Search results

In the last ten years, there has been much debate about the need for the licensing and regulation of property valuers in Europe. The European Union has “hinted” at the need for a pan‐European licensing scheme in keeping with the model of licensing in the USA. This paper seeks to discuss the option of regulation available and the role of the RICS in introducing a comprehensive self‐regulatory process.

This paper looks at the evolution of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme” and the potential impact it will have on raising the standards of valuations not just in the UK but worldwide.

The RICS Standards require the valuer to undertake valuations in an appropriate and professional manner. The potential impact of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme” is that it will educate the profession and thus increase overall standards. Although the system does have sanctions, if required, the intent is not to penalise but to encourage and promote good practice.

This paper is a review of the “RICS Valuers Registration Scheme”. It outlines the history of the development of the scheme and the potential impact that it will have on the quality of valuations worldwide.

This paper debates the key concepts of fair value, value in use and existing use, as they relate to the valuation of owner‐occupied property assets. Changes to the professional body regulatory and advisory frameworks (International Valuation Standards Committee (IVSC), the European Group of Valuers’ Association (TEGoVA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)) controlling the valuation of fixed assets for balance‐sheet have taken place. These, it argues, require valuers to re‐appraise the role of existing use value (EUV) as an acceptable valuation concept. The treatment of owner‐occupied property differs with the IVSC no longer recognising EUV, which it holds to be contrary to the principles of fair value, as enshrined within International Accounting Standards. Yet, the basis is still recognised by TEGoVA, which also espouses fair value, whereas the RICS prefer the value to the business model. The crux therefore lies in the interpretation of fair value. This paper argues for the abandonment of EUV in UK and European standards, to fall in line with International Standards. It is contended that, if market value or value in use is the only acceptable approach to accounting valuations, this will have implications for corporate entities and may give their advisers some practical problems. If EUV is abandoned, it also calls into question the appropriateness of DRC (depreciated replacement cost) as a valid surrogate of market value or EUV. The paper contends that fair value embraces both value in exchange and value in use. It argues that EUV fulfils little useful purpose and calls for its abandonment and for the development of an agreed methodology for establishing value in use. In the quest for this it suggests that there would be merit in re‐exploring the notion of going concern value, which was effectively written out of UK practice with the introduction of RICS guidance.

This paper investigates the extent to which commercial property valuers in the UK refer to Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) professional standards and guidance on the inclusion of sustainability in valuation reports. Data collection, analysis and reporting related to sustainability attributes is examined, as well as the perceived importance of these attributes to clients and any value impacts that are associated with them.

An online survey of UK commercial property valuers was conducted from July to September 2019. The survey included both structured and open-ended questions.

Reference to RICS standards and guidance on sustainability has improved since earlier research. However, progress on data collection is still limited. At the time of the survey, UK valuers indicated that sustainability attributes were of more importance to owner-occupiers than investors and lenders. UK valuers also indicated that, out of a range of sustainability attributes, only certification was influencing market value (MV) and investment value (IV) to any great extent.

The online survey had 53 responses and this limited the ability to draw definitive conclusions. Hence, whilst the results may be indicative of the perceptions of some valuers of the significance of sustainability-related matters in the UK, the sample is not large enough to be considered representative of the opinions of property valuers per se in the UK.

Explicit reflection of sustainability in market or investment values is still limited in the UK valuation practice, but there are challenges faced by valuers that need further investigation, including difficulties in pricing sustainability attributes.

This is the first empirical investigation of the perception of sustainability by valuers in the UK commercial property market since the 2012 survey reported by Michl et al. (2016).

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of moral theory as a philosophical analytical framework for built environment organisations' ethical codes of practice. The identified moral theories under consideration are “deontology”, “consequentialism” and “virtue ethics”.

The paper uses a case study to examine the use of moral theory to explain the ethical codes of practice of built environment professional organisations. The chosen organisation is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The approach for conducting the case study is through semi‐structured interviews with experienced RICS members which gather views on the application of moral theory to explain the RICS ethical principles.

The case study revealed that there are mixed views on the use of moral theory to explain the RICS code of practice. The general view is that deontology is the most suitable theory to explain the fact that the work or process has been undertaken correctly. On the other hand, there is also a view amongst senior professionals that virtue ethics is most appropriate as it addresses the importance of both the correct “result” and the correct “process”.

The paper uses a case study approach to examine the ethical code of one built environment professional organisation. This research does not therefore claim empirical generalisation but instead provides illustrations on the use of moral theory to explain the code of practice of a built environment professional organisation. The paper is based on a series of interviews. The findings should be understood as the aggregated opinions of the interviewees.

The paper makes an original contribution to existing literature on the theoretical analysis of codes of practice for built environment professional organisations. It describes research which is the first to use moral theory as a framework for analysing rules of conduct of built environment professional organisations.

Outlines the case for the harmonisation of European investment valuation standards. Specific attention focuses upon the national valuation standards within Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and France with a view to assessing the prospects for uniformly accepted European investment valuation standards. Current practice and perceptions from interviews with 110 valuers are analysed. Educational background and professional training are shown to be influential in decisions upon whether to use national standards, TEGOVA standards or the RICS Red Book. The advent of property performance index series is shown to be a major factor influencing the harmonisation of valuation methods and standards. Conclusions reflect upon the variation between the four countries and the limited progress on the adoption of harmonised standards in Europe.

The paper aims to consider Red Book matters that have not previously been examined.

This paper examines the provisions in the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards (the Red Book) for property professionals involved in the use of the definition of “Existing use value for social housing”, and the “Tenanted market value” basis set out in guidelines for Scottish local authorities.

Using the experience in Scotland the paper considers some of the problems that can develop in practice and examines some of these problems.

The paper is intended to influence members of the profession in dealing with these problems and to contribute to the debate generally in terms of ensuring that these matters are considered by the RICS in reviewing its procedures.

The paper is specifically relevant to valuers required to use the Red Book provisions for valuing social housing and for those involved in existing use valuations.

The paper benchmarks compliance for 2010‐2011 with the RICS Code of Practice for Commercial Service Charges 2006.

Whether the proxy adopted is measured by floorspace or number of commercial office buildings, the sample size conforms to Kreycie and Morgan's determination for representative sample size. Data are generated directly from the original documents provided to commercial leaseholders to ensure authenticity and remove the need for third party reporting of said data. This guarantees the data are valid.

The research discovers that compliance with the RICS Code of Practice for commercial service charges is poorly, if variably, implemented. This contrasts with claims by the professional body.

The work only concerns 17 corporate tenants operating principally in the financial services sector and data are drawn from the clients of one property services company. Content analysis is utilised in order to interpret the data and requires some subjective judgement by the researchers. The work only refers to multi‐let office space in England and Wales.

Data are original and the paper offers a unique benchmarking test. This contrasts markedly with the anecdotal evidence offered by the profession in defending their standards of practice and whilst the paper has limitations, it is the largest and most accurate study yet carried out in the field.

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the methods and standards of valuation used by Swedish professional property valuers when appraising commercial properties and factors affecting those standards. The study builds on a 2002 comparative study of valuers in four European countries by McParland et al. (2002), but focuses specifically on property valuers in Sweden.

In 2010-2011, a questionnaire was used in face-to-face interviews with about half of the authorised property valuers in Sweden. Another questionnaire was emailed to all authorised property valuers in Sweden 2015 and again about half participated.

Analysis of the results shows some new trends in used and preferred standards and methods. Although Swedish valuers still rely mainly on local guidelines, they now increasingly use international standards and company guidelines, which may indicate a growing, if indirect, form of internationalisation. Swedish valuers still use discounted cash flow as their primary method, but their use of comparative methods has increased.

The data in this comparative study of valuation standards and methods over time used were collected from a specific group of property valuers authorised through the professional Swedish organisation Samhällsbyggarna (Swedish Professionals for the Built Environment), which contributes to an insight in the presiding of the harmonisation of valuation methods and standards.

Traditionally in the UK, accountants and their concepts of value have held little interest for those involved with the technical aspects of property management. Indeed, property valuers and accountants have traditionally adopted differing professional approaches towards the concept of valuation, despite nominally agreed valuing practices dating back to 1974. Most particularly, notwithstanding these agreements, the accounting profession has regarded the theory of property valuation for company accounts as a monopoly of its professional domination of the creation and implementation of accounting standards. Because of the lack of a codified conceptual framework, property assets were regarded identically to other assets. Equally, property managers attended to technical, infrastructural and legal aspects of managing properties. Examined in this paper, the development process behind Financial Reporting Standard 15: Tangible Fixed Assets (FRS 15) provided a realistic and fundamental shift of attitude. Not only were the opinions of valuers actively sought over the issue, but also the final standard adopted the definitions of value created by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Moreover, property assets now figure prominently in financial statements and so impinge directly on the net asset value and borrowing capability of the firm. Property management and modes of holding property have become central to running the business. This paper examines some of the arguments presented within the discussion process undertaken in the creation of FRS 15, highlighting the different approaches to the issue, and noting the likely negotiations to the standard to follow.

To help facilities managers understand the origins and aims of the National Health Service (NHS) asset valuation and capital charging system, of the depreciated replacement cost (DRC) approach to valuation, its strengths and weaknesses and how under devolution the Scottish Health Service is adapting DRC assumptions to meet multiple policy priorities.

This paper examines the history of the system since inception in 1989, as an accounting and FM tool, subsequent debates on problems arising from DRC valuation methodology and recent developments in the Scottish NHS.

The original aim of the capital charging system in 1989 was to adapt a primarily financial accounting system of asset registers to create a dynamic management system to inform facility managers of the opportunity cost of their assets, encourage them to sell obsolete assets and drive modernisation of the estate. In Scotland much modernisation has now occurred. Other issues have emerged to preoccupy managers such as sustainability, preservation in use of historic buildings and concern not to overburden health bodies with an inherited older estate with onerous charges.

The paper presents new historic material identifying trends in the health service and professional thinking. It continues the debate between FM and valuation professionals, central government clients and researchers. The debate has implications for other specialised public sector estates such as prisons, courts, roads and defence and specialised private sector estates valued on DRC.

The paper explains recent developments in the UK's NHS asset valuation methodology in Scotland, and the historic roots of the capital charging system.