)?
Here at Sussex Surveyors we are proud that all of our Surveyors are Chartered Surveyors and, as a Regulated Firm, we are pleased to uphold and maintain the principles of the RICS. We take our duties seriously and recognise the added value they offer our clients.
More about our firm, the team and our the services can be found here.
If you ’d like to know more about the RICS please visit their website.
