Ethics, Rules of Conduct and Professionalism — RICS APC Revision Guide

The five RICS Global Professional and Ethical Standards are: act with integrity; always provide a high standard of service; act in a way that promotes trust in the profession; treat others with respect; and take responsibility. These apply to all RICS members and regulated firms globally. For the APC, you should be able to name all five from memory, explain what each means in practical terms, and apply them to a scenario without prompting.

The RICS Rules of Conduct 2022 are the mandatory, enforceable rules that govern the behaviour of members and regulated firms. They cover areas such as competence, client money, complaints handling, and CPD. The Global Professional and Ethical Standards are the overarching values that inform the rules — they are principles-based rather than prescriptive. In practice, both operate together: the standards explain why the rules exist; the rules specify what members must do.

The Bribery Act 2010 makes it a criminal offence to offer, promise, or give a financial or other advantage to induce someone to perform a relevant function improperly. In a surveying context, this covers gifts, entertainment, and referral fees. RICS expects firms to have a written gifts and hospitality policy with a threshold above which gifts must be refused or disclosed. As an APC candidate, you should know your firm's policy, have applied it, and be able to explain the legal risk of non-compliance.

RICS can impose a range of sanctions following a disciplinary investigation: a caution, a reprimand, a fine, conditions on membership, suspension, or expulsion. The most serious cases — dishonesty, deliberate client harm, persistent non-compliance — result in expulsion. Regulatory proceedings can also sit alongside civil or criminal liability. At Level 3, assessors may ask you to describe the sanctions regime as part of a scenario where a colleague's conduct is in question.

You decline to produce a valuation that is predetermined by the client's financial need. A valuation must reflect your independent professional opinion, based on market evidence and RICS Red Book methodology. Producing a figure you do not genuinely hold would breach the RICS Global Professional and Ethical Standards — specifically acting with integrity and providing a high standard of service — and could constitute fraud if used to mislead a lender. You explain this to the client in writing, confirm you cannot proceed on those terms, and document the conversation. If the client instructs another firm to produce an inflated valuation, you may have a whistleblowing obligation to report suspected fraud.