Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
-
Latest property news
London sales slump stabilises as housing market booms in the north
London's housing market slump may be over as the regions outside the Home Counties continue to see rising prices and property sales.
Read More » -
Regulation & Law
Crackdown begins on agents who ignore bribery, corruption and money laundering
RICS is set to require member agents to adopt personal money laundering statement including promise to report both fellow agents breaking law and sporting donations.
Read More » -
Latest property news
RICS to expel members who behaved badly at Presidents Club dinner
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) was hoping to spend this year celebrating its 150th anniversary, but instead it is now busy dealing with the consequences of last month’s The Presidents Club charity black tie do in central London. RICS now says it may expel any member proved to have broken its ethical code of conduct while attending the event, where it is alleged hostesses were propositioned for sex and groped. It is over two weeks since the scandal broke after a Financial Times reporter gained access to the event while posing as an agency hostess, but RICS now says it has been moved to comment about the “inappropriate behaviour towards female hostesses” working at the black-tie do at The Dorchester hotel. This follows the publication of the guest list by The Guardian last week, which revealed that the property industry was heavily represented at The Presidents Club event. In response to this, the venerable institutions says: “RICS does not regulate the entire real estate sector. “As a professional body, RICS has a code of ethical conduct for members of its profession. It applies to all members of the profession, at all times – there is no moment or…
Read More » -
Latest property news
Interest rate rise fears bearing down on sales market, surveyors say
The number of home buyers has dropped for the sixth month in a row helped by jitters among buyers over a potential interest rate rise, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has revealed. Its housing market survey for September found that the number of buyers dipped noticeably over the month with 20% more surveyors noting a fall in buyers than a rise in demand, and that London’s problems are beginning to spread out from the capital. Only Wales and the South West saw more surveyors recording an increase in sales than a decrease, with the rest of the UK remaining flat – although London and the South East lead the declines. On top of this, RICS also says the number of surveyors reporting fewer agreed sales versus a rise increased by 15%, the “softest reading since last July during the aftermath of the EU Referendum”. Stock stable While buyers continue to keep away from the market, the number of homes available for sale remain stable having declined over the past 18 months. On average stocks levels on estate agents’ books are holding up at 43.3 properties per branch. Looking forward, RICS doesn’t expect the market to pick up over…
Read More »
