Exclusive: RICS expels senior surveyor for plagiarism in Associate application

A land agent and senior surveyor working for national chain Carter Jonas in Suffolk has been expelled from RICS following a disciplinary hearing that found he had ‘acted without integrity’.

Jack Cook, who is based at the firm’s Cambridge office and specialises in the sale and purchase of land farms and estates but also works closely with the firm’s residential division, has been expelled after a disciplinary panel hearing found that in 2019 he had “acted dishonestly”.

This included signing the declaration on his submission to become an Associate member of RICS confirming that it was written by him in his own words, when he had “plagiarised parts of an RICS submission completed”.

This was in contravention of the institution’s Rule 3 of the Rules of Conduct for Members 2007.

The panel revealed that Cook submitted a RICS Associate Submission Document that contained examples of Technical Competencies “which did not, and which he knew did not, accurately represent his own work but were modified examples of Technical Competencies demonstrated by ‘IV’ in an earlier RICS submission”.

False examples

These false examples were included in the “Measurement and inspection of land and property” section of his submission.

The plagiarised content had been submitted by an unnamed RICS wannabe Association member in their submission. This concerned the measurement of a field, a market appraisal of an office and the inspection of a farmhouse. According to the RICS website, this is first case of its kind in RICS’ history.

Following the panel hearing, Carter Jonas has released the following statement: “We have recently been advised by Mr Cook about the outcome of a disciplinary hearing conducted by the RICS. Carter Jonas is now discussing the implications of the decision with Mr Cook.”

Cook is also a member of Propertymark, which has told The Negotiator that: “In the light of recent reports, Propertymark is conducting an internal investigation into Mr Cook’s membership and conduct. We expect members to behave in a professional and ethical manner and will be taking appropriate action once our information has been reviewed.”

Read the adjudication in full.

Read other stories about RICS expulsions.