RICS takes disciplinary action to protect the public interest and safeguard the reputation of the profession.
The RICS Charter and Bye-Laws authorise the Standards and Regulation Board to make Rules about the exercise of disciplinary powers. These rules are called the Regulatory Tribunal Rules (formerly the Disciplinary, Registration and Appeal Panel Rules). These set out the processes for disciplinary action and the decisions that can be made as well as the regulatory actions available.
Where a complaint or concern about a Regulated Member (RICS professional or RICS-regulated Firm) is investigated by RICS and is considered serious enough and supported by evidence, Head of Regulation (authorised by the Standards and Regulation Board) will consider taking disciplinary action (or otherwise close the case). Decisions are made in the public interest but a decision over what disciplinary action is taken depends on the seriousness of the case. See Investigations for more information.
For less serious cases, where the Regulated Member admits allegations, Head of Regulation may impose (with agreement) a Regulatory Compliance Order (or Consent Order) to ensure future compliance with the standards. This may include a fine, caution or conditions on the membership of the Regulated Member. Where the Regulated Member does not admit the allegations, but the case may not warrant a hearing, the case may be referred to a Single Member of the Regulatory Tribunal to determine the disciplinary outcome (which may include expulsion).
For the most serious cases it may be necessary for Head of Regulation to refer a case to a Disciplinary Panel, drawn from the independent Regulatory Tribunal. The Disciplinary Panel will conduct a hearing to hear the evidence supporting the allegations and determine the outcome. The Disciplinary Panel may impose sanctions ranging from a fine to expulsion and can determine costs against Regulated Members.
For more information about raising concerns and investigations please see Investigations: what we do.
The regulatory functions of RICS are led and overseen by the Standards and Regulation Board (SRB).
